The League Media

[Hugh Jarse]

Jamaican Rugby League. Really??

Wikipedia says this:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rugby_league_in_Jamaica
The Jamaica Rugby League National Club Championship was formed in 2005 and initially consisted of four teams. Throughout the years the numbers have grown. In 2013, there were 20 senior teams featuring in Community, Collegiate and Parish Championships. There are also several High and Primary school programs running throughout Jamaica.

There are 20 senior teams in the entire country. They'd be shaking in their boots in the back streets of South Auckland and Northern England at the prospect of facing the might and power of Jamaica.

They are ranked 24 out of 34 countries with International Mungoball rankings. They played their last "international" in 2011.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaica_national_rugby_league_team

The Mungo International Ranking list is like reading about all the "world powers" that are in the pro-scientific whaling lobby having "aligned" with Japan (Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Guinea, Mali, Mongolia, Morocco, Panama, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St Kitts and Nevis and the Solomon Islands).

If Mr Mascord wants to adopt a new name to establish some point of difference for his stupid sport (Julie Burgess's words), then neither FiveKick or Mungoball has been formally claimed.

 

[Aussie D]

Who's Julie Burgess?

 

[Hugh Jarse]

^^^ Mother of the Burgess boys from the Rabbits.

 

[Quick Hands]

from Steve Mascord in the SMH



Normally I like Mascords articles, but these are contradictory positions. You can't try and say you are a separate sport and then pretend you're not when it suits you.

What an absolute boof head. Let's see, rugby league broke away from rugby, so how does rugby steal its own name? Rugby league calls itself rugby league, no one told them to use the name.

So he want to use the name of another sport (ours) as a marketing tool? Sounds like a tool of deception, thought of by a tool.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Well KB (Kurtley Beale) is in the crap for a couple of social media gaffes over deeply offensive images with calls for his contract termination and worse.

What do the league media think of this little pearler of a tweet from self confessed drug cheat Paul Gallen:
"Steve Noice (sic) actually cared about players from cronulla's feelings. Couldn't say that about any other c*** from Nrl."

Either KB (Kurtley Beale) is going to fit right in to the mungo culture, or Gallen's tweet is a sign that the code is poorly lead and in disarray with player power running amok, disrespecting the establishment with drug cheats displaying zero contrition for their illicit activities.

 

[RugbyFuture]

wikipedia says jamaica has 21 rugby teams so if thats correct theres still more rugby there than mungo.

edit: also they say mungo has 500+ players whereas Rugby has about 12-1300

 

[KAOPointman]

The League Media. Inherently Evil.

N.B.

This isn't a hate on League itself, which believe it or not I did used to enjoy. That was until I had to tolerate the stupid levels of hype about Origin, and the hating on every game that isn't League in some kind of my dad could beat up your dad competition. Plus I was young and I got over all the stupid banter between NSW & QLD when I turned 15.

The League media will always be trying to find a way to either keep Rugby out of the headlines or kill it in a baptism of fire if it has to be there.

Example 1:

Public Enemy number 1 Phil Rothfield writes in his column this morning

Just unfuckingbelievable. This guy has no fucking idea, and if i ever see him I'll happily take the jail bait for everyone on green and gold and punch his lights out.

Now, of course, I'm willing to bet one hundred of my hard earned student dollars that if the NRL grand final was decided with a penalty / field goal we wouldn't ever here the end of it from Phil and his mates.

The constant digs at rugby are really quite annoying. if I had a penny for every time I heard the word rah rah, leather patch and all the other cliche's I would have enough to be a big rah rah myself in an enormous mansion with Phil begging me to give him pizza money.

It would be fine, if the Rugby media got stuck in back. What's left of them don't, and grumbles growden is too busy on ESPN scrum criticizing the ARU for having push instead of pull doors.




Example 2:

When you can't hate on them, just make up some stupid scandal and put that in the papers instead.

Case in point, whatever went on with Gordan Tallis last week. And Robbie Farah.

If you ask me, it was a conspiracy to stop the 'Tahs from getting maximum media coverage they deserved in the lead up to Saturday's grand final. There is always one stupid scandal, or someone saying someone else has a bad haircut, and apparently that deserves maximum headlines.

THE PROBLEM:

Unfortunately for Rugby fans, your average reader of the daily tele doesn't know about the media and how it works. They don't know that the media perpetuate stereotypes and primarily serve, wait for it, their own interests.

Most readers just read the paper, and react to the piece in the way the paper wants (excitement, outrage, concern are common).

This is not to say we don't want these people as fans. We definitely want them. They are the heart and sole of support in TV Ratings and crowds for various Australian sports. They speak sport, they are the community, and critical to Australian rugby not turning into a niece sport.

