The League Media

[papabear]

Everyone keeps banging on about the international game aspect. It is irrelevant to the point I am trying to make.

Basketball is a bigger international game then union and that's hasn't helped it all, especially in the southern states where the AFL swallows it up.

Rugby League is an international game, not as big as Rugby union internationally, but by no definition is it an Australian game for Australians. It held a world cup well before rugby and has had international tours for along long time.

I do not see how that is relevant except for you feeling the need for your code of choice to be validated and on the international point it gets some validation so you keep re-typing. Union has a bigger international presence then league, good I hear you, IMO for where I am at in this argument its irrelevant but ok keep repeating it.

In terms of player poaching, yes two bigger names just left, notably none to the ARU. Union globally is in no danger. Union in Australia is in far greater then league, if you can't see that then your head is so far in the sand its funny.

 

[Train Without a Station]

Basketball in Australia has never been very strong. And it still doesn't have as much of a global presence. There's only one league (NBA) watched outside of the country it's played in. It's never been particularly competitive internationally since Yugoslavia broke up either.

 

[qwerty51]

Sorry but league is not an international game. Taken seriously in 3 counties does not make it international.

 

[wamberal]

My head is okay, mate. Actually, rugby almost did die here in the fifties, and it was saved by a couple of phenomenally successful inwards tours, by Fiji.


You are the one talking about corporate support earlier. Compare corporate sponsorships between loig and rugby. Check the names,


If you are a serious international businessman, rugby opens doors that are shut for the other games.


It doesn't matter which sport you follow, if your son wins a Rhodes Scholarship, he will aspire to get a Rugby blue.


Victoria produced more than 30 Wallabies before the game went professional, including Ewen McKenzie.


People like George Bush and Bill Clinton played rugby, at Yale in Bush's case.


The elite in many countries know about rugby, because it is the game played at Oxford and Cambridge.

The game has a reputation and an aura that is worth a lot.

 

[Train Without a Station]

League only has two quality leagues. The NRL and Super League.

Rugby is somewhat weak internationally as a whole and there is still Super Rugby (Supported by the NRC, ITM Cup and Currie Cup - the second two would be almost as strong as Super League), Pro D12, Top 14, Aviva Premiership and the Japanese Top League. Each of these is full of top tier international players.

 

[Strewthcobber]

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.

Assuming you're talking about SBW, Burgess (and Te'o) isn't it of some concern that they are not being attracted to Australian rugby?

League and AFL aren't going to be the death of rugby in this country - if it happens it'll be cashed up European and Japanese clubs signing up all our talent and the ARU bankrupting themselves to compete.

Internationally, rugby will carry on just fine

But here, the other codes will just feed on the corpse

 

[Train Without a Station]

Assuming you're talking about SBW, Burgess (and Te'o) isn't it of some concern that they are not being attracted to Australian rugby?

Considering neither are Australian, not really.

 

[papabear]

My head is okay, mate. Actually, rugby almost did die here in the fifties, and it was saved by a couple of phenomenally successful inwards tours, by Fiji.


You are the one talking about corporate support earlier. Compare corporate sponsorships between loig and rugby. Check the names,


If you are a serious international businessman, rugby opens doors that are shut for the other games.


It doesn't matter which sport you follow, if your son wins a Rhodes Scholarship, he will aspire to get a Rugby blue.


Victoria produced more than 30 Wallabies before the game went professional, including Ewen McKenzie.


People like George Bush and Bill Clinton played rugby, at Yale in Bush's case.


The elite in many countries know about rugby, because it is the game played at Oxford and Cambridge.

The game has a reputation and an aura that is worth a lot.

The above goes back to my point, the AFL is growing its corporate presence massively in Sydney, not league. They are taking that corporate presence from Rugby Union not Rugby League.

 

[Wilson]

Assuming you're talking about SBW, Burgess (and Te'o) isn't it of some concern that they are not being attracted to Australian rugby?

Not really, Te'o is the only of those who there would have been real interest in Australia, and his problem was as much about needing to get out of Australia as anything else.

 

[papabear]

Sorry but league is not an international game. Taken seriously in 3 counties does not make it international.

It depends on your definition.

If your definition of an international game, a game that is not played exclusively in one country but many countries and internationals played between said countries. Then league ticks those boxes.

Most sports do.

If your definition is a game that is played in every little corner of the earth then league is not and neither is union.

It is obvious that union is bigger internationally, your need to keep going back there imo is now coming from some sort of insecurity.

 

[papabear]

Assuming you're talking about SBW, Burgess (and Te'o) isn't it of some concern that they are not being attracted to Australian rugby?

