National Rugby Championship 2014

[p.Tah]

On occasions you can achieve more in 4 months when under pressure than you can with no pressure across 2 years. Tight timelines bring focus. Even if the NRC was launched in 2015 there would be some who wanted more time.
Sometimes you've just got to take the leap and hope for a safe landing.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

A final thought on the player development issue before I STFU:

Assuming the Reds squad minus Wallabies is split more or less 50/50 between Brisbane & QC (Quade Cooper)-GC, that leaves each of them roughly 15 - 20 short of a roster. Yes, GC has a club in QPR but there are 4 between the Brisbane & Albert rivers.

Don't get me wrong, QC (Quade Cooper)-GC is better than nothing but I still believe it's like trying to grow flowers in a desert when there's a better option going to waste.

 

[Lee Grant]

On occasions you can achieve more in 4 months when under pressure than you can with no pressure across 2 years. Tight timelines bring focus.

Sometimes you've just got to take the leap and hope for a safe landing.

invoke a bit of boof leehman.

If the NRC goes through this year, and I hope it does, we may have to give Pulver a nickname, and "Boof" Pulver will be as good as any.

The elephant in the room was always going to be the short amount of time before the announcement of the competition and the declaration of the successful bids.

But if the NRC can work despite that constraint Pulver and his team will have to be congratulated for pushing it through.

On this thread were are looking at the NRC in isolation, but if you add in the other new competitions: the Junior Gold Cup for Under 15s and Under 17s (more than halfway through now), plus the National Under 20s competition (starting in two weeks' time), you can see what a watershed year 2014 could be for junior and emerging senior players.

This supposes that all three competitions can be funded in the ways that the ARU has planned.

But If the funding of them is problematic, and the short setup time for the NRC affects the tournament, we may have to extend Pulver's nickname to "Boofhead".

Right now, I'm backing him and will call him "Boof".
.

 

[the coach]

All looks fairly transparent:
http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/na...ail&utm_term=0_53e97ccfb4-1a0ecde072-63593233

 

[Dave Beat]

All looks fairly transparent:
http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/national-rugby-championship-distribution-of-players/?utm_source=G&GR Daily Rugby News list&utm_campaign=1a0ecde072-Wed 9/10/2013&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_53e97ccfb4-1a0ecde072-63593233

Interesting Greg Peterson who has been at Manly for a number of years and still is, is not with the Nth Harbor team in the above???

 

[I like to watch]

It was the authors analysis of possible team lists.it was nothing official.
So either the author forgot about Peterson,or thinks there are better players than him currently playing Shute Shield in one or more of the Northern clubs.
In any event,I'm sure he listed both Neville & Walton,both you would easily pick before GP.I would select the Manly captain ahead of him as well.

 

[the coach]

BTW, the ARU has advised "teams are likely to be announced by the end of March 2014."

 

[RugbyFuture]

god they're taking their time.

 

[RugbyReg]

god they're taking their time.

apparently they are having a really hard time trying to work out what exactly is the new Western Sydney team's logo.

 

[MACCA]

BTW, the ARU has advised "teams are likely to be announced by the end of March 2014."

Watch for some changes to combinations of teams that are partnering up...

 

[the coach]

apparently they are having a really hard time trying to work out what exactly is the new Western Sydney team's logo.

I'm sure they're burning the midnight oil thrashing out the issues eg which bottle of wine will we open next.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

mate this is third tier. No way is this ever meant to battle against the Titans and Suns. Thats what the Reds and Wallabies do. This is about player development as much as anything I am afraid.

Oh, and tv money.

TV money?
How much are fox paying for this extravaganza?

 

[Inside Shoulder]

On occasions you can achieve more in 4 months when under pressure than you can with no pressure across 2 years. Tight timelines bring focus. Even if the NRC was launched in 2015 there would be some who wanted more time.
Sometimes you've just got to take the leap and hope for a safe landing.

