The League Media

[Inside Shoulder]

Does anyone in the forum watch ABC Offsiders on Sunday Mornings?

The way they speak about rugby is just embarrassing. There's no respect all all, and never any acknowledgement that being the 3rd best team in a global game is not a disgrace.

I won't put up a link because I'm not sure of the rules on here about that, but anyone who wants to see what I'm talking about, you can check it out on ABC iView. In today's episode, they start talking about rugby at 24:32.

I thought that was pretty tame.
Not even league followers listen to anything Roy Masters says.

 

[Mortal Wombat]

I don't expect any better from Roy Masters. I do expect the host not to smirk and dismiss the Wallabies every time he talks about them.

 

[wamberal]

I don't expect any better from Roy Masters. I do expect the host not to smirk and dismiss the Wallabies every time he talks about them.

Send a complaint to the ABC. I did a while ago, and got a reply. They are very sensitive to feedback.


And I just sent another complaint. Google "Offsiders", it cannot be any easier.

 

[papabear]

Personally, I think papabear is partially right - AFL is the main threat, but to League, not Union. With the allure of Olympic inclusion, plus the publicity of high profile defections to play in the World Cup, I don't think Union is anywhere near dead in Australia. That doesn't mean it will experience dramatic growth, or doesn't have its problems, but I think it is heading in the right direction generally, and I am cautiously optimistic about the future.

The NRL is the one most at risk. It has no international competition to act as a carrot, and it is seen, rightly or wrongly, as the most "thuggish" of the codes. You don't even get sin-binned for dangerous tackles in League.

Coupled with that, the NRL and Channel 9 have married their fortunes together. If one fails, the other is in major trouble. The NRL keep spouting their "billion dollar TV deal" and being "cashed up", but they are masking the reality of their situation:
1. The so called "billion dollar deal" was only 80% cash, and 20% free advertising on Channel 9
2. Channel 9 had to do some fancy accounting last year to even be able to continue to trade
3. TV ratings and crowds are both on the decline in the NRL. This reduces the advertising value for Channel 9, further pressuring their bottom line.
4. The increased salary cap has only meant bigger salaries for a few star players. Most players have seen no increase.
5. Their bucket loads of cash has not been able to stop star players leaving for rival codes

The AFL is winning the war, because they have concentrated on the kids. A friend of mine signed his 7 or 8 year old son up for AFL this year. He went online, and was shown all the available clubs in his area. He picked one, and a representative of that club CONTACTED HIM. When his son went to training, he didn't just receive a jumper, he was given a full kit, including ball. The only thing he had to give back at the end of the season was the jumper.

Meanwhile, just about every other child of my acquaintances are playing soccer. They will take kids much younger than other codes. My friend coaches under 8s, and he, like every other coach of a kid's team in Australia, was given specific age appropriate training drills from the FFA, with specific skills and playing styles to be taught.

Sorry for the long post, but I sometimes think we see the NRL as an unbeatable enemy, when in fact they have major problems of their own. I can't see us ever competing with AFL or soccer for participation rates, but neither do I think they will be the death of Australian rugby.

AFL is a threat to league, union and to soccer.

But lets be honest, AFL is not cooking down south or west, the only place that it is respected or you see swannies flags is on the north shore or in the eastern suburbs. These were union places, in the last ten or fifteen years, since the Super League war league hasn't moved much, tv numbers are down across the board and per percentage of audience league is actually up and as per usual its big games are still rating higher then AFLs.

Union on the other hand since AFL has been more business like in its push east has dwindled dramatically, the bledisloe used to be the hottest corporate ticket in town, now people don't even watch it on tv. Because the less serious fan is not switching to league but to afl because the AFL is putting more resources into stealing them and they have been conditioned to be anti AFL like they have with league.

Don't get me wrong league could lose market share to the afl to, but its also within the realms of possibility that it could take some market from the AFL as well, if it fixes its image, keeps working on its product and sticks a team in perth.

My point is if your hate on league is so union prospers you are hating the wrong game and dare I say it your hate is outdated or already done its job, because the remaining union people or converts aren't going to league, if they are going anywhere it will most likely be AFL.

This union will be fine from AFL but league will die is a bit of a joke. IMO if the AFL can get AFL to be played as the main game in the CAS and GPS schools in Sydney, union is gone. As a league person I don't want that to happen, because those schools playing union league is fine (not as good as playing league) but playing AFL, getting the AFL stronger in the east at the expense of union, will just give them more resources and eyeballs to fight against league with.

 

[RugbyFuture]

partially true partially not. AFL supporters don't seem to be as one eyed as leagueys and can support multiple games.

Bledisloe still a pretty hot ticket corporately.

AFL still has a decent push going south and west.

as much as Fr Middleton from aloys said afl would happen at CAS he was an adelaidean with a deep push for his adelaidean values throughout the school. Hes gone now as happens in Jesuit Schools. Fr Jones at View was and still is sydney and rugby centric. Most of the catholic orders will have a horizontal push across and rugby is too implicit in the values of these schools. The protestant schools don't have interstate priests coming through and don't have this threat. Still a possibility to be aware of though.

In reality AFL will always exist because of its strong management structures and low risk in playing. League has more risk because of bad management and no international presence.

If rugby in australia gets in the real shit I have no doubt something will pop out from the IRB or NZRU to prop it up as has happened in the past too. That international network benefits them in that but league has nothing.

