Just logged in to say 'thank you' to your entry.
I too am bemused by the emphasis on try scoring, yes we love it but it is not essential for enjoyment.
I mean from a RL perspective, that is ALL there is. In any case, all too often in league (not that I have watched much in the last decade) it is a simple line break from ten metres.
Give me the contest.
I recall vaguely on the back page (?) some league guy lamenting over some high scoring SA game (prob cheetahs vs lions or sumthin) which was, dunno, 70 points each (a few years ago) which was bloody exciting and he dismissively said 'poor defense'. Cmon, what way do you want to cut the pie?
Well, you cut the pie in whatever way you need to to make sure 'your sport' comes out on top. And, when all you have at the end of the day for a spectacle is some silly ten metre tries that is what you end up concentrating on.
One thing that occurred to me whilst reading this thread....well we usually grow up with a code. I am from NSW, and went to a public school..what do you think the focus was on? MAYBE, in a summary on the news
might have been some results from union. All the emphasis, all the footage was from league.
Slowly, and only really visible on hindsight, I grew dissillusioned with league. I'd 'watch' the state of origin, reading a book or magazine, listening to Roy and Hg to get some sort of interest, only glancing up from the magazine when a try was scored.
Stumbled on a test match of union (in those days you only ever saw the 'important games')...my god! What is THIS. Holy hell, this constant competing for the ball, the tactics.
So I fully endorse the point made in the article, what is needed is EXPOSURE. The last thing we want is to dumb down the game...well you'd end up with league so what is the point?
So rather than one page of union (if we are lucky) in the paper vs fifteen or so of league, and union only available on pay tv (the only reason I have pay tv BTW) we need exposure, we do not need a dumbing down of the game.
I wonder about the 'conversions'. I mean, how many convert from league to union and vice versa? I guess, by definition we would not hear of the 'I grew up with union and found league to be a better game' (they would not be on this forum) but my gut feel is that in terms of intrigue, tactics and 'thinking' it would be pretty well a one way street.
It's a bit like chess vs checkers, or tiddleywinks. A thinking, tactic laden spectacle against a one dimensional predictable borefest. The height of tactical thinking in league? Kick on the FOURTH tackle, that'll fool em!
Of course the 'constant kicking' was one of the things to beat the union game around the head with...till it was
enshrined in the rules of league. At least in union it is *our* decision whether to kick, not because if we don't we lamely hand the ball over to the other side.
Anyways, that article mentioned a lot of the pet peeves of mine, thanks.
