NRC onwards and upwards

[Rebels3]

My other concern with including club teams into a national championship is the creation of the haves and have nots. The Randwicks, Sydney Uni’s of the world will draw all the talented players from the less resourced teams such as Southern Districts. It will lead to more 70+ score lines during the regular season, you’ll end up with 3/4 teams dominating all the players as people want to be seen at the best clubs and then another 2/3 clubs go absolutely bust believing they are in the same commercial space as what Randwick can afford.

Also we are struggling to get all our contracted Super Rugby players to play NRC as it is, if the Super Rugby clubs suddenly have no connection with the comp, less players will play in it than already is. There would be circumstances that some fringe Super Rugby players would only play 5/6 games of rugby in a 2 year frame. Basically full time trainers, missing game smarts due to lack of opportunities.

It needs to be a semi-pro comp that raises the standard.

 

[Silverado]

My other concern with including club teams into a national championship is the creation of the haves and have nots. The Randwicks, Sydney Uni’s of the world will draw all the talented players from the less resourced teams such as Southern Districts. It will lead to more 70+ score lines during the regular season, you’ll end up with 3/4 teams dominating all the players as people want to be seen at the best clubs and then another 2/3 clubs go absolutely bust believing they are in the same commercial space as what Randwick can afford.

Also we are struggling to get all our contracted Super Rugby players to play NRC as it is, if the Super Rugby clubs suddenly have no connection with the comp, less players will play in it than already is. There would be circumstances that some fringe Super Rugby players would only play 5/6 games of rugby in a 2 year frame. Basically full time trainers, missing game smarts due to lack of opportunities.


It needs to be a semi-pro comp that raises the standard.

Well said. All the Super Rugby players must play NRC if instructed, but what happens if a player is not from One of the "elite" teams? And players trying to prove themselves Super Rugby ready will have to align themselves with one of the better teams or miss the opportunity to showcase their talent

 

[Finsbury Girl]

NRC just needs some marketing and support from the ARU.

The rep system in place for QLD is a very good example of how it can be implemented in the professional era. Brisbane City and QLD Country rugby have long traditions and it's great they are being carried on.

 

[Silverado]

NRC just needs some marketing and support from the ARU.

The rep system in place for QLD is a very good example of how it can be implemented in the professional era. Brisbane City and QLD Country rugby have long traditions and it's great they are being carried on.

Yes. Reds do it well. Thank goodness NSW seem to have embraced jt more. I thought the NRC came along this year a d produced some top games but really struggled by having to compete with the RWC.

 

[Finsbury Girl]

^ absolutely Silverado, the quality of rugby at times was fantastic. It will only get bigger and better with the right support.

I was very disappointed with the crowd @ Easts in Sydney this year, I really hope Sydney rugby community will get behind the concept. Sydney played a blinder against us, and there were heaps of tahs and reds playing. Such a shame it wasn't seen by many.

 

[Rebels3]

Well said. All the Super Rugby players must play NRC if instructed, but what happens if a player is not from One of the "elite" teams? And players trying to prove themselves Super Rugby ready will have to align themselves with one of the better teams or miss the opportunity to showcase their talent

Yep definitely another concern. The proposed representative Melbourne and WA sides in the article that has generated the discussion would also wipe the floor with any SS or Prems team. We have just seen the Force dominate the NRC and the Rising team which was kinda ‘that representative side’ talked about after 2/3 games was extremely competitive against the NRC sides. Wouldn’t take long for chants of unfair to be called.

 

[Rebels3]

^ absolutely Silverado, the quality of rugby at times was fantastic. It will only get bigger and better with the right support.

I was very disappointed with the crowd @ Easts in Sydney this year, I really hope Sydney rugby community will get behind the concept. Sydney played a blinder against us, and there were heaps of tahs and reds playing. Such a shame it wasn't seen by many.

It’s why I prefer the model of using the Reds and Tahs names, the other QLD and NSW teams could be used to harbor support from those pro club rugby. The Reds and Tahs teams can build continuity into the next season (minus their wallabies players) and the club representative teams can be a genuine shoot out of the best of the best against the pros to see who can really cut it at that next level, great for putting your hand up for a contract.

 

[Teh Other Dave]

So let me get this straight: Some astute individual suggests changing the NRC because the Sydney team/s have been historically shit (the cockies are ok). Suggests basing the comp on the Shute Shield, which has become a major case of haves and have-nots and symptomatic of the malaise fulminant failure of the game outside the lower north shore and eastern suburbs (oh yes and Camperdown), and whose clubs' refusal to buy in to the NRC have been the cause of the Sydney team/s being shit.

Solid plan.

 

[Show-n-go]

That is a fair point.

For me, a scattering of club players across 20 suburban teams (or even 8 or 6 of them) playing each other is not the solution - If, as Laurie Fisher said this past week, the missing piece in Australian rugby is a higher-standard of domestic professional competition.

BTW, I'm not against the top 6-8 clubs playing such fixtures to compete for a post-season Club Championship. It's just not a substitute for a proper national comp.

