D-Box
Ron Walden (29)
You mean this https://australia.rugby/lloyd-mcdermott/about
The Lloyd McDermott team has been around for ages
Australian Rugby / RA
- Thread starter Dave Beat
- Start date
The Lloyd McDermott team has been around for ages
Rebel man
Peter Johnson (47)
Well that’s a bloody good thing and I am pleased to be wrong
Members Section
John Thornett (49)
Good short video of where RA are currently at according to the latest report, its by an accountant who is on the Shute Shield board
Rugbynutter39
Michael Lynagh (62)
I do worry where pro rugby is versus league cf to where we were 10 years ago. League got 12 k for womens state of origin game in Canberra yet brumbies could probably get in super rugby grand final and might get just that sort of crowd.
Nrl is expanding teams and growing woman’s game while RA still struggles to batttle with nzru to make pro rugby work with super rugby and still after many years jury out whether this is the right product (super rugby) to build our platform for growth (including for the wallabies). Meanwhile other countries like NH sides are part of successful and stable pro competitions to provide the pathways for their national side.
I hope one day RA can sort this out and stop nrl and other codes to continue to make in roads on rugby. Not even started on afl and impact it has also had.
Nrl is expanding teams and growing woman’s game while RA still struggles to batttle with nzru to make pro rugby work with super rugby and still after many years jury out whether this is the right product (super rugby) to build our platform for growth (including for the wallabies). Meanwhile other countries like NH sides are part of successful and stable pro competitions to provide the pathways for their national side.
I hope one day RA can sort this out and stop nrl and other codes to continue to make in roads on rugby. Not even started on afl and impact it has also had.
Marce
John Thornett (49)
This could be a good thing for RA if the NRL colonized NZ like they did it in QLD and NSW they can poach many high profiles young Kiwis players in order to make NZ more weak and so Bledisloe and Super Rugby would be more competitive again.
But they have to invest a lot of money there. I heard something about a second franchise there, in Christchurch or Wellington.
Tomikin
Simon Poidevin (60)
I don't think making NZ weak really is the best game plan for our sport. But much like there are only 5 opportunities in rugby compared to 16 / 17 in League in Australia. There's only 1 opportunity compared to 5 in NZ for Rugby.... Granted NRL don't limit where there players can go, so alot migrate across the Tasman for opportunities, just not in our game.
Pfitzy
George Gregan (70)
And also consider the bigger NPC franchises can allow players to get a foot in the door while being financially suppported, compared to club rugby here.
Pfitzy
George Gregan (70)
Doubt it - the infrastructure and population isn't there in either city. Auckland could maybe support another team but they're already supporting Moana Pasifika in effect.
Marce
John Thornett (49)
Not 100% accurate. It's like UFC and boxing, UFC can get the best fighters cause is the number one company in MMA by far. In boxing you have many federations and companies fighting for the best boxers. So if UFC wants to see a champion fighting against another champion they make it really fast. In boxing, if you want to see a fight between 2 champions you have to deale with differents companies, different TV corporations, different managers and all the stuff so you have to wait 10 years to see Mayweather vs Pacquiao.
In League, NRL is the king of the kings, they are like NFL in USA, so they can determinate the conditions. In Rugby you have to deale with NZRU, SARU, RFU, FFR, World Rugby, Argentinian Rugby Union to make a deal. So in League the market is weaker, RA has to negociate with powerfull partners
Marce
John Thornett (49)
Are u sure? Did u see the test between Kiwis and Tonga last night? Thousands of Tongan supporting their team. I saw it many times but I never seen a crowd like that cheering for Moana in Mt Smart stadium:
G&G users often understimate the power of League, the first step to beat them or at lest approaching them is to recognize the things that they do well. Definitely they are doing good things in the Pacific community, League is not a strange thing for them.
Maybe Auckland doesn't have the money to invest but the NRL can afford it. They have people hungry for more League, not doubt about it
Members Section
John Thornett (49)
This year is the last year of the NRL "rep round"
It was purely there to give SoO "sunday night football" a go. Next year all 3 origin games are going back to wednesday nights with clubs having byes across those weeks. Games like this may not happen again.
Marce
John Thornett (49)
I have not idea what are the plans for the NRL but this is a prove that there is a market to explore in the future
zer0
Jim Lenehan (48)
And you'll never see a crowd like that supporting the Warriors either. Because it's about supporting the national team/Tonga in general. The code itself is fairly irrelevant.
Marce
John Thornett (49)
Yeah but in that case is a draw between Warriors and Moana. The thing is that NRL can afford a team like that.
And NZ is a weird market, you always see empty stadiums even in the NPC:
Rugbynutter39
Michael Lynagh (62)
The Tonga supporters for Tonga league game highlights the threat again of league. This is why actually sorting out super rugby so important as nrl is seriously been kicking rugbys arse over the last 8 years. This is why I get frustrated that super rugby gets highjacked for other agendas (all black and wallaby agendas rather then just making this the best competition it can be). Nrl has no such competing agendas and hence can just focus making it a quality product fans want to watch.
Dan54
Tim Horan (67)
Yep, not sure if anyone has seen when Tongan team played in WC here etc, they struggled to get team from airport with so many supporters.
Dan54
Tim Horan (67)
And of course NZ is a small market, and was even smaller crowds during Covid when you found these pics from Marce. But you right we only got 4 cities of any size, and most cities around Aus (and world) would have a poulation that is half of NZ's total, and some would be almost same as NZ. As you say it a hard market to sell in. I also would add the aiming at tv times for games here (like I think Canberra etc) is not good for attracting crowds when temps are fairly cold and watching from in front of fire can be appealing to the softer buggers we seemed to of raised these days
And I will add even some of the older soft buggers as I told my Brother in law/ Brothers etc in Waikato the other day, who never miss a game on tv, but haven't been to a live game for quite sometime.
Rugbynutter39
Michael Lynagh (62)
I don’t think the code is irrelevant as I doubt you will get that sort of crowd of Tonga supporters along to see Tonga rugby union side play the all blacks for example.
Marce
John Thornett (49)
But all the ABs support or at least like NRL. How can be irrelevant a code that is seen by your heros??? Even Ardie Savea made clear that one of his dreams is to play in the NRL. Nonu almost played for Bulldogs after 2007 WC and so on.
Dan Carter was a HUGE Andrew Johns fan when he was a kid. I heard that he born in a neighborhood where League is dominant. SBW played League all his life, he was born in Mount Albert. Is not a League suburb?