Western Sydney Rams . NRC Official Team Thread

[Westie]

While I will be following the NRC this season, It will probably mean I won't have a team.

I just can't bring myself to go for a Western Sydney team.

Nor I for any team that isn't named western Sydney. Let's hope that soon we'll both get our wish and we can build a healthy rivalry.

 

[Pfitzy]

It is a fucking shame that Southern can't really align easily with anyone due to their location.

The closest clubs are actually in the Eastern Suburbs, and you know those pricks want nothing to do with anyone south of the airport.

I think an Illawarra team as a future expansion would be good - playing out of WIN Stadium to start covering a bit more ground.

 

[Hugie]

I think the really great strength of a SD Illawarra team would be to bring in Campbelltown to make it a SD/Illawarra/Campbelltown JV. This, with time, would be a very powerful force in growing the game. Campbelltown and environs is a growing rugby force (Illawarra tried to recruit them into the IDRU this year without success).

 

[Cactus Jack]

Campbelltown and environs is a growing rugby force (Illawarra tried to recruit them into the IDRU this year without success).

I think you'll find this is incorrect. Campbelltown contacted Illawarra at the beginning of the season requesting entrance into the Illawarra Competition. Illawarra agreed with this but Campbelltown withdrew their request at the 11th hour upon the NSW Subbies decision to make Subbies entirely amateur as of 2015.

Campbelltown have let themselves be consumed by infighting relating to this decision, with a fair chunk of their club leaving to join Camden. What was once a very strong and competitive club, is now languishing at the bottom of the Subbies 1st Div, fighting with Beecroft to avoid relegation.

 

[Pfitzy]

fighting with Beecroft to avoid relegation.

Don't think C'town are fighting it too hard but they're screwed anyway because Suburban Rugby top divisions are all north or east.

They could put three decent grades together and help make IDRU stronger.

Like a lot of country Unions, IDRU know they need to provide opportunities for any willing cup to play a commensurate level of competition, by grading teams to fill the spots. Not just judging clubs on their ability to recruit based on the advantages they have in their area or network.

Until Subbies does the same, clubs outside the shrinking heartland will continue to struggle.

 

[BellyTwoBlues]

I don't think Thursday night should be too bad for crowds so long as it's an earlier kick off. 6:30pm on a Thursday night would be decent I think. And it'd be a better hope for TV ratings than Saturday night (which I'm pretty sure has the lowest TV ratings of any night in the week). It's not like people don't go out on a Thursday night.a lot of people go to the movies etc on a Thursday evening. It's much better than Monday night anyway, and while the NRL crowds are lower on Monday nights they're not 50% down.

I disagree. The mungoes can't get crowds to Friday nights, whyon earth would we play tv games on a thursday?

It is completely insane.....................typical of ARU

 

[Omar Comin']

I disagree. The mungoes can't get crowds to Friday nights, whyon earth would we play tv games on a thursday?

It is completely insane.......typical of ARU

Because Thursday night rates better.

And for crowds I do think Thursday evening after work would be attractive to a lot of people. If a match finished at 8:30 most people would get home by like 9 to 9:30.

Keep in mind the NRC will be a short competition played later in the year when the weather is better (and the 2nd half of it after daylight saving time comes in for most places). There's only 4 home games per team and it's unlikely any one team would have more than 1 home game on a Thursday evening (if in fact Fox do want to use that slot).

 

[BellyTwoBlues]

Care to make it interesting?

 

[Badger]

I disagree. The mungoes can't get crowds to Friday nights, whyon earth would we play tv games on a thursday?

It is completely insane.......typical of ARU

Always thought Thursday night wouldn't work for crowds. As a supporter, I wouldn't be too interested to venture out to a rugby match on Thursday night.

Having said that 37,355 turned up to the Swans vs Geelong AFL regular season match on 29 May which amazed me. But it is the AFL and was a marquee fixture despite the final score.

So it maybe viable in the longer term. It is a big risk in the first season, especially when each team only has four home games.

 

[Omar Comin']

I'm living in London at the moment and over here people go out all the time on week nights. It does help the sun doesn't set til nearly 10pm at this time of year, but there is definitely much more of an events culture during the week.

I think the key would be to play matches near where people work. When I was working in North Sydney I would have loved to head up to North Sydney Oval on a Thursday after work for a match. And that's heartland territory where a lot of rugby fans work (not to mention it's also very convenient for anyone working in the City, St Leonards or Chatswood). Out of the office, beer at the Rag and Famish, and walk up to the ground for a 6:30 kick off. Home by 9:15. Would have been great.

For the Rams, a match in Parramatta could have the same focus. Promote it with posters and things around the office buildings and food courts. It'd be one match a year, there is a novelty value.

While Thursday night is less convenient for families, for uni students and young adults without kids it's arguably more convenient. There's always other things to do on a Saturday night, while Thursday night people are much more likely to be free.

 

[Omar Comin']

So it maybe viable in the longer term. It is a big risk in the first season, especially when each team only has four home games.

It's not that big a risk though because it would undoubtedly rate better on TV than a match on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, which is I assume when most games will be played.

The NRC wouldn't exist without Fox, so they'll play it when suits them and Thursday night has no competition.

I can see them playing games on Thursday evening leading into Rugby HQ. If not (or if things go really well and they decide to televise 2 games) I'd guess they'll show games immediately before or after test matches.

 

[Badger]

^ That's the balance the ARU and Fox have to work out => TV viewers vs actual crowds.

