Time to wave the white flag.

Quote: Him "I think that's definitely a factor, I don't know if it's the major one though.

Firstly, and I know some people will decry this as paranoia, but there is a bias against RL. Now, I think in the past this was an active bias against RL by the Union types, there were active efforts to disrupt and hold back RL. Whilst that still occasionally happens, RL is now more affected by the general bias against anything outside London and the public school system. The media and the government are both run by the public school establishment who only ever endorse and push their pet causes and issues and sometimes actively, sometimes passively ignore causes that aren't relevant to them. Add in the centralisation of both politics and media in the last few decades and it's really hit RL.

Secondly, the obsession with the domestic game, here but especially in Australia, has been to the detriment on the game as a whole. The international game has suffered from neglect and little to no long term planning. This in turn has affected the games media and public profile.

Thirdly, the clubs flagrant disregard for investment and long term planning has massively hindered growth both nationally but also locally.
I don't think there is an active bias against RL by the establishment or whoever, there may have been at one point, but not now. Now there is no need to bother. The problem now is that RL has a small time parochial mentality which makes it appear a bit comedic versus bigger or better managed sports. Football is way out in front, everything pales before its dominance and consequently it couldn't give a **** about any other sport. Football has also successfully gentrified itself since the 70's and 80's so that as well as mass appeal it's now okay for establishment figures to be football fans where they were once Union or Cricket fans. Other big sports like Tennis, Cricket and Union have broad enough bases or well are enough managed to not have to worry too much. Union doesn't worry about RL any longer, it may have delusions of grandeur about its actual place in world sport, but its well enough managed to keep sell itself even when the on the field product is variable (RU games often veer between highly entertaining and dour with little in between). RL by contrast shoots itself in the foot too much with poor planning and parochialism, and in SL the product quality itself has been declining for too long for a variety of reasons: too many clubs don't invest enough in player development, the salary cap has been too low for too long which means if you are a promising young player you'd be better off playing RU (I'm not talking about high profile converts here), the strength of the NRL means we get less quality from down under now which hurts those teams who don't invest in player development even more. Finally there is the image problem, and not just the traditional flat caps and whippets but the fans of certain clubs who come across as violent chavs (it doesn't matter if it's only a small minority), it just doesn't look good on TV if the fans at the front are spitting, swearing, giving the V or throwing bottles on the pitch.

I'm not sure what the solution is, if there is a solution. Maybe it almost needs a sort of root and branch renewal movement the RFL, the clubs, the players, the fans all have to improve.