NRL today - Better or worse?

[maxta]

Forget Manly being a no show in the 2018 finals...was a sad season, but obvious a long way from home.

The game overall in 2018 has become this "product" and the players a "brand"??

The game I loved back 80's through to now, has lost a fair bit of its soul.....

The toughness, loyalties, playing ab lib footy, media vultures, the players were there because they loved the game - the money was a bonus.... and so much more seem a distant memory.

Maybe seem hypocritical in a sense, as I don't miss a game and still get into it, just seems a shell of the game I grew up on in many ways.

Maybe just a sign of the times and I need to leave the cave and get with the times, but keen to hear long time supporters opinions on "then" against "now".

 

[manly al]

Don"t tend to watch many Non Manly games and even then usually only in patches but if the refs put their bloody whistles away like they have done particularly in S O O and the final"s series . some real appeal and faith may be restored to the game as far as a spectacle is concerned . Off field issues the way the game is run now is unfortunately another matter of course and to the detriment of the code ,. this urgently needs a shake up of serious proportions ..

 

[nightster]

Do you really need to ask?

 

[eagle66]

19,200 people at a round 2 elimination final.... Think the game is worse....

Although Todd and Peter think their doing a fine job so all is ok.

Probably Manly's fault as their supporters don't travel.

 

[nightster]

Watched the game last night in a sports bar in Bangkok 6 screens showing the AFL to a rowdy packed house - 4 NRL supporters watching the one screen (no sound) .... I asked around and the 3 all said the game had become virtually unwatchable .... almost made me wish I liked AFL!!

 

[HappilyManly]

I watched my first full non-Manly game of 2018 last night.

The Riff wrestling is now on par with the Scumo's.
I kept waiting for Klein to blow a penalty like he did a dozen times with Manly. But his first was against the Sharks for hand on the ball

So the Riff continued that ugly, non tackle technique of lying over a man that was already on the ground

 

[manly al]

Watched the game last night in a sports bar in Bangkok 6 screens showing the AFL to a rowdy packed house - 4 NRL supporters watching the one screen (no sound) .... I asked around and the 3 all said the game had become virtually unwatchable .... almost made me wish I liked AFL!!

Hope that you are still enjoying and surviving your time there [ is it week three now ] Had a brief stop over there some years ago when there was a League test match [ Australia - N Z ] showing there in some bar - restaurants and being played in Australia and that seemed to be getting a reasonable audience from ex pats or tourists [ maybe they were mostly Kiwis ]

 

[maxta]

I watched my first full non-Manly game of 2018 last night.

The Riff wrestling is now on par with the Scumo's.
I kept waiting for Klein to blow a penalty like he did a dozen times with Manly. But his first was against the Sharks for hand on the ball

So the Riff continued that ugly, non tackle technique of lying over a man that was already on the ground

I seen exactly what you did....in fact Fifita was often held onto for so long it looked like an end of night dance at a wedding....he was crying which made
it funnyish, but dear lord the inconsistency with rules, teams, obstructions, indiscretions are baffling.
There was a time I used to say Yawnion was so annoying with so many grey area's and stoppages - I think they laugh at us these days.

 

[Class of 96]

Just watched Fox Sports (only because on FTA). 2 chicks (not that there is anything wrong with that) discussing last nights game.

Anyway, the crowd figure came up and they said how disappointing it was (doh) and then mentioned the AFL crowd of 90k. Blow me down one of them said not sure if we are comparing apples with apples between the codes. EXCUSE ME!! The 2 largest competing codes and some dimwit is unsure if they should be compared. FMD!!!

Then went on to say is it grounds, is it the prices, I dunno. When is someone going to step up to the plate and state it is the grounds and it is the prices. Not that hard to put out the facts surely?

Also, I watched the AFL last night, and what really stood out was the commentators, players, coaches and administrators putting the fans on a pedestal. They embrace them in nearly all conversations. What a bloody contrast and they wonder what is wrong with the NRL.

 

[nightster]

Hope that you are still enjoying and surviving your time there [ is it week three now ] Had a brief stop over there some years ago when there was a League test match [ Australia - N Z ] showing there in some bar - restaurants and being played in Australia and that seemed to be getting a reasonable audience from ex pats or tourists [ maybe they were mostly Kiwis ]

into week 5 ... coming home next week ... tonight I'm going to the KIWI Bar in the hope that I can watch & hear the Queens and Vermin texters go hard at each other

 

[BOZO]

NRL is better when the Sea eagles are winning

 

[Harvies elbow]

The NRL is an over governed, on and off field, murky, untrustworthy, confusingly poor imitation of Rugby League...

 

[Nice Beaver]

Watched the game last night in a sports bar in Bangkok 6 screens showing the AFL to a rowdy packed house - 4 NRL supporters watching the one screen (no sound) .... I asked around and the 3 all said the game had become virtually unwatchable .... almost made me wish I liked AFL!!

Almost.......haha

Game is a shadow of what it was.

This abhorent grappling/wrestling stuff that Bellamy has introduced should forever tarnish his legacy. It has ruined rugby league.

The real issue that has escalated things this year is the way Greenturd and Sutton have decided they want games reffed.

But its been a very consistent decline for around 15 years......how long ago did Bellamy's hideous version of league start?.....

 

[master blaster]

Worse, easy

 

[globaleagle]

well it's 18 nil in favour of the 'worse' option.

Which in toddy and Beattie speak means it's neck and neck, slight favouritism to better

 

[jbb/james]

Almost.......haha

Game is a shadow of what it was.

This abhorent grappling/wrestling stuff that Bellamy has introduced should forever tarnish his legacy. It has ruined rugby league.

The real issue that has escalated things this year is the way Greenturd and Sutton have decided they want games reffed.

But its been a very consistent decline for around 15 years......how long ago did Bellamy's hideous version of league start?.....

Im no bellamy fan but in fairness melbourne were owned outright by news ltd for nearly all that time. Bellamy's tactics should have been stamped out by the officials except the massive conflict of interest hanging over the game ensured that would never happen

The management of rugby league is a direct result of many conflicts of interest that are A cancer on the game. As sporting clubs have members im unsure why asic has never seen the light to investigate the NRL as its paying members have a right to believe they are a shot before a ball is kicked when clearly this is not the case.

Conflicts of interest are the real reason our game is **** in my opinion. As its that ingrained it has infiltrared the game at all levels. My opinion

 

[Budgie]

What other sport decides it's going to observe the rules for a little bit, then not do so, then crack down on certain ones, but only for certain teams?
Then, let's not oversee all clubs for salary cap breaches, but just the odd one and have no penalty schedule, just whichever way the wind is blowing.
Then, have a salary cap but there are TPAs which the clubs are not involved in yet some clubs seem to have a ton of them and others none yet the clubs aren't involved.
Then there's the trading of players. We used to feel that players loved the club that we loved. Why would they when there is no loyalty from the club itself.
Which brings me to a "results driven business". Private ownership. Nuff said.
As for the game itself, wrestling and very little reliance on players individual brilliance has dumbed it down to the point of tedium.
It's a dogs breakfast pretending to be a pro sport.

 

[mave]

NRL is a long way removed from rugby league, as we used to know it.
And even further removed from rugby league at local level.

And certainly not in a good way.

 

[mickqld]

Crowds show the game is much much worse. Turdy has presided over the greatest destruction of a major sporting code ever. When is this fukwit going to be axed.

 

[Woodsie]

Bring back the independence of the Referee's Association ...
Bring back the independence of the Judiciary .....
Bring back integrity to the management of the NRL ...

and for fukks sake sort out the TPA joke ....