Rugby must find a way to get past the hate from the League media. It must change perceptions of the game. I simply can't fathom how Rothfield didn't have anything positive to say about the 'Tahs final.

Wallaby fans have a duty to get into the community and persuade, change stereotypes. To be a vocal minority.

Rant over

ps fuck you Phil Rothfield

pps if you want to let phil know he's wrong, go and 'blog' with him here. My suggestion is to pretend you are a league fan and write a perfectly reasonable comment about how it was a great spectacle and the hate is totally unneccessary. Persuasion > confrontation

http://blogs.news.com.au/dailyteleg...eal_is_a_blight_on_the_nrl/desc/#commentsmore

I watch EVERY minute of every super rugby game....have for years. Leage started dieing for me the second the betting agencies came on board. That cannot be a coincidence!
Leage is ruined in aus now. Rampant players doing rubbish day in day out! Always something in the news.

Union.....ohhhhh....JOC (James O'Connor) turns up to the airport slightly intoxicated!

Union truely is many class levels above leage!!!!

Go the REDS

 

[papabear]

pfitzy you start comparing league to AFL.

Tahdan comments on that comparison, you don't like where hes going so the thread is "about league" all of a sudden.

A bit rich.. maaaaate.

Your hatred towards rugby league is hardly going to endear the rugby league media to your cause.

For the record, rugby unions biggest media problem is the rugby union media.

Same goes with league, you wouldn't believe how many league writers write disparaging articles comparing league to soccer or AFL.

In terms of peak audience numbers because of the attendance membership numbers. You are absolutely kidding yourself, despite being only on the east coast of aus and north island of NZ , Origin 1 , 2 and the GF outrated the AFL GF despite being an inter sydney game and the AFL having a nsw v vic side.

But ok the 18,000 extra who attend the big AFL matches are the reason for this big difference. If anything membership numbers should give the AFL massive advantages for members watching matches not involving their side.

The AFL is doing more harm to union in Australia then rugby league ever will. The proof is in your posts and in your tastes !!!

 

[Pfitzy]

AFL fans are less inclined to watch games where their team isn't involved. They're much more parochial that way.

 

[KAOPointman]

pfitzy you start comparing league to AFL.

Tahdan comments on that comparison, you don't like where hes going so the thread is "about league" all of a sudden.

A bit rich.. maaaaate.

Your hatred towards rugby league is hardly going to endear the rugby league media to your cause.

For the record, rugby unions biggest media problem is the rugby union media.

Same goes with league, you wouldn't believe how many league writers write disparaging articles comparing league to soccer or AFL.

In terms of peak audience numbers because of the attendance membership numbers. You are absolutely kidding yourself, despite being only on the east coast of aus and north island of NZ , Origin 1 , 2 and the GF outrated the AFL GF despite being an inter sydney game and the AFL having a nsw v vic side.

But ok the 18,000 extra who attend the big AFL matches are the reason for this big difference. If anything membership numbers should give the AFL massive advantages for members watching matches not involving their side.

The AFL is doing more harm to union in Australia then rugby league ever will. The proof is in your posts and in your tastes !!!

Crowd numbers affects 'thousands of people'

MEDIA affects MILLIONS of people's views and opinions......even if they don't go too or watch the sport!

 

[Crashy]

Jeez the mungo press in the SMH are starting to bug me.
Walter today again has been sprouting off about how International league is booming. He then has the temerity to say that if they concoct some bastardised conglomerate Pacifika team and entered it in the NRL, without any thought to logistics, costs, lack of tv over there, that league would ‘eclipse’ Union in all Pacific countries.

So Fiji would just give up on their love of Sevens and their domestic rugby comps, both of which completely swamp any mungo existence over there. Same for Tonga and Samoa.
These sweeping, baseless, meritless statements just pander to the mungo masses. Its cheap, lazy shit journalism.
Getting tired of these cheap code wars – saying that there was an article in the Australian today about the use of the whip in horse racing which in its last sentence has a massive crack at the NRL for no real reason – take that mungos.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

You get the feeling that the Greco-Roman Rugby Media hacks have all been mentored by Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf (Comical Ali/Baghdad Bob).

They seem to have similar attachment with reality.

 

[TahDan]

Jeez the mungo press in the SMH are starting to bug me.
Walter today again has been sprouting off about how International league is booming. He then has the temerity to say that if they concoct some bastardised conglomerate Pacifika team and entered it in the NRL, without any thought to logistics, costs, lack of tv over there, that league would ‘eclipse’ Union in all Pacific countries.

Funny, but when I read that I couldn't help but think about what is about to happen to Super Rugby... Still can't quite wrap my head around the mind numbing stupidity of putting a Japanese team in the SA conference.

