Shute Shield 2015

[Dave Beat]

I don't think so. The Manly team was 1999. Right timing for George but Cliffy was only 16 at the start of 1999.

Hence why I said I think, there has been 16 yo's play colts before though. You got there year right it was a gun side i'd be interested to see the team now.
What was was referencing though is a number of the Tah's players did proceed through SS colts and onto better things.

 

[wamberal]

Forget about the ARU $28k grant to the clubs, the withdrawal of the ABC coverage from Shute Shield should have everyone reaching for pitchforks and torches.

One bloke sending one or more inappropriate texts can generate well over 100 pages of "outrage" (for and against) on this blog, yet the withdrawal of the only FTA rugby coverage (apart from the games mandated for FTA by the Govt) seems to draw a whimper.

Arc up. This is not good for the growth of the game at any level.

Isn't it the job of the various State and National peak rugby bodies around the place to get, and keep, the game on TV?

Unfortunately, Huge, while I agree with your sense of outrage, the Shute Shield is not actually a particularly good vehicle for a crusade.

For starters, it is currently only live into NSW and the ACT ( it is on replay to Qld, and I assume nationally, at 0230 or thereabouts on Tuesday mornings).

And of course it is a Sydney competition, hardly a cause for a national campaign?

 

[the coach]

Forgive my ignorance, but are / were the club comps in Brisbane and Canberra on FTA TV as well?

 

[refugee]

Interesting that, professional players not in the running to play that week were sent to play at 'their' clubs to keep fit
Coaches somewhere must rate ss over tacklebags.

 

[qwerty51]

Forgive my ignorance, but are / were the club comps in Brisbane and Canberra on FTA TV as well?

No

 

[It is what it is]

Interesting that, professional players not in the running to play that week were sent to play at 'their' clubs to keep fit
Coaches somewhere must rate ss over tacklebags.

Good point, and the majority of eligible Super players want to play SS club footy whenever they are free to.

 

[Rugby Is My Life]

SS coverage on ABC being cut is an absolute disgrace. How on earth Pulver, Hawker & co can honestly think they've got Aussie rugby headed in the right direction is nothing but a pipe dream. If anything they've got it stuck up a certain creek with no paddles and a gaping hole.

Whether people choose to acknowledge it or not, SS is the backbone of our great sport. Literally countless numbers of players have gone on to represent at Super Rugby & Wallaby level. A clear, regular production line of terrific talent from colts & grade to the top.

Someone/anyone with balls willing to show some ticker and leadership, please wake up, listen to the true fans at grassroots level helping develop our next Hoopers, Genias, & Slippers and bloody well do something urgently before it's too late!

 

[the coach]

I apologise in advance as I know this is off topic, but I wanted to post it somewhere. Last night I sat down to watch a program about the Ella brothers on NITV without realising that their sister Marcia Ella-Duncan was also going to be on the programme. I was so impressed by this extremely articulate lady, her positive attitude to life in general and what she has done to help indigenous Australians in a whole range of areas, particularly given the traumatic experiences of her own childhood. I thought I was going to watch a rugby program and instead watched in awe as her story unfolded. An amazing person, she stole the show. She should be Australian of the year!!!

 

[GunnerDownUnder]

Disappointing that we will miss out on a game each weekend on the ABC.

Every club records there home games, would there be the demand for copies of these games being made available at the next rounds games?
Say:
$10 for a single game, $15 for two or $25 for the lot?

I already download as many games as I can - Easts in QLD do a great job on vimeo by the way with an HD record.

 

[Brumby Runner]

SS coverage on ABC being cut is an absolute disgrace. How on earth Pulver, Hawker & co can honestly think they've got Aussie rugby headed in the right direction is nothing but a pipe dream. If anything they've got it stuck up a certain creek with no paddles and a gaping hole.

Whether people choose to acknowledge it or not, SS is the backbone of our great sport. Literally countless numbers of players have gone on to represent at Super Rugby & Wallaby level. A clear, regular production line of terrific talent from colts & grade to the top.

Someone/anyone with balls willing to show some ticker and leadership, please wake up, listen to the true fans at grassroots level helping develop our next Hoopers, Genias, & Slippers and bloody well do something urgently before it's too late!

I agree it is an absolute disgrace, and I will sorely miss it here in Canberra, but I must be missing something if it is the fault of the ARU. The ABC's decision to cut it directly relates to and is a consequence of the dramatic funding cuts being made to the ABC's budget. Or am I wrong?

Blame the scrooges in the Federal Govt. I cannot see that the ARU can do anything about it short of coughing up enough money to the ABC to encourage them to keep televising it and I just don't think the ARU has that kind of dosh. Even if they did, imagine the outcry from large sections of the ABC's viewership if cuts were being made to arts programming or drama etc while the SS was kept on for a small portion of that viewership.

Perhaps the answer is for more and more fans to take out a Fox subscription to grow the audience to the point of being commercially viable and attractive to other broadcasters. Would be the "free enterprise" solution surely?

 

[Braveheart81]

Maybe this is the time for some of the politically conservative rugby supporters to arc up and make their voices heard.

Manly Marlins have a large and vocal supporter base. Perhaps it's time to get out in your electorate (which is the PM's electorate) and make it clear that you're unhappy with these cuts to the ABC.

 

[wamberal]

Perhaps the answer is for more and more fans to take out a Fox subscription to grow the audience to the point of being commercially viable and attractive to other broadcasters. Would be the "free enterprise" solution surely?

Those of us who love the game need to support it passionately, either in cash or in kind.

If we are young and active enough, we need to volunteer some of our time, either to work for our local district club, and/or do some coaching.

If we can afford it, we need to take out a membership in our local club, and our local SupeRugby franchise.

We also need to pay Foxtel for the privilege of watching the game.

