Finals Week 2
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Legend23
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Without jt they have adopted their ball playing forwards into a bigger role which has worked really well. Asiata can b devastating and was really on tonight and taumololo is a gun week in week out.
GoTheDoggies
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Hess on one leg > Beau Scott.
Cowboys pack > Parramatta fake tough guys like Edwards, Scott & Ma'u
Cowboys pack > Parramatta fake tough guys like Edwards, Scott & Ma'u
dogluva
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Well the Cows made me eat my words. Played superbly against Parramatta tonight.
More consistent footy tonight and Parra only scored off two poor Michael Morgan kicks, long range.
I need to ask Mr Greenberg the reason for no sin bins for punching tonight. If he expects teams to cop poor calls without squealing he needs to make sure that his referees boss Tony Archer lets his guys know that the rules are still the same, finals or not.Kenny Edwards is a serial thug who needs to learn that it odes not make him look any more of a footballer just because he thinks he is tough and can dish out rubbish every time he plays.
Big crowd who you would have thought would have stayed around to farewell the Semi but an awful lot made their exits prior to full time. All the jerseys that have come out in the past two weeks can now be put away again until the next time they make a run into the finals.
Parramatta average crowd for away games in the first fifteen rounds was 15967 ( 8 games) ; home games 19774 (7 games) ; tonight there were around 42k and only a thousand and a half belonged to the Cows.
More consistent footy tonight and Parra only scored off two poor Michael Morgan kicks, long range.
I need to ask Mr Greenberg the reason for no sin bins for punching tonight. If he expects teams to cop poor calls without squealing he needs to make sure that his referees boss Tony Archer lets his guys know that the rules are still the same, finals or not.Kenny Edwards is a serial thug who needs to learn that it odes not make him look any more of a footballer just because he thinks he is tough and can dish out rubbish every time he plays.
Big crowd who you would have thought would have stayed around to farewell the Semi but an awful lot made their exits prior to full time. All the jerseys that have come out in the past two weeks can now be put away again until the next time they make a run into the finals.
Parramatta average crowd for away games in the first fifteen rounds was 15967 ( 8 games) ; home games 19774 (7 games) ; tonight there were around 42k and only a thousand and a half belonged to the Cows.
I actually think Morgan has been a revelation.
dogluva
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The Cows may not have won as many games in the months leading up to the semis but they have toughed it out. I agree with the term battle hardened and they really surprised me tonight. Busted and without several of their top players they beat a pretty much full strength side and beat them well. Sort of reinforced my opinion of last week in that the Storm did just enough to win. Parra played their GF last week and it showed.
Legend23
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I agree the extra responsibility has been great for him, he has stepped up his short kicking game and te mare martin isnt a bad back up for the cowboys to have brought in at all.
GoTheDoggies
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#ArthurOUT
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bahahaha spoken like a true fan who can't come to grips with his team performing an epic choke
Kaz
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rigged alright
blatant elbow to coen hess's face = not penalised , no 8 point try
punch from manu mau = not sin binned.
lol
GoTheDoggies
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What has been happening with Frank Pritchard? Has he done anything at that club or is he there for a holiday?
dogluva
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Found this article published last month and I can't help but think that all the problems well and truly coming home to roost for Todd G after his little outburst regarding referees and the fines handed to coaches.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...r/news-story/fe38f8bc6dc147bd5b02c3968e4bef68
RUGBY LEAGUE’S CROWD CRISIS HAS WORSENED SINCE THE INDEPENDENT COMMISSION TOOK OVER
Phil Rothfield, Sports Editor-at-Large, The Daily Telegraph
August 1, 2017 11:45am
NRL boss Todd Greenberg’s responses to a Phil Rothfield interview has enraged fans due to their PR nature and for not confronting the major issues the game is facing.
Sports Editor-at-Large Rothfield asked Greenberg about the hot topics ranging from poor crowds, ticket prices and foul play with the responses straight from a PR manual.