League and AFL aren't going to be the death of rugby in this country - if it happens it'll be cashed up European and Japanese clubs signing up all our talent and the ARU bankrupting themselves to compete.

Internationally, rugby will carry on just fine

But here, the other codes will just feed on the corpse

This again goes to my point.

I would prefer union not die and the AFL not feed on its corpse.

However, the CAS/GPS getting AFL in their schools in front of league suggests to me that they are slitting their own throats to ensure they can go down swinging at league??

IMO the conservative action would be not to let AFL in, or even soccer in the first place. Or if they want there kids to have the maximum amount of sporting choice let league in too.

 

[Strewthcobber]

However, the CAS/GPS getting AFL in their schools in front of league suggests to me that they are slitting their own throats to ensure they can go down swinging at league??

IMO the conservative action would be not to let AFL in, or even soccer in the first place. Or if they want there kids to have the maximum amount of sporting choice let league in too.

Why do you think GPS/CAS schools have any allegiance to the ARU or to rugby in general?

If the pupils want to play soccer/AFL/League or any other sport why shouldn't they?

 

[papabear]

From my experience going to one of them.

The school demanded you play for them on Saturdays. My options were soccer or rugby and the other sports.

Obviously on other days I imagine you could play for whomever but you would have to fit that around your training and playing for school.

More recently I understand CAS/GPS schools are fielding AFL teams. Now that's fantastic for the kids who want to play AFL, but what about the kids who want to play league?

I don't think the argument flies that the schools don't want to assist a competitor of rugby union when they are assisting a bigger competitor in the AFL.

In short the union establishments distaste towards league imo is impacting there judgement when it comes to a bigger and more immediate threat.

 

[Train Without a Station]

More recently I understand CAS/GPS schools are fielding AFL teams. Now that's fantastic for the kids who want to play AFL, but what about the kids who want to play league?

But that has nothing to do with what the kids wants does it? AFL has put a bucketload of resources into the area to encourage the schools to have teams. Long term investment.

 

[Strewthcobber]

I don't think the argument flies that the schools don't want to assist a competitor of rugby union when they are assisting a bigger competitor in the AFL.

In short the union establishments distaste towards league imo is impacting there judgement when it comes to a bigger and more immediate threat.

I find it very strange that you think the schools have some kind of obligation to Rugby Union.

The fact that AFL is now played at GPS schools (and was 20 years ago in Brisbane at least) merely reflects what others on here are saying - these boys want to play AFL. Others want to play soccer, others water polo, others gymnastics.

At the moment, there isn't an appetite from the pupils (or at least their parents) for a Rugby League comp. But if there was then it would be set up and good luck to it.

 

[papabear]

I am more talking about Sydney.

It hasn't had AFL in the schools for as long and tbh in Sydney atleast I think a lot of the kids would jump at a chance to play league, especially the schools in more rugby league supporting areas.

And you are right about schools not owing any allegiance to anyone, but really if the schools want to do whats best for rugby they should be thinking about the threat.

 

[papabear]

But that has nothing to do with what the kids wants does it? AFL has put a bucketload of resources into the area to encourage the schools to have teams. Long term investment.

I agree with the above

 

[p.Tah]

I believe Riverview in Sydney has had an AFL program for nearly 30 years. They introduced a RL team about 10 years ago when Blocker Roaches son went there and received funding from the NRL/ARL. It lasted about 2 seasons, because rugby was so strong. There may have been other factors, I don't know.

I attended a recent Riverview/Joeys match with an old boy and he commented that rugby's biggest threat at the school is soccer. I guess time will tell. The kids should play what they want.

 

[RugbyFuture]

afl programs have been running in the shadows for a few years at the CAS schools, not in regular season though. Most of the guys from my school didn't really bother. I recall 1 in 150 boys who played league at my CAS school (and he now plays in the Shute Shield), no one else complained that they wanted to play league.

both CAS and GPS soccer seem to be being run really well now as P.Tah said.

 

[papabear]

If I were wearing my union hat and had control of the CAS GPS system and it were possible I would forget about soccer and AFL and just run union programs.

But if you are trying to run as many options as possible to give the best chance at a learning something from the sport and b potential a professional / semi pro pathway, I would offer league but not in competition with union like soccer is.

I would run it potentially:-
- in summer as a 9s
- forget contact league altogether and run oztag / touch games/comps.
- intra school, allow kids to tackle at lunch - maybe they will play afl and union, but tbh leagues rules are easier for skirmish muck around games.
- run it pre season, as a warm up to the union winter season.

In terms of they are not doing it because there is no appetite, from my experience in a CAS school kids don't demand what they want they pretty much do what they told and just slot in where they can.

AFL didn't come about from internal demand more the afl throwing their resources and weight behind it.