As the inaugural NRC season is already one third done, let’s look beyond results and personnel to consider each clubs true nature, as prescribed by their chosen names.
“Why?” You might ask is the NRC so enthralling.
Sure, it could be the relentless attack, the sometimes defence or the intimate venues. But inevitably what viewers and players alike will take away from the inaugural season will be the strong personalities on display. Every team has an ethos, so perfectly transcribed in their chosen name, one can perfectly understand who they are whilst barely looking any further than a dictionary.
The Greater Sydney Rams
Giving away an early tactical advantage to their opposition, the Rams’ strong craniums and aggressive nature are used to full advantage on the field. Their name plan, is their game plan.
Using Greater Sydney as a suffix seems to be an early effort of one upmanship with the Stars, they are the Greater Sydney team, the better Sydney team. Unless there’s a lesser Sydney Rams team that they’re going out of their way to slag off. Either way they are proud of NSW’s elitist heritage in the running game.
The Spirit
Not the Western Force, but the Western Force in Spirit. Because creating a mascot’s costume shouldn’t be straight forward. The culture of hard work and thinking outside the box is a trait demanded of everyone at the club, even costume design. I also wonder if each player has to bring someone up pregame that will be there “in spirit”. I imagine that whoever goes first would pick the Honey Badger.
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The NSW Country Eagles
Typically overconfident New South Welshmen have opted for an impressive animal that would in no way be suited to a full contact sport. They have speed and grace, but also hollow bones. In their logo the eagle looks more like a cormorant drying it’s wings, perhaps it’s an eagle that plays in the backs and it just has to show off its plumage.
University of Canberra Vikings
Known for their “Might is Right” approach to negotiations, Vikings take things by force, even naming rights. Like the NRL’s Raiders, their name also reflects Canberra’s deep Scandinavian history. It’s also a little misleading in the sense that there is no University of Vikings in Canberra, although, perhaps with a strong enough response there will be.
Melbourne Rising
Melbourne have chosen to throw down the gauntlet here. Whilst most clubs have opted for animals or nouns for their name Melbourne has decided to use a verb which means to ascend. The newcomers to the sport seem to be saying “sure we don’t know the rules, but we will use that to our advantage”. In reality they are only playing into the hands of lazy headline writers, myself included.
North Harbour Rays
Rays can be several things, they can bring light and life to the world or they can stab neurotoxin directly into your heart. The only thing we can predict is their unpredictability; I think that is an honest place to start as a new club in a new competition.
Sydney Stars
Having a club that plays both T20 cricket and rugby was always going to be hard to assemble. The Sydney side knew they would be up against it so has given themselves a name so pretentious that it could only be appreciated ironically, a tactic aimed squarely at their hipster fan base. I cannot envisage a scenario where this will not pay off for them.
Brisbane City & Queensland Country
While every other club has given themselves a name (or verb) the two Queensland based sides have played the outsider card, taking no name at all. I would suggest they’re assuming that they will win by playing rugby and leaving the fancy stuff like plush toys and mascots for the southern dandies.
The country squad is even more non-conformist, shunning the agreed upon yellow strip that nearly every team, the ball and the referees endure as a symbol of solidarity, a league in union so to speak. True rebels (redbels?).
Have I not looked deep enough? Are there aspects I have overlooked? Is there more to be gleaned without stooping to actual personnel, analysis and statistics? Let me know in the comments.