In the comments below readers have been blowing up.
Here are some of the responses:
“Nice answers that don’t answer the questions. Is this guy a politician? Maybe this is the reason for the decline. He doesn’t get the picture, understand the problem and is obviously incapable of dealing with it!” - Stuart
“Standard Teflon Greenberg. Says a lot without actually saying anything. The master of avoiding a question.” - Scott
“I’d give all of Greenberg’s limp responses a total score of 2/10.” - Stephen
“Just reading the above article Greenberg has made excuses for every topic that needs to be acted on. I send emails to NRL on a regular basis complaining about what needs to be done better and get a reply back full of excuses.” - Ken
HERE IS THE FULL ARTICLE. CHECK OUT ALL THE RESPONSES BELOW.
RUGBY league is in big trouble.
Since the independent commission came into power five years ago, 218,064 fans have gone missing.
This despite chairman John Grant declaring in his first mission statement that he would lift average crowds from 16,415 to 20,000 by 2017.
Instead they have fallen by almost eight per cent since he took charge.
Combined with shrinking television ratings and a sharp decline in junior participation numbers, the game is going backwards.
In your columnist’s humble opinion it is a combination of factors.
■ PLAYING too many games at big stadiums that fans don’t like.
■ THE high cost of tickets, food, petrol and parking.
■ POOR and inconsistent refereeing.
■ FOUL play that is rarely acted on.
■ THE concussion debate.
■ NEGATIVE media and lack of promotion by the clubs.
■ THE standard and predictability of football.
■ A POORLY thought out playing schedule.
So go through the issues one by one with NRL CEO Todd Greenberg.
Nothing can take away from the fact that 200,000 fewer fans have gone through the turnstiles and that TV ratings have fallen.
CROWDS
Greenberg says: We are currently averaging 15,117 — which is 2 per cent down on last year. We had a pretty rough start to the year with one of the wettest months on record to start the season but we have started to bridge the gap and hope to end up pretty close to last year. In fact, we have beaten last year’s crowds in six of the last seven weeks … so the trend is improving leading into the Finals. Crowds have been pretty stable for the last 10 to 15 years … but I agree we all need to do more to bump them up.
We are in a very competitive environment — not just with sport — because there are so many options for people to choose from when determining how they spend their leisure time.
And, clearly, the television coverage of our game is so good that many people like watching the game at home. But, having said that, we need to work with the clubs to encourage more people to attend games. I was at Cameron Smith’s 350th game at the weekend and I can assure you there is nothing quite like being there.
Crowd decline since Commission
Year Average crowd Round 21 total crowd Total crowd (Rnd 1 - 21)
2012 16,415 (after 21 rnds) 131,320 2,757,720
2016 15,515 (after 21 rnds) 124,120 2,606,520
2017 15,117 (after 21 rnds) 120,936 2,539,656
STADIUMS
Fans don’t want to watch football with no atmosphere and 80 per cent of the venue empty. By far the best games in Sydney this year have been played at the suburban grounds.
Yet the NRL blatantly ignores this and gets into bed with the State Government to spend $1.6 billion at ANZ, Allianz and Parramatta. The upgrade at Parramatta is a wonderful investment in Sydney’s west but fans at other Sydney clubs have been ignored.
Greenberg says: I think we have seen that, given the right game, we can attract a big crowd to any stadium. Our Origin matches are sell outs, Brisbane attract big crowds to Suncorp every week and we had great crowds at the big stadiums over Easter and Anzac Day.
And one of the highlights for me was the community day the Sharks put on which attracted a sellout crowd. So the fans will attend if there is good reason.
The fans are not showing up to ANZ Stadium.
COSTS
Although good value membership packages are available for rusted on supporters, the casual fan and families can easily spend $250 by the time they have purchased seats, food and beverages, petrol and parking. It’s far easier on the weekly budget to watch on television from home.
