NRC onwards and upwards

[Show-n-go]

Clearly isn’t that cut and dry though is it

My “obvious” team is Sydney however I feel absolutely no affinity to that team whatsoever, or any of the others really for that matter. I know I’m not alone in this

 

[Derpus]

Clearly isn’t that cut and dry though is it

My “obvious” team is Sydney however I feel absolutely no affinity to that team whatsoever, or any of the others really for that matter. I know I’m not alone in this

Takes time for these things to develop and older folk who are set in their ways probably won't ever adopt a new team.

 

[Show-n-go]

Pretty much. I followed the Rams before they became Eastwood because I was born, raised and still live in the western half of the city. When they were cut I jumped to Country as thanks to my junior club being aligned with the Illawarra competition at the time I was a country junior. Seems pretty natural for me.

But see your logic to begin with was that you support the team where you live (and fair enough) but after the change you no longer follow that logic and have changed teams (again fair enough)

this shows me that there’s a distinct lack of identity and sense of belonging with some of the current teams

Can I ask if the rams and country were both in the comp who would you support?

 

[Brumby Runner]

When the NRC was launched, these were it's objectives:




it's probably fair to say that the first one hasn't entirely hit the mark, but I put this down to RA just not promoting.

I think it has been largely successful in the 2nd aspect, but could do a lot better (pay the players more).

The 3rd is probably a yes as well, in terms of content, although it does not match the ITM or Currie Cup.

To be honest the reason it hasn't met these marks is because RA haven't got behind and invested in it.

Any new comp needs resources behind it. Big Bash the biggest example.

I think the NRC is capable of meeting all of those objectives, but I cannot see how a club championship would in any way meet them.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

But see your logic to begin with was that you support the team where you live (and fair enough) but after the change you no longer follow that logic and have changed teams (again fair enough)

this shows me that there’s a distinct lack of identity and sense of belonging with some of the current teams

Can I ask if the rams and country were both in the comp who would you support?

I supported the Rams right up until Eastwood took over. That should give you an idea.

 

[Show-n-go]

I supported the Rams right up until Eastwood took over. That should give you an idea.

So following on from what you’ve previously said, would I be right in saying there’s not really a team that represents you in the NRC?Yes you’ve selected a side to support and have some sort of connection however it obviously isn’t your first choice. From a rugby supporter that lives in rugby heartland of Sydney that seems like a problem to me, one that can easily be rectified by resuming the Rays, Rams, and Fleet

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

So following on from what you’ve previously said, would I be right in saying there’s not really a team that represents you in the NRC?Yes you’ve selected a side to support and have some sort of connection however it obviously isn’t your first choice. From a rugby supporter that lives in rugby heartland of Sydney that seems like a problem to me, one that can easily be rectified by resuming the Rays, Rams, and Fleet

I'd go back to the Rams if they were to return. Absolutely.

 

[molman]

There’s too many Shute shield clubs to cater to with only 2 nsw teams though, we need to break it down and we NEED them onboard you’re not going to achieve that effectively as is. Why would clubs get around a comp they could very well only have 1-2 players involved in, what’s the bloody point?

Marketing wise I don’t know what angle you play with the current format, the city v country rivalry of yesteryear doesn’t really exist today. But as a southie I love beating those north shore pricks, play on that. Engage the tribalism of manly and warringah joining forces to combat the western Sydney scum etc

Nobody gives a shit about city v country, especially when the country team is half filled with guys who are from the city

As others mentioned the whole try and create tribalisim with leting the clubs be more involved is what we had when the NRC launched with teams like Sydney Stars, NSW Country Eagles, North Harbour Rays, and the Greater Sydney Rams. They had the whole idea to try and align certain SS clubs to 'their' NRC club. We saw how that went, which was not well. I mean, half the issue is that often the most tribalisim is with your next closest club so having those teams feed into teh same NRC team wasn't ideal on that front anyway and things like Sydney Uni feeding into NSW Country was just odd anyway.

The other thing you need to keep in mind is all clubs start somewhere. In Sydney alone we've had teams come and go in many sports - League has gone through the whole post Super League era, the AFL have seeded everything from a Sydney to Western Sydney Team, old NSL soccer clubs have died and new ones like Wanderers in the A League have risen. With the right marketing and by having a good/entertaining product, tribalisim can be created.

In terms of NSW needing more than two teams, maybe I'll believe that when they actually win the NRC. Runner up in 2016 is it to date.

 

[molman]

I would've thought it pretty obvious. If you're from Brisbane, then Brisbane. Anywhere else in QLD, Country.

As a novelty you can support both. If either win, QLD is the winner.

Im curious, is the term Country dated or is it still representative of those not from the Capital? I say this as predominately a city boy, so I don't really know, but in NSW I doubt Wollongong or Newcastle really align themselves with the term 'country'?

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Im curious, is the term Country dated or is it still representative of those not from the Capital? I say this as predominately a city boy, so I don't really know, but in NSW I doubt Wollongong or Newcastle really align themselves with the term 'country'?

It's an interesting question. Having lived in Wollongong I don't think many would consider themselves living in the 'country'. However, in terms of sports they are aligned as so.

