Rugby League Roarer

[Sydney_Roosters_4_Life]

Recently decided to start writing for the Roar, in fact yesterday haha. Wrote this last night and has already spread over 1.1k hits if you want to check it out:

http://www.theroar.com.au/2014/05/15/fans-start-year/

Anyway if any of you guys have any ideas/suggestions/feedback please let me know and i'll be writing more!

Thanks for your time

[Parkway_Drive]

Good article Josh, keep em coming. I found your analysis insightful and interesting.

Yes the scheduling has been a schmozzle this season. Also ticket pricing far too high and too many night games as the right owners want to cash in on their investment for television.

I remember several years ago the Easts and Souths round 1 game sometimes was played on a Sunday afternoon to good crowd numbers at the time. I don't subscribe that the Roosters and Vermin game should always be the season opener for round one. As long as it is round 1 I would like it for Sunday afternoon but the sponsers and channel 9 etc wouldn't like it, they want that game in prime time.

If prices for tickets were lower and it was a Sunday arvo even at Allianz or ANZ they would have drawn 35-40K for the our game against the Vermin I think you may have been a bit too conservative in your estimate for the Manly v Storm game....possibly could have got 15K plus as the Womanly fans can turn up to the 'Fortress' in droves.

Cheers mate
P_D

[Sydney_Roosters_4_Life]

Good article Josh, keep em coming. I found your analysis insightful and interesting.

Yes the scheduling has been a schmozzle this season. Also ticket pricing far too high and too many night games as the right owners want to cash in on their investment for television.

I remember several years ago the Easts and Souths round 1 game sometimes was played on a Sunday afternoon to good crowd numbers at the time. I don't subscribe that the Roosters and Vermin game should always be the season opener for round one. As long as it is round 1 I would like it for Sunday afternoon but the sponsers and channel 9 etc wouldn't like it, they want that game in prime time.

If prices for tickets were lower and it was a Sunday arvo even at Allianz or ANZ they would have drawn 35-40K for the our game against the Vermin I think you may have been a bit too conservative in your estimate for the Manly v Storm game....possibly could have got 15K plus as the Womanly fans can turn up to the 'Fortress' in droves.

Cheers mate
P_D

Thanks for the feedback.

Yep 2010 they played on a Sunday arvo at ANZ and had a good attendance. It's just ridiculous it only got 27k at a game which could've easily attracted 35k+

Anyway just did another article about Union's influence

http://www.theroar.com.au/2014/05/16...ctive-players/

[Parkway_Drive]

Another good write-up Josh. It took a while before I could read as been very busy of late and most of the posts I put on here are either tongue in cheek or the rare few that are serious are still matter of opinion and usually I hold strong view on.

This is one of the larger problems Rugby League in general and the NRL face. Rugby Union and to a lessor extent AFL in poaching our fine talent. Not to forget a lot of the Kiwis playing in the NRL grew up in New Zealand and RU is king and most young talented footballers in either code over there dream of representing the 'All Blacks' one day as that is the highest sporting honor you can bestow upon a Kiwi.

You are probably too young to remember, that the boot was on the other foot throughout the 60s, 70s and 80s when RL used to poach some of the best Wallaby and in some cases All Black backline talent available. Here are some names Phil Hawthorne, John Brass??, one of the Thornett brothers I think it was Ken, Ray Price, Ken Wright, Frano Botica, Craig Innes, John Schuster, Brett Papworth, Darren Junee, Peter Jorgensen, Andrew Walker, John Ryan a wallaby winger in the 70s who unfortunately turned to crime and is now dead, Matthew Ridge, Darryl Halligen, Michael O;Connor, Russell Fairfax, Wally Lewis, Andrew Leeds, Tony Melrose, John Berne, Brad Selby, Mitchell Cox, the Burke bros lol, Ricky Stuart... etc etc.. ....I am a bit sketchy on the 60s and 70s players as before my time. Also Dally Messenger was a Rugby player before the RL league comp started up in 1908. As the allure of the more professional rugby league with the money on offer was too tempting to pass on up plus the challenge to make it in the game.

With the new rights deal and the warchest of money a David Smith's disposal this will go some way into retaining some of the NRL stars in the game but which ones. Rugby League has always produced great footballing talent and superior to RU talent developed. If the game loses a few to RU there are always new stars to take their place. I heard the other night T'eo is considering playing RU in an attempt to make the England RU team (he holds a British Passport) I dare say that Smith won't open the chequebook to keep him in league. If RTS, JWH or say someone like a Alex Glenn or Daniel Tupou....

I'd say Smith would only use the cheque book for a player of the stature of a SBW or a Israel Folau...who knows maybe Tupou or RTS will have that stature at the time. I think they wouldn't try to keep JWH as good as he is the judiciary is rubbing him out of league.

Cheers

[Guest]

Great work!!

[stephenj]

I enjoyed both posts, I particularly like your point re crowds that our game is no longer there for fans, its a tv product sold diced packaged and gone to the highest bidders, so no one can whinge about cro2wds when itrs so highly advertised on tv for tv!the fact that we cannot even see a game in another state live because its on pay tv only is atrocious! good for rthe clubs screening foxtel, gets you out of the habit of going to live footy to be ripped off bt parking food and beverage prices etc!

[The Axe]

Josh,
Good essays.
Please keep sharing your articles for the Roar. I'd also encourage you to share your points of view more often here. Perhaps a weekly post. We need as many different views as possible.
You have many good insights to share, please continue to do so.