www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/leag ... 307n5.html www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/n ... 6794039382 If he is successful.....watch out you Pies!

www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/leag ... 307n5.html www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/n ... 6794039382 If he is successful.....watch out you Pies!

Only for the 9s though. looks like the Aussies are really taking the 9s series seriously

Isn't the jackpot for this tournament bigger than for the NRL? Other clubs must be laughing.

A pay day for Fittler.

I believe Steve Menzies started training today for his last pay day for Manly.

Alf Langer and Wally Lewis are considering a comeback for the Broncos and Parramatta have asked Sterlo and Bert Kenny to start jogging around the block in preparation.




What a joke.

Box office....

My prediction is that Freddy won't start the game, but he will come on as a replacement in the second half once the Roosters are firmly on top.

I wouldn't be surprised if this return to the playing field in Auckland works well, Freddy might be named as a back rower on the interchange bench for the game against Wigan. He could slot into lock forward (where he has played) and create havoc with the edge defences of the Pies.

If the Roosters do pick him to play against Wigan, it will ensure a sellout of 45,500 seats at the Allianz Stadium.

The cynic in me reckons that that's what it's about.

Why would it?
Fittler was a great player but had his share of controversy and he was not embraced by all NRL fans by any means unlike Darren Lockyer or perhaps Cam Smith.
Working class outer suburbs lad from Penrith that stayed with the ARL to his credit but moved to the toffs at the Roosters.
Many could not give a Rats ass about him and the Roosters will not pull anything like 45k on their own to see their team tear Wigan a new one.

Unless their are a lot of Wigan expats in Sydney it will be more like 20k-25k the Wigan name is not that big with Australian fans as many in the UK think.
This is 2014 not back in the eighties in Wigans heyday where they had a team stacked with well known Oz and Kiwi stars playing their off season in the UK.

As good as he was in his day if Brad Fitler were to play in a seriously contested game now he would get hammered. He wouldn't be troubling the edge defenders with anything, not footwork, not kicking game and not handling and he'd get targeted by the opposition in defence.

There's a novelty value but that's it!

You know, I am now considering selling my family home so I can travel round the world to watch a bloke who hasn't played for a decade and is far too old to survive in the increased pace found in either 9's or 13 a side, just cos you think it will be ensure a sell out crowd. you have really, really, really whetted my appetite.

What a tool you are. More of the same.

To quote a rather fitting line from the Krays,

"You've got nothing to say and you're saying it too loud."

Bore off.

You have a family home to sell?

I was sure that a boy like you with chips on both shoulders was living in a cardboard box in a secluded corner of a public park.

Actually you should hang on to your property, be it a cardboard box or a trailer home. The British fans on this board are more likely to go to see the match if they know that a follower of the Kray brothers is not going to be in attendance.

Gonna need a bigger boat.

Another quote from a film, quite apt considering your rant.

No British fan will waste their money on the prospect of a 40 odd year old coming out of retirement.

Glad you are getting upset, maybe now you will bugger off somewhere else so the adults can have reasoned debate without a no mark like you spouting crap all the time.

This board is not provided so you can constantly spout e. Any chance you could bugger off to whatever part of Cheese Eating Surrender Monkey land you come from and not come back?

Au Revior Tantouze

Fittler will sell tickets because of his high media profile.
He won't suck that much at this form of the game. He'll only have to find a good 10 minutes or so a game, and he is pretty fit for a guy his age.

Still better than Sinfield even during retirement

Cue unhappy Leeds fans

Bit of a shame, 9's can go either way:
A) Be taken seriously, used as a growth opportunity for pacific island teams to get involved in, used as a vehicle to start up league in new countries such as Singapore, Thailand etc, work towards international 9's around the world, get included in C'Wealth and Olympic games
or
B) Be a fun weekend, bit of a circus, have a laugh and a drink and just use it as a bit of a pre season run out with some novelty factors thrown in

Sadly it seems like it is more likely to have a short lived life as B) rather than a strategically important long term development goal of the game in the Sthern hemi.

This is the first year. Maybe next year if it is successful they can experiment with more teams. For example the top 6 Super League teams, plus PNG and France Elite selection. That would make 24 teams. (Thailand and Singapore cannot compete at this level so introducing them to a serious 9s contest would be a disaster).

I paid for my tickets, flights and hotel in the full knowledge that the NRL clubs had signed up to send at least 2 headline/top tier stars each. I fully expected the remainder of the squads to be made up of U20's and fringe players and have no doubt it will be a fun weekend.
The Proof of the pudding is in the eating and the promoters have managed to secure council backing for at least another year, SKY are televising it and sales are heading towards 2 days of 45k+.

IMHO, The longevity of the event will depend on fan behaviour....in wellington, the ground is on the edge of the CBD on top of the main railway station and drunks etc can be funnelled straight onto trains and they have areas sectioned off for people to have a "lie down" during the day...Eden Park is a horrible ground to get to by comparison and the walk to and from it will need to be heavily policed.

Will Gus be lining up for the Panthers along with Stevo?

...and good to know the RFL can fill the Eithad Stadium on both MW days.....lol

The rule changes for this tournament have been given to clubs. A couple are:

There will be only FIVE tackles.
Knock ons are instant turnovers. Double knock ons will have scrums.
Score a try under the posts will be five points. Drop kicks for conversions.


Made for telly stuff.

Not all clubs are taking this seriously I'm afraid. You'll see some stars of the future with clubs being allowed to take 16 players to the tournament.



Only issue I have is why would you put a tournament with different rules in between the weeks of NRL Club trial games?

Stacked with off season Oz and Kiwi stars? I can think of a couple but not many more. Who did you have in mind?

Brett Kenny
Steve Ella
Chicka Ferguson
Are the ones I am thinking of.

Beyond that into the nineties.
Frano Botica
Dean Bell
Kevin Iro
Henry Paul

The different rule will speed it up, i actually like the instant turn over one!
The 5 tackles will be hard, youve played the game for 15 - 20 years counting to 6 and suddenly you count to 5, i expect alot of players caught with the ball on that one!