I think the consensus is that there is only one shot at this.
It needs to be right - whenever its done.

 

[kiap]

It was the authors analysis of possible team lists.it was nothing official.
So either the author forgot about Peterson,or thinks there are better players than him currently playing Shute Shield in one or more of the Northern clubs.
In any event,I'm sure he listed both Neville & Walton,both you would easily pick before GP.I would select the Manly captain ahead of him as well.

Yep, definitely unofficial, just my possible list to get a look at the numbers.

The 4th Sydney team, which I'm guessing will be Randwick, were a few short so they got some poaches (Alo-Emile, Peterson). I forgot about Peterson when I wrote up the Sydney section later on.

Interesting Greg Peterson who has been at Manly for a number of years and still is, is not with the Nth Harbor team in the above???

Thanks. You're right.

Peterson may end up with Nth Harbour in the real thing. The aim should be to maintain existing links but there may be a few cases where it doesn't happen – but it gives those players more game time and balances up the numbers.

I've changed the write-up to read that the tahs players are "divided between the four Sydney NRC teams. Almost all players are aligned with their existing local clubs".

I'm still assuming there are four teams based in Sydney, which might not happen if they go for an 8 team comp.

 

[Battalion]

TV money?
How much are fox paying for this extravaganza?

as much as it is about tv money. problem is the road block. masses can't break through to watch super rugby/nrc. only 30% of ozzy's have paytv in homes. we are at a disadvantage to nrl ch9, afl ch7, aleague ch10.

one option. show 2 in 3 of games on foxtel paytv/payinternet. show other games on live foxtel owned free to air channel. foxtel free to air would advertise and gain traction for foxtel paytv channels.

what will drive rugby growth is viewer accessibility. more fans, more subscribers to foxtel. interlinked to more players, membership, sponsors.

increased subscriptions by foxtel just not materialising. in 1999 foxtel predicted 75% subscribers by 2009. in 2012 predicted 50% by who knows when. first link good read. offers solutions for foxtel to increase subscribers.

http://www.propertyobserver.com.au/...ians-have-pay-tv-in-their-homes/2012071055513

http://www.smh.com.au/business/medi...-slice-of-local-tv-market-20120717-228fi.html

 

[East Coast Aces]

A final thought on the player development issue before I STFU:

Assuming the Reds squad minus Wallabies is split more or less 50/50 between Brisbane & QC (Quade Cooper)-GC, that leaves each of them roughly 15 - 20 short of a roster. Yes, GC has a club in QPR but there are 4 between the Brisbane & Albert rivers.

Don't get me wrong, QC (Quade Cooper)-GC is better than nothing but I still believe it's like trying to grow flowers in a desert when there's a better option going to waste.

Exactly! It was a massive mistake having one of the QLD teams on the GC in the ARC, now it sounds like the are making the same mistake. Dejavu all over again.

When I first heard of the QLD Country side being an option it was going to be based during the week at Ballymore so no Reds or QPR play needed to relocate and would take its home games to different country cities. So one game on the GC, one Sunny Coast, one townsville, one Toowommba etc. This would have been a great way to develope and promote Rugby right throughout the state.

It will be a great waste to base a team on the GC where their club team has struggled to the point of collapse which was saved by Bond Uni's sports arms race. This will leave South Brisbane supporters stranded again with no team to support like East Coast Aces did. On merit not one GC Bond breakers player would make this team apart from current Reds players. So this team will be heavily propped up by Easts, Sunnybank and Souths players.

The GC is not a rugby hearltand, it is dominated by AFL, League and Surf Sports. and consequently the ECA were poorly supported. The 7s is poorly supported there and is being moved and the Wallabies be Arg wasn't even a sell out. If a City can't support a once a year international event like the 7s there is absolutely no way it will get behind a regular rugby team.