 

[BellyTwoBlues]

I'm living in London at the moment and over here people go out all the time on week nights. It does help the sun doesn't set til nearly 10pm at this time of year, but there is definitely much more of an events culture during the week.

I think the key would be to play matches near where people work. When I was working in North Sydney I would have loved to head up to North Sydney Oval on a Thursday after work for a match. And that's heartland territory where a lot of rugby fans work (not to mention it's also very convenient for anyone working in the City, St Leonards or Chatswood). Out of the office, beer at the Rag and Famish, and walk up to the ground for a 6:30 kick off. Home by 9:15. Would have been great.

For the Rams, a match in Parramatta could have the same focus. Promote it with posters and things around the office buildings and food courts. It'd be one match a year, there is a novelty value.

While Thursday night is less convenient for families, for uni students and young adults without kids it's arguably more convenient. There's always other things to do on a Saturday night, while Thursday night people are much more likely to be free.

That's because there's absolutely nothing else to do over there! And the fanaticism of their crowd support is the envy of rugby both there and here.

In a start up year, scheduling matches on Thursday night is suicide. The traffic snarls alone would put people off. Let's look at that based purely from the feeder clubs.

Eastwood to Parramatta Stadium - anyone who has traveled the M2, Epping Road or Pennant Hills Rd routes in peak hour will know how long it takes to get into Parramatta. Same could be said for the Eastwood/Parra supporters who live in the Hills District, good luck getting down Windsor Rd.

From Southern Districts to Parramatta - ditto for M5, King Georges Rd etc. Nightmare.

From Concord to Parramatta - this is the best one. You have the choice of 2 of the worst traffic jams in Sydney, M4 or Parramatta Rd. The choice is yours!

Penrith to Parramatta - eastbound on the M4 at peak hour. Take the book War and Peace. You'll finish before you get to the Church St exit!

Even the trip through Parramatta itself, on a Thursday is usually just short of hell.

If you're taking kids (which I'd like to do) that rules out public transport. Game finishing at 9.30pm then public transport home means the little ones won't be in bed much before 11.30pm on a school night. Mrs Two Blues won't go for that in a million years.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for this competition. I think it has the potential to take rugby to the people, which is something this code has NEVER done before. However, it can't be at the expense of the JID, Shute Shield, Hospital Cup tournaments. And it can't be lame duck just running so Uncle Bill can show Sanzar he has a national comp in a vain attempt to get more $$ from the next TV deal.

If the competition doesn't have strong crowds and great tv ratings, Sanzar will laugh the ARU out of the room (assuming they let them in).

They need to give the clubs time to get the franchise model right, the ARU need to take time to get the competition and marketing model right so the comp is a success from the get go. Rushing into for 2014 is in my opinion, sadly suicide.

And the game may not recover if it's a fizzer.

 

[en_force_er]

You're not wrong Belly, but to play devil's advocate can you imagine if they scheduled a Melbourne TV game on a Thursday night.

There's great PT to all major Melbourne stadiums (perhaps more so in peak hour), you'd get our club rugger crowd because our season will be over (not sure if your subbies is), you'd probably get more Sydney fanatics watching it on telly because it wouldn't clash with their own games to go see, and you'd get more channel flicking sports fans because it'd be about the only live sport on.

 

[2bluesfan]

They need to give the clubs time to get the franchise model right, the ARU need to take time to get the competition and marketing model right so the comp is a success from the get go. Rushing into for 2014 is in my opinion, sadly suicide.

Well, there are 64 days left (according to the Rams website) - plenty of time

There appears to be a word (or words) missing in the part of your post that I've quoted (after "rushing into"). Hopefully the missing word or words can provide us punters some hope that the NRC won't be a dud.

 

[Pfitzy]

In terms of the Sydney teams, Thursday is definitely the worst option for the Rams for live attendance, just because of the distances involved, and the fact that a lot of the Rams supporter base who live in Western Sydney don't work in Western Sydney.

I agree we have to make it work for TV ratings, but unless the franchises get the gate takings they're going to have financial hurdles of their own to get past in subsequent seasons.

I'm planning to get to as many Rams games as possible - and it would be great if they played away against NSW Country so I could make a day of it - but Thursday pretty much sinks every chance I've got to get there.

All well and good to say London is chock full of people who'll just roll up to anything, but how many of those yuppies with disposable income have kids they need to pick up after school?

 

[BellyTwoBlues]

The draw as it stands now has the Rams playing NONE of the other NSW based teams at home. The Thursday night tv game for Rams is v Qld Country. There'll be 3 people at that one!

I repeat, in the draw the Rams play none of the NSW teams at home. Great support from the ARU to build a presence in the west!

 

[2bluesfan]

I repeat, in the draw the Rams play none of the NSW teams at home. Great support from the ARU to build a presence in the west!

That's just ...... ridiculous. But I'm not totally surprised. Who judges the performance of these jokers?

 

[Hugh Jarse]

C'mon @BellyTwoBlues and @Pfitzy, the ARU HQ blokes fully understand Sydney's commuting problems.

Hell the commute from the St Leonards bunker to home in Northbridge or Mosman can sometimes take up to 25 minutes, and there is no heavily subsidised public transport options.

 

[GunnerDownUnder]

What is our only instate away game?
It means we can all make it to at least 6 games though and gives us a great chance to finish top. Also depending on where the NSW country game is we get a trip somewhere out of Sydney without needing to fly?