Im not advocating for that though, all im saying is split to three teams like it was before

leads to more tribalism and gets the shute clubs more invested in the competition

 

[Show-n-go]

If you want to grow the game nationally, you need to have some sort of interest from the country of both NSW and QLD. Yes there are no players picked directly from country clubs, but that's only because they head to the big smoke if they're good enough. If you want to just have City teams, then don't call it a national championship. Also, if it's a straight top 6 with Shute Shield/QLD prem comp, do you think that those that don't make it or people from the country like me will give a Tinkers Cuss? You do realise that rugby in rural areas is declining alarmingly don't you?

why? that's not the definition of national? The NRL, AFL, NBL, Big Bash all don't have country teams and are all considered national sporting comps


again not advocating for the club model, just splitting the nsw teams from 2 to 3, gotta read buddy. I'm not against country involvement, im a born and bred country boy, but you have to be realistic about it, the benefits of having a tokenistic "country" team that go to a country town and play 1 game do not outweigh a more engaged and well run competition involving the core base demographics. Once you have 5-10 years of settled competition, strong supporter bases and a recognized pathway that is attracting more juniors THEN reach out to the country and give them a side, when you can pay them the due diligence they need to be successful

 

[Finsbury Girl]

It’s why I prefer the model of using the Reds and Tahs names, the other QLD and NSW teams could be used to harbor support from those pro club rugby. The Reds and Tahs teams can build continuity into the next season (minus their wallabies players) and the club representative teams can be a genuine shoot out of the best of the best against the pros to see who can really cut it at that next level, great for putting your hand up for a contract.

The Reds are QLD. Let's not mix up provincial representation with regional/sub-provincial representation.

 

[Jimmy_Crouch]

NRC just needs some marketing and support from the ARU.

The rep system in place for QLD is a very good example of how it can be implemented in the professional era. Brisbane City and QLD Country rugby have long traditions and it's great they are being carried on.

QLD system isn't without its flaws. Teams struggle to get that tribalism with players swapping squads and premier clubs not being aligned.

For me (a Wests fan) who do I support? We have players at both teams. I really think they need to do North v South of the river. New recruits to the Reds without affiliation should be pushed to the weaker (clubs) teams and progress to the NRC team.

 

[Finsbury Girl]

QLD system isn't without its flaws. Teams struggle to get that tribalism with players swapping squads and premier clubs not being aligned.



For me (a Wests fan) who do I support? We have players at both teams. I really think they need to do North v South of the river. New recruits to the Reds without affiliation should be pushed to the weaker (clubs) teams and progress to the NRC team.

Pick your poison. Bush or City. I am a GPS man but I'm also a follower of the mighty Black Pigs and Gundy bush chooks as well so have no problem supporting Country.

 

[mst]

Interesting tweet from the manly Shute president that indicates that not all is its been reported: http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/the-tuesday-top-5-129/

 

[Jimmy_Crouch]

My other concern with including club teams into a national championship is the creation of the haves and have nots. The Randwicks, Sydney Uni’s of the world will draw all the talented players from the less resourced teams such as Southern Districts. It will lead to more 70+ score lines during the regular season, you’ll end up with 3/4 teams dominating all the players as people want to be seen at the best clubs and then another 2/3 clubs go absolutely bust believing they are in the same commercial space as what Randwick can afford.

Also we are struggling to get all our contracted Super Rugby players to play NRC as it is, if the Super Rugby clubs suddenly have no connection with the comp, less players will play in it than already is. There would be circumstances that some fringe Super Rugby players would only play 5/6 games of rugby in a 2 year frame. Basically full time trainers, missing game smarts due to lack of opportunities.

It needs to be a semi-pro comp that raises the standard.

Great post 100% agree. Had this same discussion on twitter with Matt Rowley, Sam Ikin, Beau Robinson and Steve Timms back in 2012.

 

[Ignoto]

For me (a Wests fan) who do I support? We have players at both teams. I really think they need to do North v South of the river. New recruits to the Reds without affiliation should be pushed to the weaker (clubs) teams and progress to the NRC team.

Agreed with the sentiment, but North vs South would only mean three QPR clubs are counted from memory. It would also mean GPS and Brothers are part of the same team (and Uni) where I think you'd get more tribalism splitting those three clubs apart.

Start from Balleymore, anything West of the the stadium is country, everything East is City. Bond is added as country as well.

 

[Show-n-go]

Pick your poison. Bush or City. I am a GPS man but I'm also a follower of the mighty Black Pigs and Gundy bush chooks as well so have no problem supporting Country.

That’s part of the problem though, you shouldn’t be picking a team. It should be that bloody obvious to you that it smacks you in the face, the fact someone who is a rusted on Australian Rugby support has to think about who to support in a domestic competition shows danger signs to me that something isn’t right

 

[Jimmy_Crouch]

Agreed with the sentiment, but North vs South would only mean three QPR clubs are counted from memory. It would also mean GPS and Brothers are part of the same team (and Uni) where I think you'd get more tribalism splitting those three clubs apart.

Start from Balleymore, anything West of the the stadium is country, everything East is City. Bond is added as country as well.

We are trying to garner a tribalism in these teams. Everyone (not just rugby people) in Brisbane has thoughts on what side of the river is better. It is already a thing so it makes it easier. Agree that the North team would most likely be stronger at this point in time.


North (5) - Brothers, UQ, GPS, Wests and Norths
South (4) - Souths, Easts, Sunnybank and Bond

Reds current squad (Speight still TBA)
North - 19
South - 14

Pathway needs to be clear.

 

[Finsbury Girl]

That’s part of the problem though, you shouldn’t be picking a team. It should be that bloody obvious to you that it smacks you in the face, the fact someone who is a rusted on Australian Rugby support has to think about who to support in a domestic competition shows danger signs to me that something isn’t right

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.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

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.

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.