Quote: "Thursday, 3 June 2010 A Question of Leadership... Rugby league in Australia has a serious problem. It's not the AFL, soccer or rugby union. The game is not dying. It won't be killed by the rival codes. But the Israel Folau affair has once again highlighted the fact that the key question facing the NRL is that of leadership. The AFL is eating the NRL's lunch, but the NRL is like the kid in the playground who refuses to hit back against the bullies. It has no strategy, no long-term goals, no alternative vision for the future. Its leadership is entirely passive and reactive. It only responds to events, it doesn't shape or determine them. Elite player retention? Salary cap prevents us from doing anything. Expansion? Can't do anything until the next TV contract. Lack of national TV coverage? It's up to the networks. Failing clubs? Not a matter for the league. In fact, the only decisive actions it has taken over the past decade have been the salary cap penalties dished out to the Bulldogs and the Storm. Even the admission of the Gold Coast into the NRL was a success because of the club, rather than the league. To the outside world it looks like the game has no pride or self-confidence. The AFL and the ARU come after our players, move into our territory and the NRL does nothing except ooze complacency. Have we no self-respect? Sure, the AFL has more money, but the biggest armies don't always win - just ask the Vietnamese. The NRL has numerous advantages. It produces the finest athletes in the southern hemisphere, a fact recognised by rivals who waste fortunes on them. It dominates Australia's biggest state and also its fastest growing state. It is part of an international game (which the AFL is not), has a vibrant club competition (which rugby union does not) and boasts the best players in its code (which soccer cannot). For God's sake, it's even in bed with Murdoch's evil empire, aka the world's most powerful media corporation. Why isn't it using the leverage to the game's advantage? Clearly this is beyond the abilities of those who run the game. Whether it's the colourless national leaders or the 'mates rates' club officials, the NRL's failure to show leadership, to try and shape the future to its oen advantage, means that rugby league is constantly reacting to how others want to portray the sport. Its image is being continuously undermined. The media's narrative about the NRL depicts it as a sport on the defensive, under threat, in decline, losing ground. This drip, drip, drip or negative stories erodes the credibility of the game and also, more importantly, demoralises players and supporters. And that's the fundamental point. Rugby league fans and players deserve better. Much, much better. Posted by Tony Collins '" rugbyreloaded.blogspot.com/

Quote: "Thursday, 3 June 2010 A Question of Leadership... Rugby league in Australia has a serious problem. It's not the AFL, soccer or rugby union. The game is not dying. It won't be killed by the rival codes. But the Israel Folau affair has once again highlighted the fact that the key question facing the NRL is that of leadership. The AFL is eating the NRL's lunch, but the NRL is like the kid in the playground who refuses to hit back against the bullies. It has no strategy, no long-term goals, no alternative vision for the future. Its leadership is entirely passive and reactive. It only responds to events, it doesn't shape or determine them. Elite player retention? Salary cap prevents us from doing anything. Expansion? Can't do anything until the next TV contract. Lack of national TV coverage? It's up to the networks. Failing clubs? Not a matter for the league. In fact, the only decisive actions it has taken over the past decade have been the salary cap penalties dished out to the Bulldogs and the Storm. Even the admission of the Gold Coast into the NRL was a success because of the club, rather than the league. To the outside world it looks like the game has no pride or self-confidence. The AFL and the ARU come after our players, move into our territory and the NRL does nothing except ooze complacency. Have we no self-respect? Sure, the AFL has more money, but the biggest armies don't always win - just ask the Vietnamese. The NRL has numerous advantages. It produces the finest athletes in the southern hemisphere, a fact recognised by rivals who waste fortunes on them. It dominates Australia's biggest state and also its fastest growing state. It is part of an international game (which the AFL is not), has a vibrant club competition (which rugby union does not) and boasts the best players in its code (which soccer cannot). For God's sake, it's even in bed with Murdoch's evil empire, aka the world's most powerful media corporation. Why isn't it using the leverage to the game's advantage? Clearly this is beyond the abilities of those who run the game. Whether it's the colourless national leaders or the 'mates rates' club officials, the NRL's failure to show leadership, to try and shape the future to its oen advantage, means that rugby league is constantly reacting to how others want to portray the sport. Its image is being continuously undermined. The media's narrative about the NRL depicts it as a sport on the defensive, under threat, in decline, losing ground. This drip, drip, drip or negative stories erodes the credibility of the game and also, more importantly, demoralises players and supporters. And that's the fundamental point. Rugby league fans and players deserve better. Much, much better. Posted by Tony Collins '" rugbyreloaded.blogspot.com/

can't disagree with any of that.

Send them Maurice Lindsay.

I think part of the problem is that the NRL is in fact a two-tier competition, despite the salary cap attmepting to level the playing field. there are clearly clubs doing OK, and equally clearly others doing badly. Sadly what seems to generally happen is that the bleating from clubs with no money and no real likelihood of getting better seems to carry the day.

and it is only going to get worse. As more one team big cities come in the small suburb clubs with their 18,000 capacity grounds will not keep pace. The fact less than 8K turned up to Cronulla last week shows that time for these small clubs is fast coming to an end.

Surely the NRL have to do something drastic to stop their players going to yawnion,AFL.When are the TV rights due and what does anyone think they will get,i've heard rumours of 1 billion dollars but is that realistic in the current financial situation.

2013 and I doubt it.

ratings for the nrl are down significantly this year which is no surprise given the mediocre season to date.
the afl gets many more viewers across australia each weekend than the nrl ever gets so it is fanciful thinking on the part of league desperadoes to expect a similar tv deal... also the networks are not so desperate to get rugby league as they are to secure afl since it is the most popular by far sport in australia, so the same sort of network bidding war will not eventuate with the nrl.

fark you talk some

Who is this idiot erich, how about some facts ya pathetic merkin.

if you want the definition of pathetic just look at the crowds that go to nrl games... pathetic.

only 7500 bother to turn out for the eels/storm game friday night.

no wonder nrl players want to abandon the sinking ship... they dont want to play in front of empty grandstands with a handful of bogans baying for blood. they want to feel the excitement of playing in front of a full house every week and to be treated with respect and dignity by society not ridiculed and insulted because they are league players.

Questionis the current etc? Since the Storm storm erupted and SoO time rolled around, there's been nary a peep about putting the Commission in the driver's seat.

Can't recall seeing much on this matter in recent weeks...

Just ignore the fruitloop...

you cant ignore the truth.

You could so easily be talking about Super League.