Melbourne Rebels 2024
- Thread starter RugbyReg
- Start date
Wallaby Man
Nev Cottrell (35)
Isn’t most of that wage covered by 3rd party? Maybe I’m wrong, but if so, safe to say it’s money that wouldn’t of found its way into the current players hands.
Wallaby Man
Nev Cottrell (35)
Highlander35
Steve Williams (59)
Probably yes
Strewthcobber
Simon Poidevin (60)
For the record, I have zero interest in sitting at Suncorp Stadium anytime in December and January, watching players skills disappear due to the extreme fatigue from the heat and humidity.
SteveWA
Charlie Fox (21)
The flipside is the Oz team performances in Fiji might improve
The Ghost of Raelene
David Codey (61)
What if the game opened up due to fatigue?
I sit and watch some pretty ordinary batting from the Australian side for 8 hours in December/January.
I sit and watch some pretty ordinary batting from the Australian side for 8 hours in December/January.
Strewthcobber
Simon Poidevin (60)
Having played and watched plenty of rubbish February rugby it's the dropped ball that kills it
For some reason the dew/humidity/sweat/mud combo just makes the ball so slippery.
The Ghost of Raelene
David Codey (61)
Only being devils advocate but is most of that because it's pre season though and most of the games are pretty lame anyway? I do agree its a pretty out there idea.
Adam84
Rod McCall (65)
Outside of Suva it's really only an issue in Brisbane. And Brisbane's peak humidity period in in Jan/Feb is less than what they are in Suva for the current Super Rugby schedule.
Late Jan/Early February in Brisbane is the main issue with humidity. Nov/Dec is about the same as Mar/Apr, so if the humidity is going to play a critical factor in the quality of the game (I don't think it is), then they just could just schedule fewer games in Brisbane in Jan/Feb and shift them to the Nov/Dec & Mar/Apr periods.
Late Jan/Early February in Brisbane is the main issue with humidity. Nov/Dec is about the same as Mar/Apr, so if the humidity is going to play a critical factor in the quality of the game (I don't think it is), then they just could just schedule fewer games in Brisbane in Jan/Feb and shift them to the Nov/Dec & Mar/Apr periods.
Last edited:
Adam84
Rod McCall (65)
The Drua actually use this to their advantage. it was leaked last year that they water the ground the night before to ensure peak humidity the next day for the visiting teams
Derpus
Nathan Sharpe (72)
This is wrongo. Rugby's current issue is the lack of fatigue due to the bench size.
Tex
Greg Davis (50)
Love this sort of stuff.
Strewthcobber
Simon Poidevin (60)
The thing is, during summer this will be managed by increasing the number of stoppages and water breaks.
The players won't just miss more tackles. They will make more of all the mistakes. More scrums etc
Games will take longer with more ball-out-of-play time. It doesn't solve the current issue
dru
David Wilson (68)
Completely agree.
I just don't see any evidence of this, it looks like an opportunity they wish to take - cutting the number of teams where the RA deflects responsibility to the actions of others. I don't like it but they are not wrong.
Unfortunately the issue with Rebels goes far beyond the number of teams favoured and seems to potentially challenge the existence of RA/pro rugby itself. Survival of the professional game trumps survival of 5 teams. (Let alone my preferred position of expansion within a domestic comp. Very likely that bird has flown.)
dru
David Wilson (68)
I think they lean on the the level of sporting success. And a desire to concentrate the talent to encourage better success. Commercially successful teams without sporting success is not what the RA want and I suspect the shrink to greatness policy has sympathy at RA.
Edit: FWIW i don't disagree with a position that wants sporting success and a level playing field for the comp. Shrinkage is just not how I would go about it and nor is an intermeshed comp with the Kiwis. A post season champions league would be fine but not a meshed (lop-sided) comp.
Dctarget
Tim Horan (67)
There's a difference between commercial success and possible existence. Look at Newcastle in the Premiership.
swingpass
Peter Sullivan (51)
its pretty clear that ALL the super franchises are struggling financially, the Canes posted a 1.4 million NZD loss last year. Quite simply there is no format that will deliver a full time, fully professional game in Australia at the wages level (relative to income) players want. We are just kicking the can down the road hoping the B&I Lions and RWC can deliver a financial miracle. A nation wide semi pro comp with our best playing in Europe, Japan (NZ?) is the only sustainable foreseeable future imo. I love the Rebels and would dearly love them to survive, but i cant see that happening. the question is who goes next? Brumbies or Tahs ? Should be the latter but much more likely the former