The Good Colonel and What’s happening to our Sport

[The Axe]

i start by writing Rugby League is the fans sport. Not players, coaches, administrators, nor broadcasters and media. These are stakeholders and part of the product and distribution. Without fans, no sport. With this, we need to understand our collective power.

quite simply, our sport has been allowed to be driven by revenue. In particular broadcasting and advertising.

our game has turned into filling airtime. Matches that are played over 80 mins have turned into up to 2.5 hour marathons. Consider we used to see 3 grades. That would mean in today’s world 7.5hours. Ridiculous.

how has this happened? I blame three reasons.
1. Extra time golden point - draws outlawed
2. The good Colonel video referrals
3. Stoppages that allow opportunities for even more ads

i will save 1 for another day. I’m not a fan but each to their own. Either way, without doubt, extra time allows longer content and more advertising revenue. My focus is 2 and 3.

just watched men’s 7s and noticed ref was unsure and was considering vidiot referral. Instead he consulted in goal and closest touchie who all agreed grounding had occurred. Try awarded. The cynic in me concludes at least half our referrals are unnecessary. So why do we waste our time? Revenue from the good colonel. Also extra time fills broadcasting time and increased return on investment so more adverts to slot in.but at what cost? Fans feel referrals are overdone. Rugby just showed how common sense can reduce referrals. So it can be done. I feel nrl is hooked on the referral revenue drip.

did anyone notice latrell was twice stopped from kicking off last week? Was this so ch9 could run an ad? Don’t know but suspect this was the case. I got home much later than I anticipated last Thursday and the reason is games are taking longer to get through. Quick taps are sometimes allowed; often not. Shot and scrum clocks not penalised. Myth?

Deliberate or not? Please comment.

[theGman]

Axe, time to fine tune our great product.

For starters we need to go back to one referee and as a consequence perhaps look at reintroducing in goal officials for contentious groundings/extra set of eyes from the backplay etc.....

The biggest bug bear for me is how the on-field referee is "forced" to make a decision before referring it upstairs. When the video review system was first introduced refs weren't required to indicate a try or no try decision but just leave it to them upstairs. That all changed when Peter Louis got the flick and was replaced by former coach Daniel Anderson. He was in the job for only a year (before having to step down for salary cap indiscretions during his time at Parra) but unfortunately the on-field referee having to make an on the spot try/no try ruling before sending it upstairs has remained.

As we all know that crucial "forced" decision carries a lot of weight towards the video refs final decision i.e enough evidence to overrule blah, blah, blah.
What % of times is the lead referee truly unsure about whether the try should be awarded or not?
Make it simple and eliminate any conjecture by taking uncertainty out of the decision.

As they do in Rugby, allow the lead referee to communicate what he saw (BUT WITHOUT THE BROADCASTERS & VIEWERS BEING PRIVY TO THE CONVERSATION) to the video refs and let them do the rest with the advanced resources they have at their disposal. This way, the broadcasters and viewers are watching the slow-mo replays and angles we are accustomed to and are making their own unbiased decisions. Takes the heat off the referees and makes those in the bunker more accountable.

[Half time]

Excellent post Gman

[easts4eva]

Can't disagree with any point in this tread, our beloved game has been hijacked by the corperates who refer to it as 'product' my pet hate, then they tell you what the game does and doesn't need, none of these dullards know Jack shit about footy, just look at that dubbo Beatty when Gus interviewed him..embarrasing
Unfortunately fans come a very long 2nd.

[The Brain]

Are they Killing the product ...who wouldve thought after a lifetime of been a leaguie that I would get up at 4am to watch Liverpool,and Barcelona play.I do and I love it.Less scoring but less of refs.and all the league crapoloa ..
...abd the jobs for anyone in TV calling ...man so many dubbos commentating on Footy re: footy show .

[The Axe]

Are they Killing the product ...who wouldve thought after a lifetime of been a leaguie that I would get up at 4am to watch Liverpool,and Barcelona play.I do and I love it.Less scoring but less of refs.and all the league crapoloa ..
...abd the jobs for anyone in TV calling ...man so many dubbos commentating on Footy re: footy show .

I hear ya brain. I’m about to watch the GAyFL after watching a bronco coathangar someone. No report. No bin.

[Salvatori Grubber]

I brought my German mate to the Souths game, as well as the Rd 2 Bulldogs game (trying to turn him into a chooks fan), under the promise that this one would be pumping due to the local rivalry between the two old clubs. And fck me if there was 14k there.

I realise that the complete corporatisation of the game has gone beyond the event horizon (there’s no going back now) whereby the need for content, ratings and media sales means games on Thursday bloody nights. Man - people have jobs, commutes, families, etc and can not just head out to a game on a school night.

Let’s also not forget the $100 bucks you’ll need to blow for the privelage.

The game is consuming itself - like Ouroboros (one for the Egyptian classicists on the board).

[Salvatori Grubber]

This is the outcome of that insidious brand of free market Toryism that so many on here susbscribe to, politically.