As much as I Loved the East Coast aces, I didn't get to 1 game as I am from South-east Brisbane. As a then teenager it was impossible for me to get to Carrara Stadium. This would have been the case for many people and all too hard for even more people.

We all know Brisbane works as a one team town. We should by now know that GC is a team graveyard so find another option for QLD's second team.

 

[Dave Beat]

Yep, definitely unofficial, just my possible list to get a look at the numbers.

The 4th Sydney team, which I'm guessing will be Randwick, were a few short so they got some poaches (Alo-Emile, Peterson). I forgot about Peterson when I wrote up the Sydney section later on.


Thanks. You're right.

Peterson may end up with Nth Harbour in the real thing. The aim should be to maintain existing links but there may be a few cases where it doesn't happen – but it gives those players more game time and balances up the numbers.

I've changed the write-up to read that the tahs players are "divided between the four Sydney NRC teams. Almost all players are aligned with their existing local clubs".

I'm still assuming there are four teams based in Sydney, which might not happen if they go for an 8 team comp.

Cheers, yes well I will support Nth Hbr, and naturally want to see existing Manly stay at Nth Hbr Matt Lucas also has (manly) in brackets after his name.

No doubt both these players will play in Manly colors through the season as they are not Tahs starters at the moment.

Maybe the team that wants to play in green has to work on expanding relationships, and possibly look at what IMO the foundation of the NRC should be all about??? At the moment we are unsure of the final outcome.

Another thought i had - The suggested Melb / Perth team looks very similar the the teams that should be starting tonight - wouldn't it be good if there had to be a few development players as well?

BTW always good contributions, considerable time and effort would have gone into that and great discussion point.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Exactly! It was a massive mistake having one of the QLD teams on the GC in the ARC, now it sounds like the are making the same mistake. Dejavu all over again.

When I first heard of the QLD Country side being an option it was going to be based during the week at Ballymore so no Reds or QPR play needed to relocate and would take its home games to different country cities. So one game on the GC, one Sunny Coast, one townsville, one Toowommba etc. This would have been a great way to develope and promote Rugby right throughout the state.

It will be a great waste to base a team on the GC where their club team has struggled to the point of collapse which was saved by Bond Uni's sports arms race. This will leave South Brisbane supporters stranded again with no team to support like East Coast Aces did. On merit not one GC Bond breakers player would make this team apart from current Reds players. So this team will be heavily propped up by Easts, Sunnybank and Souths players.

The GC is not a rugby hearltand, it is dominated by AFL, League and Surf Sports. and consequently the ECA were poorly supported. The 7s is poorly supported there and is being moved and the Wallabies be Arg wasn't even a sell out. If a City can't support a once a year international event like the 7s there is absolutely no way it will get behind a regular rugby team.

As much as I Loved the East Coast aces, I didn't get to 1 game as I am from South-east Brisbane. As a then teenager it was impossible for me to get to Carrara Stadium. This would have been the case for many people and all too hard for even more people.

We all know Brisbane works as a one team town. We should by now know that GC is a team graveyard so find another option for QLD's second team.

If they're going to be called the QC (Quade Cooper)-GC then I guess there's hope of games being taken to Toowoomba & Noosa but Townsville may be a bit too Country. I just hope they don't try to play out of Metricon (Carrara) or worse Skilled (Robina).

Other than the "player development" issue, on which I'll say no more unless someone really riles me up about it, my main concern is what will the NRC "experience" consist of: another park & ride trek to another dreary stadium with over-priced food & beverage? NRC needs venues where the local Club(s) can set up things like kicking & passing comps, basic drills etc to promote the game.

 

[RugbyReg]

TV money?
How much are fox paying for this extravaganza?

not much this year, but the plan would to have it bundled up as added value to the SANZAR rights. Its a long term solution. Hopefully.

 

[RugbyFuture]

Also heard this was an attempt to eventually have SOMETHING on free to air too. But it evens out the odds with the rest of the SANZAR nations in terms of the rights deal.