Mr Invisible
Banned
- Joined
- Apr 26, 2008
- Messages
- 0
- Reaction score
- 47
As a league fan since I was a young kid, I used to enjoy watching the game. I'm not just talking about Dogs games, but most other games as well. The game had me captivated and glued to the screen watching as players battled it out on the field. Big hits, clutch plays, and some of the finest athletes you'd see. Rugby League was a spectacle, a centre stage sport on the rise.
This feeling and excitement around games continued on for over 2 decades, until recently.
Changing of key figures in NRL HQ (I'll stop short of names to avoid if the media pick this up and publish it), lead to significant changes in our games.
Slowly but surely shoulder charges disappeared, punch ups became slap-a-thons, and the game lost some of it's edge.
Cigarette advertising was banned, resulting in the Winfield Cup disappearing, and Telstra becomming involved. Even in English Super League now betting partners hold naming rights.
The NRL went looking for new sponsors, and in their search they found alcohol and betting sponsors, willing the pour money into the game.
THIS is the era when Rugby League changed.
One ref became two, and the decisions started to get more and more inconsistent.
Next came The Bunker, a way to review tries and find any excuse to award/deny a try.
Combining the two gaves the ability for a referee to influence a (previously Benefit of the Doubt call), and call a NO TRY/TRY knowing it is near impossible to overturn.
Once these became ingrained in the game, rules were tightened and changed surrounding what constituted a try, and other rules. Betting odds for all different game aspects opened up.
Referees were given more "flexibility" to influence a result or overlook offside/forward passes/foul play, and combined with the bunker, this changed many unknowns about the game into controllable aspects.
Need a side back in a game? No worries. A few back to back penalties to get them into position, and a bodgy bunker call to award a no try as a try.
Need to give a side a better legup? No worries, sit a player down for 10.
This year in particular has shown us so many bad decisions, with no accountability for the officials making them, that it is no longer a tin foiled hat conspiracy theory.
It is my opinion that our games aren't possibly being rigged, they aren't definitely being rigged, but rather they are being "shaped for a favourable outcome".
Refs don't get sacked because if you sack a ref, they squeal and blow the lid off things.
Coaches are unable to draw attention to the issue anymore for fear of large fines.
Everyone else can benefit by putting money down as they aren't restricted from doing so.
Everything has been closely shaped in ensure that nobody ever questions a result.
In short... the NRL have backed this great game into a corner they cannot get out of.
The NRL NEED the money (of betting partners/sponsors) to survive. The offshoot of this is that the betting sponsors may pick and choose winners based on what gives them the least payouts possible.
Ladies and gentlemen ... it is a sad sad era of Rugby League we are entering... and I'm not sure it's one I really want to be part of.
Shame Shame Shame.
This feeling and excitement around games continued on for over 2 decades, until recently.
Changing of key figures in NRL HQ (I'll stop short of names to avoid if the media pick this up and publish it), lead to significant changes in our games.
Slowly but surely shoulder charges disappeared, punch ups became slap-a-thons, and the game lost some of it's edge.
Cigarette advertising was banned, resulting in the Winfield Cup disappearing, and Telstra becomming involved. Even in English Super League now betting partners hold naming rights.
The NRL went looking for new sponsors, and in their search they found alcohol and betting sponsors, willing the pour money into the game.
THIS is the era when Rugby League changed.
One ref became two, and the decisions started to get more and more inconsistent.
Next came The Bunker, a way to review tries and find any excuse to award/deny a try.
Combining the two gaves the ability for a referee to influence a (previously Benefit of the Doubt call), and call a NO TRY/TRY knowing it is near impossible to overturn.
Once these became ingrained in the game, rules were tightened and changed surrounding what constituted a try, and other rules. Betting odds for all different game aspects opened up.
Referees were given more "flexibility" to influence a result or overlook offside/forward passes/foul play, and combined with the bunker, this changed many unknowns about the game into controllable aspects.
Need a side back in a game? No worries. A few back to back penalties to get them into position, and a bodgy bunker call to award a no try as a try.
Need to give a side a better legup? No worries, sit a player down for 10.
This year in particular has shown us so many bad decisions, with no accountability for the officials making them, that it is no longer a tin foiled hat conspiracy theory.
It is my opinion that our games aren't possibly being rigged, they aren't definitely being rigged, but rather they are being "shaped for a favourable outcome".
Refs don't get sacked because if you sack a ref, they squeal and blow the lid off things.
Coaches are unable to draw attention to the issue anymore for fear of large fines.
Everyone else can benefit by putting money down as they aren't restricted from doing so.
Everything has been closely shaped in ensure that nobody ever questions a result.
In short... the NRL have backed this great game into a corner they cannot get out of.
The NRL NEED the money (of betting partners/sponsors) to survive. The offshoot of this is that the betting sponsors may pick and choose winners based on what gives them the least payouts possible.
Ladies and gentlemen ... it is a sad sad era of Rugby League we are entering... and I'm not sure it's one I really want to be part of.
Shame Shame Shame.