In a fully professional era somebody has to pay for the sport to survive. If the sport is attractive enough corporations will pay a large chunk of the revenue we need, either in the form of sponsorships, or in the form of paying for ads on FTA telecasts.

Blaming the ARU for the decreasing popularity of our game is a bit like pissing in your pants on a cold night. It might make you feel nice and warm for a minute or two.

If we want the game, pay for it in one way or another. The more we all put in, the better the chance that we will survive.

Doing better than survival in Australia will take a revolution in the Laws of the Game to make it attractive to the vast numbers of potential supporters who just do not want to see endless scrums with haphazard outcomes, rolling mauls that seem to make no sense, the lottery that often takes place at the breakdown, and so on.

 

[the coach]

Whether or not you're happy with the cuts to the ABC's budget, remember it was the ABC who decided how to apply the cuts so they must share the blame. The ARU and NSWRU also must share the blame as their decision making (or the lack thereof) over a long period of time has resulted in the SS being unattractive to sponsors and the steady decline in crowd numbers. Given the average attendance at SS games (take away players, families, officials and their dogs) it's very hard to justify the cost of televising it live. But the same could probably be said about the NRC and the ARU found a way to get that on TV (although not on FTA).

 

[Braveheart81]

Whether or not you're happy with the cuts to the ABC's budget, remember it was the ABC who decided how to apply the cuts so they must share the blame. The ARU and NSWRU also must share the blame as their decision making (or the lack thereof) over a long period of time has resulted in the SS being unattractive to sponsors and the steady decline in crowd numbers. Given the average attendance at SS games (take away players, families, officials and their dogs) it's very hard to justify the cost of televising it live. But the same could probably be said about the NRC and the ARU found a way to get that on TV (although not on FTA).

Live sport was always a likely target for any cuts because it is very expensive television to make.

So sure, you can blame the ABC for it but the alternative was probably to cut twice as many jobs to retain the live sport they've cut.

 

[formerflanker]

Maybe this is the time for some of the politically conservative rugby supporters to arc up and make their voices heard.

Manly Marlins have a large and vocal supporter base. Perhaps it's time to get out in your electorate (which is the PM's electorate) and make it clear that you're unhappy with these cuts to the ABC.

I agree. I'll contact my local member/PM and lobby for Mark Scott's decision to be reversed. One suggestion will be to scrap Q&A to fund the televising of SS.
Two birds, one stone.

 

[wamberal]

Coach,

The popularity or otherwise of the SS is squarely in the hands of the Sydney rugby community, many of whom cannot be bothered to watch or support club rugby. Not sure how, or why, that has anything in particular to do with the ARU?


Most of us would agree that the ARC, had it been allowed to survive (against the vested interests of many of the Sydney clubs) might have put us all in a better space today.

The ARC, now the NRC, are only only chance to gain a national audience. A Sydney-based competition does not.

 

[Braveheart81]

I agree. I'll contact my local member/PM and lobby for Mark Scott's decision to be reversed. One suggestion will be to scrap Q&A to fund the televising of SS.
Two birds, one stone.

I'm sure that will be successful. Arguing that you agree with ABC cuts just not to the shows you like.

 

[the coach]

Coach,

The popularity or otherwise of the SS is squarely in the hands of the Sydney rugby community, many of whom cannot be bothered to watch or support club rugby. Not sure how, or why, that has anything in particular to do with the ARU?


Most of us would agree that the ARC, had it been allowed to survive (against the vested interests of many of the Sydney clubs) might have put us all in a better space today.

The ARC, now the NRC, are only only chance to gain a national audience. A Sydney-based completion does not.

IMO, the reasons support for the SS has declined:
no rep players on show anymore
competition from S15 -- on TV and at the ground
no promotion or advertising (except by the ABC)
lack of action to spread the playing strength to provide a more even competition
full home and away rounds no longer in place
lack of financial support to the clubs to enable them to promote the game
no Rugby News anymore

And I'm sure there are other reasons.
Some of these may well be justified in the interests of the game, but they are all the responsibility of the ARU and NSWRU. If club rugby continues to decline Australian rugby will continue to decline. How good are the wallabies going at the moment???

 

[Jagman]

Unfortunately, Huge, while I agree with your sense of outrage, the Shute Shield is not actually a particularly good vehicle for a crusade.

For starters, it is currently only live into NSW and the ACT ( it is on replay to Qld, and I assume nationally, at 0230 or thereabouts on Tuesday mornings).

And of course it is a Sydney competition, hardly a cause for a national campaign?

The broadcast was usually available to stream by the game day evening on ABC Iview, that's available nationwide. You didn't have to wait to 2:30 Tuesday morning, I certainly didn't.

ClubrugbyTV also streamed a few games this year until their funding must have been pulled. I would seriously doubt that the SS won't be available to watch. If it came to it it would at least be streamed by either this channel or something like BarTV. Obviously there's less value in this for sponsors.

But if another TV channel, even perhaps Foxsports, took on the SS would that not increase it's commercial value as you can't actually advertise anything on the ABC except what's on the players' jerseys?

 

[boyo]

Maybe this is the time for some of the politically conservative rugby supporters to arc up and make their voices heard.

Manly Marlins have a large and vocal supporter base. Perhaps it's time to get out in your electorate (which is the PM's electorate) and make it clear that you're unhappy with these cuts to the ABC.

Having a politically conservative government has worked so well for rugby in Australia./sarc

The NBN would have allowed organisations such as the A.R.U. (and Cricket Australia, the A.F.L., the N.R.L., etc.) to set up and sell a season pass. Instead we have the Mtm.

Enough Australian voters thought that they knew better.

Every day the Coalition lurches from one catastrophe to another. They would be out of their depth in a carpark puddle.