 

[Show-n-go]

So my overall picture is obviously NSW going back to 3 teams

Rays, Rams and Fleet

Each team has 4 feeder Shute shield clubs - Part of the reason this didn’t work last time was because the Shute clubs had too much power, in my scenario they are there literally figureheads and part of the pathway they have no authority or any power in the running, all the governance still remains with NSWRU? Whoever the hell runs it now

Shute shield players can only play for their pathway club except for X amount of squad spots (let’s say 4-5) that can be filled with people outside of the catchment, this is to help even out the teams as needed or if the tahs want certain players playing together

Yes splitting to 3 teams will “weaken” the NSW teams more however I’d argue with the non-existent lead in time, the likelihood of club combinations continuing through to NRC level may actually work out to be better quality footy as players don’t spend the first 2-3 rounds meeting each other in the carpark before a game

By splitting to 3 we get more club guys involved and potential for a more even spread of involvement from all clubs players which in turn hopefully leads to more buyin from clubs as it overall benefits their players

Each club in the catchment gets a home game, chuck in a country game or two per year as per one of my previous post (fleet southern nsw, Rams western nsw and rays northern nsw)

In summary
positives:
*more players involved - more chances at the next level
*club combinations more likely to filter through resulting in attractive rugby = better product
*some semblance of tribalism
*more likely to have buy-in from clubs

Negatives
*potential weakens nsw in the nrc further
*disenfranchisement of country contingent with removal of eagles

 

[Silverado]

Im curious, is the term Country dated or is it still representative of those not from the Capital? I say this as predominately a city boy, so I don't really know, but in NSW I doubt Wollongong or Newcastle really align themselves with the term 'country'?

Newcastle (and Illawarra) still plays in the country championship each year and get picked for NSW Country from that, so I would say yes. If Sydney and Country played in Newcastle they'd be supporting country

 

[Teh Other Dave]

Thing is, if you keep piss-farting around with the teams, nobody will ever develop any 'affinity' or following with a team. Keep it fairly simple. Queensland stuck to City and Country, put players with substantial links to the country in the country squad and then supplemented it with other players. The teams are competitive because of buy-in from players and staff. Get enough people to have a good day watching good footy a and they'll want to come back.

The whole QPR/SRU club rivalry thing is a bit of a furphy to me. These NRC teams are rep teams. They're meant to consist of players from different clubs. I can't think of any Queenslander who stopped supporting the Reds or Wallabies because John Eales and Slaughter McCall played for the filth.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Sounds to me that the only issue here is NSW. Everyone else seems to be pretty happy with how the NRC is shaping up.

 

[Silverado]

Sounds to me that the only issue here is NSW. Everyone else seems to be pretty happy with how the NRC is shaping up.

I don't know, it's only a couple of posters who want change. When NSW had 3 teams they were all terrible. There isn't enough depth in SS to match it with semi professional outfits like the Force and Drua, and the best Super Rugby franchise has one team in the NRC. This year NSW teams had 2 teams and both missed out on finals...At least Country went close and Sydney were improved. They need to stop chopping and changing if they expect anyone to align with a team

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

I don't know, it's only a couple of posters who want change. When NSW had 3 teams they were all terrible. There isn't enough depth in SS to match it with semi professional outfits like the Force and Drua, and the best Super Rugby franchise has one team in the NRC. This year NSW teams had 2 teams and both missed out on finals.At least Country went close and Sydney were improved. They need to stop chopping and changing if they expect anyone to align with a team

If RA wants to experiment with the NRC they should first look to do so with things like marketing and promotion. Move it back a little. Push it to the public and actually see if we can get something going here.

 

[mst]

I don't know, it's only a couple of posters who want change. When NSW had 3 teams they were all terrible. There isn't enough depth in SS to match it with semi professional outfits like the Force and Drua, and the best Super Rugby franchise has one team in the NRC. This year NSW teams had 2 teams and both missed out on finals.At least Country went close and Sydney were improved. They need to stop chopping and changing if they expect anyone to align with a team

I think this could be the real is salt and reason for resistance around the whole NRC concept. Accepting that the Shute will be tier 4 and that NSW no longer has that abundant talent pool of the past are harsh reality to accept. For some its an admission that the Shute's best days are gone and now relegated to history. It's also a loss of power and position in the grand scheme of rugby in Australia.

If there is a need for a third NSW team then base it out of southern NSW (call it country FWIW) with a few NSW based players, topped up with excess ACT players (Brumbies), Victorian players (Rebels) and any other leftovers or even some ringins (possibly Force players). That way all Super Rugby franchises are feeding two teams and it's more opportunity for players.

 

[dru]

Personally, Sydney and Brisbane fans have a team to get behind during Super. We can stream for NRC.

Base the state NRC teams in one country town only for all the home games in NRC. In Qld, one in Rocky/Gladstone and one Toowoomba. NSW Mudgee and Armidale or something.

Guessing there on the locations but let them build a consistent home base. Bet they end up with bigger crowds than now.

 

[Show-n-go]

Personally, Sydney and Brisbane fans have a team to get behind during Super. We can stream for NRC.

Base the state NRC teams in one country town only for all the home games in NRC. In Qld, one in Rocky/Gladstone and one Toowoomba. NSW Mudgee and Armidale or something.

Guessing there on the locations but let them build a consistent home base. Bet they end up with bigger crowds than now.

Don’t think the average non super rugby guys earn enough to be away from home consistently

I’m sure their regular employers wouldn’t be too thrilled about them being away for that long either

 

[RugbyReg]

Personally, Sydney and Brisbane fans have a team to get behind during Super. We can stream for NRC.

Base the state NRC teams in one country town only for all the home games in NRC. In Qld, one in Rocky/Gladstone and one Toowoomba. NSW Mudgee and Armidale or something.

Guessing there on the locations but let them build a consistent home base. Bet they end up with bigger crowds than now.

do you think there is money to put up (sleep, feed and entertain) 35 + people in a regional time (plus flying them around) for 2 months? Twice?