 

[Redsfan]

Jeez the mungo press in the SMH are starting to bug me.
Walter today again has been sprouting off about how International league is booming. He then has the temerity to say that if they concoct some bastardised conglomerate Pacifika team and entered it in the NRL, without any thought to logistics, costs, lack of tv over there, that league would ‘eclipse’ Union in all Pacific countries.

So Fiji would just give up on their love of Sevens and their domestic rugby comps, both of which completely swamp any mungo existence over there. Same for Tonga and Samoa.
These sweeping, baseless, meritless statements just pander to the mungo masses. Its cheap, lazy shit journalism.
Getting tired of these cheap code wars – saying that there was an article in the Australian today about the use of the whip in horse racing which in its last sentence has a massive crack at the NRL for no real reason – take that mungos.

It may be fanciful, but there's no doubt that League is gaining ground on Rugby very quickly in the islands (or Fiji at least). With a Suva team entering the NSWRL competition next year, rugby might have a fight on its hands.

Development in the Pacific highlights a real difference between the ARU (and to a lesser extent the IRB) and the NRL and AFL, and that is that the latter two organisations are happy to invest money in development and not expect immediate financial reward. Having the money to do it is of course a luxury, but afaik the NRL gives away TV rights in those countries, whereas SANZAR nations don't. We're not willing to let sides into our domestic comps, and we certainly don't bother with any development activities over there. The health of the game as a whole impacts on the health of our individual unions, and they need to keep that in mind.

 

[HighPlainsDrifter]

The questions you have to ask yourself is "where is the money?" And, where are the real affiliations between print/media groups, their sponsors and the end game = the consumer/fans ? It appears the game being played by various media interests (somewho have long term $500 mill plus broadcasting deals in place with rival codes) is the "Dead Hand" approach which can manifest itself in various forms .... eg .1. Keep a code of a sport buried in the sports section or news 2. Have those articles sourced from a 3rd party (lowers reader/viewer engagement) 3. Lead with rival code club games vs a test level contest or news in another sport as a secondary item / Little or no coverage outside its biggest money sport 4. Media group's highlighting a non- core (to them financially) rival code when a scandal or negative result ensues. A lack of free to Air TV coverage has not helped Rugby and certainly killed Basketball in this country . The NRC is also a recent case in point ....great product, good concept , limited coverage and a very generous sponsor which is not exactly "consumer discretionary" ie. a staple to gaining sway with Free to Air land , the consumer and spectators . The challenge for the ARU should be tackled "Top Down , Bottom Up" . If the ARU wants a fair shake from the media it needs to engage with a major advertiser - say consumer discretionary and or lean on existing sponsors preferably with a consumer discretionary bent “that has the gravitas to join with the ARU in a meaningful arm-wrestle with the networks/publishing houses to gain some meaningful additional exposure” . The journalists are taking pot shots at the ARU because they are just following the money ie. Their proprietors vested interests . The Wallabies are a point of difference vs the other codes ….(a true international sport) while noting NRL &AFL’s domestic dominance and Soccer attracting a growing tribal following and receiving fantastic support for the international team belying its lowly world ranking . The Super 15 Comp has merit and the NRC has been a revelation but needs a “Big Bash” type approach to promotion and increased coverage. Pulver’s declaration of war against the media doesn’t seem like the way to go .

Ps. Rugby needs to stop giving ammunition to these hacks .

 

[papabear]

Soccer article here:-
http://www.foxsports.com.au/footbal...111755830?nk=406a04daca602ffe7449304dade97965

Notes the AFL has no intention of working with any other code.

IMO it is clear as day that the biggest threat to any code in this country is the AFL, they are number 1 and they want to stay that way and get even bigger and stronger and they have the resources to do it.

Whilst lets be honest league comes from the same place as union, its just the northern union disagreed with the business model of the south all those years ago, the product is far more analogous.

 

[p.Tah]

It may be fanciful, but there's no doubt that League is gaining ground on Rugby very quickly in the islands (or Fiji at least). With a Suva team entering the NSWRL competition next year, rugby might have a fight on its hands.

I spend a fair bit of time in Fiji last year and the younger generation in Suva and Nadi love League.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

A Fijian Rugby Tour "saved" the ARU back in the 50's.

Doesn't have to be massive cash injections to engage Fijian Rugby. The annual Aust Schoolboys game against Fiji Schools probably doesn't cut the mustard.

 

[Quick Hands]

The IRB have neglected the pacific islands for decades. Is it any wonder that they are lapping up the league attention and cash?

David Smith and SBW were promoting league in Samoa 3 or 4 months ago - and the PM of Samoa was supportive of NRL cash and promotion in the country.

The pacific islands may well be lost to rugby without attention at the highest level.

 

[Crashy]

The IRB funded Samoan Rugby Centre of Excellence built a couple of years ago suggests otherwise...