Floods of money for the fat cats, while the community dies.

[chopstiks]

Yes, also becoming very one dimensional game with the knock on rule, if it hits another player lile when Keary fumbled but regathered in the air.. same with Rapana just now in raiders match.

[Frozen Chook]

i start by writing Rugby League is the fans sport. Not players, coaches, administrators, nor broadcasters and media. These are stakeholders and part of the product and distribution. Without fans, no sport. With this, we need to understand our collective power.

quite simply, our sport has been allowed to be driven by revenue. In particular broadcasting and advertising.

our game has turned into filling airtime. Matches that are played over 80 mins have turned into up to 2.5 hour marathons. Consider we used to see 3 grades. That would mean in today’s world 7.5hours. Ridiculous.

how has this happened? I blame three reasons.
1. Extra time golden point - draws outlawed
2. The good Colonel video referrals
3. Stoppages that allow opportunities for even more ads

i will save 1 for another day. I’m not a fan but each to their own. Either way, without doubt, extra time allows longer content and more advertising revenue. My focus is 2 and 3.

just watched men’s 7s and noticed ref was unsure and was considering vidiot referral. Instead he consulted in goal and closest touchie who all agreed grounding had occurred. Try awarded. The cynic in me concludes at least half our referrals are unnecessary. So why do we waste our time? Revenue from the good colonel. Also extra time fills broadcasting time and increased return on investment so more adverts to slot in.but at what cost? Fans feel referrals are overdone. Rugby just showed how common sense can reduce referrals. So it can be done. I feel nrl is hooked on the referral revenue drip.

did anyone notice latrell was twice stopped from kicking off last week? Was this so ch9 could run an ad? Don’t know but suspect this was the case. I got home much later than I anticipated last Thursday and the reason is games are taking longer to get through. Quick taps are sometimes allowed; often not. Shot and scrum clocks not penalised. Myth?

Deliberate or not? Please comment.

Yes I tended to suspect the same issue you have raised Axe when it happened.

If it was the case it is a big probity issue for the game, as no third party outside the match officials (video ref and time keeper) should have any access to onfield individual officials during the game.

I may be wrong but my understanding of the rules of the game was the only time the referee was calling time on at a kick off was at the commencement of both halves or situations that there was deliberate time wasting leading up to the restart and time off had been called. In this case, time on needed to be signaled, before the restart could occur.

i always understood it was the referees responsibility to be in position for the restart and the side taking the dropout or kickoff could take it when they where in a position to do so.

That's why we see touch judges sprinting to be back in position, after conversions
.

[easts4eva]

This is the outcome of that insidious brand of free market Toryism that so many on here susbscribe to, politically.

Floods of money for the fat cats, while the community dies.

$39 for a Ga ticket, $8.80 a beer year right Lol

[Frozen Chook]

I brought my German mate to the Souths game, as well as the Rd 2 Bulldogs game (trying to turn him into a chooks fan), under the promise that this one would be pumping due to the local rivalry between the two old clubs. And fck me if there was 14k there.

I realise that the complete corporatisation of the game has gone beyond the event horizon (there’s no going back now) whereby the need for content, ratings and media sales means games on Thursday bloody nights. Man - people have jobs, commutes, families, etc and can not just head out to a game on a school night.

Let’s also not forget the $100 bucks you’ll need to blow for the privelage.

The game is consuming itself - like Ouroboros (one for the Egyptian classicists on the board).

I hate Thursday night games racing from work, running to railway station to get there on time and running to the train for part of the way down Foveaux St after the game for an hour and a bit train trip and over an hour and a half drive, arriving home and walking in the door after 1am and needing to be up at 5:45am to be back at work at 7am.

For a 50 plus year old i probably did more running metres on the night than some of our forwards.

When i sign up as a member each year i make a commitment to get to every game that is physically possible to attend.

Thursday nights really test that commitment and my enjoyment of what used to be going to the game each week.

[Salvatori Grubber]

For a 50 plus year old i probably did more running metres on the night than some of our forwards.

Heheheh, that’s a decent gag.

[Parkway_Drive]

I hate Thursday night games racing from work, running to railway station to get there on time and running to the train for part of the way down Foveaux St after the game for an hour and a bit train trip and over an hour and a half drive, arriving home and walking in the door after 1am and needing to be up at 5:45am to be back at work at 7am.

For a 50 plus year old i probably did more running metres on the night than some of our forwards.

When i sign up as a member each year i make a commitment to get to every game that is physically possible to attend.

Thursday nights really test that commitment and my enjoyment of what used to be going to the game each week.

Like you I have a long commute then car trip after the game. Plus having to back up the next day with a long commute to work proved too much and I gave the game a miss.

Props to you for still managing to do so.

[Kingbilly]

A lot of things here I agree with.
the NRL doesn't care in reality about how many people attend the game no matter what lip service it gives.
They only care about TV revenue and sponsorship
This has driven all the changes to the game