Greenberg says: I think the cost of tickets — particularly the family tickets offered by most clubs — are pretty attractive and good value. And, while tickets and food and controlled largely by the stadiums and clubs, we’d love to see any reduction which will attract more fans to the game. Certainly, we will be looking to make ticket prices affordable during the Finals series.
REFEREEING
Social media is in meltdown almost every game, every week. The biggest problem is inconsistency. Penalties at the 2pm Sunday game are ignored in the 4pm game. Both St George-Illawarra coach Paul McGregor and the Canberra Raiders’ Ricky Stuart have gone ballistic in the last two weeks. McGregor even described it as “Incompetent and embarrassing.”
Greenberg says: I think people have been passionate about referees since the game began more than 100 years ago and I don’t expect that to change. Most people watch games through their team colours and that’s what creates so much passion and debate, which is one of rugby league’s greatest strengths. As long as you have humans involved there will be errors from time to time.
We are doing all we can to minimise mistakes but there are so many 50/50 calls in a game that there will always be people who have a different view to the referees.”
IS foul play keeping the fans away.
FOUL PLAY
This is a game that sends players to the sin bin for slapping. Yet if you bash superstar fullback Billy Slater unconscious with a vicious swinging arm and closed fist you’re allowed to stay on the field. Again last weekend. Parramatta’s Kenny Edwards attacks the head of an opponent on the ground, UFC style. Manly forward Addin Fanua-Blake bashes Cooper Cronk in the jaw. No send offs no sin bins. This is a massive turn off for women and families.
Greenberg says: I know we have had a few unfortunate incidents recently but, overall, I think the game has never been cleaner. There have been very few deliberate and serious acts of foul play this year. Coaches and players know they cannot afford to miss games.
CONCUSSION
Stories out of America about the plight of former NFL players has had a carry-over effect in the NRL. At least Todd Greenberg has cracked down on the treatment of head knocks with the immediate removal of players from the field of play. Sadly he does nothing about the foul play involved in many of the head injuries.
Greenberg says: I think we have led the way in dealing with concussion. That work is continuing and we will not let up. But the clubs have really come on board and recognise the importance of identifying and dealing with head injuries.
Is the NRL doing enough on concussion.
MEDIA
The clubs wouldn’t have a clue how to promote big time sport. Instead of using communication and marketing experts to sell the game, coaches often determine the amount of newspaper, TV, digital and radio coverage that players and the club gets. All players are well trained now to give boring, stereotype answers.
Greenberg says: Overall, I think the media coverage of our game is very positive. Naturally people are going to talk about issues which arise but that is part of the game. I have said consistently that people will judge us on how you deal with issues rather than the issue itself.
SCHEDULING
Who would allow a draw that robs free-to-air viewers from watching Cameron Smith’s 350th game in Melbourne yesterday. Instead they show the care-factor-zero Titans game against the Wests Tigers. This happens every week. Parramatta play the Bulldogs this week. A huge game for Eels fans that would attract 35,000 on a Sunday afternoon. It’s on Thursday night. Hopefully it’s a problem that should be solved when the NRL takes control of the schedule next year.
Greenberg says: So much work goes into the schedule and there are many conflicting demands. We have to take into account the availability of grounds, we try to limit 5 day turnarounds, there are requests from clubs for particular match-ups and the host broadcasters want to televise matches which attract the most viewers. So it is tough to please everyone.
But, from next year, we will have more control over the schedule and we will take on board the feedback we receive from clubs and fans to deliver the best possible outcome.
Why aren’t the fans showing up?
STANDARD OF FOOTY
There have been too many low quality matches this year. Thursday night should be a marquee television production yet we get shockers like Penrith against Canterbury last week. There is still too much of the four hit ups, a shift and a kick. Teams are too programmed. No-one wants to take a risk.