AFL are pushing more strongly in catholic system and public schools than you probably realise, not to mention the junior system which suddenly existed overnight (particularly in league areas).

Don't be idiotic and think that the AFL isn't targeting you just because you're not noticing. Happening to both rugby and league as the "masculine" "contact" sport. But the major way it infiltrates is through strong junior structures and clubs, and they're everywhere.

 

[boyo]

My point is if your hate on league is so union prospers you are hating the wrong game and dare I say it your hate is outdated or already done its job, because the remaining union people or converts aren't going to league, if they are going anywhere it will most likely be AFL.

Hate is a very strong word.

I doubt that that many on here hate league - they might dislike it but not hate it.

 

[papabear]

the *if is there for those who do.

 

[papabear]

to be fair, I think supporters of most codes support multiple codes, it is just vigilantes who have only one of choice.

I know plenty of vigilantes who follow AFL more then I know league vigilantes but that is probably due to my circumstances. Oddly enough I do not know many vigilante union people.

Regardless of whether AFL threatens league or union more, as I am happy to agree to marginally disagree.

I think it is pretty reasonable that AFL threatens league more then union does and it also threatens union more then league does.

 

[Pfitzy]

Or perhaps you don't see league supporters as vigilantes?

AFL is kicking along pretty hard here in the Northwest of Sydney. There are shitloads of Eels supporters, but a shitload of them support the Swans as well.

GWS aren't well supported yet, partly because they suck, but they're sinking a shitload of money into good junior comps and getting the Sydney West area going. Its a bit up and down but they're not going away, and they're not relying on Poker Machines for their income.

 

[papabear]

lol, I see them as vigilantes, but justified ones.

I just think it is naïve to think the AFL will only kill union or league, obviously a supporter of either code is going to think their code is less threatened but the point remains for the love of rugby union or league see the greater threat and put your hate towards that and not the old enemy.

 

[Highlander35]

Given a slow and tentative push into New Zealand, the AFL would have to be very careful to avoid opposing Union directly to not put potential fans on the back foot.

The saints at least, already seem to have a reasonable rapport among the canes. They trained at each others grounds in their respective tours, and Conrad Smith took some of the Canes squad to watch the game.

As a Union and AFL fan, there seems to be a greater willingness to try and co-exist than between some of the other codes.

 

[Wilson]

lol, I see them as vigilantes, but justified ones.

I just think it is naïve to think the AFL will only kill union or league, obviously a supporter of either code is going to think their code is less threatened but the point remains for the love of rugby union or league see the greater threat and put your hate towards that and not the old enemy.

I suppose the argument is if one dies (which seems unlikely) then the other will get a huge injection of playing talent and supporters, giving it the opportunity to push back against afl.

 

[papabear]

An argument yes, but it imo is incorrect.

If union dies first in Australia at the hands of all their fans watching and playing AFL, it will just give more resources to the AFL to dominate and potentially kill off league in the future.

If league dies before union in Australia first..... at the hands of the AFL, then congratulations on union managing to survive that. But if all those league people are now playing and watching AFL it will put shedloads of resources into AFL to kill off any potential competitor like union, not only that it will further marginalise union into its already limited strong holds.

Just because you have some numpties who have been brainwashed into supporting union and afl doesn't mean the AFL business discriminates between its competitors in the same numpty fashion. Like all businesses it wants to dominate its competition whether that be union , league , soccer, basketball, NFL or whomever.

The attitude that my independent petrol station will be fine because blue and yellow signs are big in the states whilst the bloke with a green sign is going to get eaten by Caltex and BP then coles and woollies just does not fly with me. TBH I wouldn't think it would fly with union people who generally are more savvy about businesses and assessing the threats to the same.


I am first and foremost a league fan and I do not want to see AFL kill union.

 

[papabear]

The only argument I can come up with is that union considers itself on its knees in Australia.

And therefore:-

And it would prefer to see its exit benefit AFL and see the AFL take over then doing anything that could in any benefit League in anyway shape or form.

From union its more of a will perspective as opposed to a survival perspective.

 

[RugbyFuture]

conspiracy theories all around. the ARU gets to a point its screwed it'll get propped up by the IRB or another brother union. they won't just go "hey guys, lets really piss off the mungos by handing over all our infrastructure to the alfers."

 

[Train Without a Station]

It's in the IRB's interest to have Tier 1 nations. Considering the IRB is funded by rugby playing nations it's important.

Rugby will never die in Australia. It's strength may diminish but it will never die simply because of the global strength of the game. Much like Soccer. It's had it's good and bad times but it's always there.

 

[papabear]

No of course the union won't hand over anything to anyone.

My post is more about the mindset of the union fan and there attitudes towards rugby league and AFL.

I don't think either sport will ever die completely it more goes to the influence and strength of the game, at the moment union is not losing its ground to league its losing it to the AFL.

 

[wamberal]

Papabear,

Rugby has two things that loig and the AFL can only dream about. It is an international game, and it is played in many top universities and schools.

That is why it is so successful internationally, and that is why it will have its ups and downs, but will continue to survive.

 

[qwerty51]

Oh please. Go look at the recent transfers. Who goes from rugby -> league? Barely anyone. Go look at who just transferred to rugby. 2 of the biggest names in the NRL and then some.

Union's going nowhere, league is the one in danger.

 

[Train Without a Station]

Qwerty in all fairness we lose a lot of Aus Schoolboys talent.

Karmichael Hunt, Lagi Setu and Cooper Cronk are just a couple of examples of current players.