Greenberg says: I don’t think anyone can criticise the standard of football. Our players and clubs are so strong. Look at the quality of football during the Origin period. It sometimes drops away with the stars missing but the squads are so strong now that we had some of our best games during the Origin rounds.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...r/news-story/fe38f8bc6dc147bd5b02c3968e4bef68
RUGBY LEAGUE’S CROWD CRISIS HAS WORSENED SINCE THE INDEPENDENT COMMISSION TOOK OVER
Phil Rothfield, Sports Editor-at-Large, The Daily Telegraph
August 1, 2017 11:45am
NRL boss Todd Greenberg’s responses to a Phil Rothfield interview has enraged fans due to their PR nature and for not confronting the major issues the game is facing.
Sports Editor-at-Large Rothfield asked Greenberg about the hot topics ranging from poor crowds, ticket prices and foul play with the responses straight from a PR manual.
In the comments below readers have been blowing up.
Here are some of the responses:
“Nice answers that don’t answer the questions. Is this guy a politician? Maybe this is the reason for the decline. He doesn’t get the picture, understand the problem and is obviously incapable of dealing with it!” - Stuart
“Standard Teflon Greenberg. Says a lot without actually saying anything. The master of avoiding a question.” - Scott
“I’d give all of Greenberg’s limp responses a total score of 2/10.” - Stephen
“Just reading the above article Greenberg has made excuses for every topic that needs to be acted on. I send emails to NRL on a regular basis complaining about what needs to be done better and get a reply back full of excuses.” - Ken
HERE IS THE FULL ARTICLE. CHECK OUT ALL THE RESPONSES BELOW.
RUGBY league is in big trouble.
Since the independent commission came into power five years ago, 218,064 fans have gone missing.
This despite chairman John Grant declaring in his first mission statement that he would lift average crowds from 16,415 to 20,000 by 2017.
Instead they have fallen by almost eight per cent since he took charge.
Combined with shrinking television ratings and a sharp decline in junior participation numbers, the game is going backwards.
In your columnist’s humble opinion it is a combination of factors.
■ PLAYING too many games at big stadiums that fans don’t like.
■ THE high cost of tickets, food, petrol and parking.
■ POOR and inconsistent refereeing.
■ FOUL play that is rarely acted on.
■ THE concussion debate.
■ NEGATIVE media and lack of promotion by the clubs.
■ THE standard and predictability of football.
■ A POORLY thought out playing schedule.
So go through the issues one by one with NRL CEO Todd Greenberg.
Nothing can take away from the fact that 200,000 fewer fans have gone through the turnstiles and that TV ratings have fallen.
CROWDS
Greenberg says: We are currently averaging 15,117 — which is 2 per cent down on last year. We had a pretty rough start to the year with one of the wettest months on record to start the season but we have started to bridge the gap and hope to end up pretty close to last year. In fact, we have beaten last year’s crowds in six of the last seven weeks … so the trend is improving leading into the Finals. Crowds have been pretty stable for the last 10 to 15 years … but I agree we all need to do more to bump them up.
We are in a very competitive environment — not just with sport — because there are so many options for people to choose from when determining how they spend their leisure time.
And, clearly, the television coverage of our game is so good that many people like watching the game at home. But, having said that, we need to work with the clubs to encourage more people to attend games. I was at Cameron Smith’s 350th game at the weekend and I can assure you there is nothing quite like being there.
Crowd decline since Commission
Year Average crowd Round 21 total crowd Total crowd (Rnd 1 - 21)
2012 16,415 (after 21 rnds) 131,320 2,757,720
2016 15,515 (after 21 rnds) 124,120 2,606,520
2017 15,117 (after 21 rnds) 120,936 2,539,656
STADIUMS
Fans don’t want to watch football with no atmosphere and 80 per cent of the venue empty. By far the best games in Sydney this year have been played at the suburban grounds.
Yet the NRL blatantly ignores this and gets into bed with the State Government to spend $1.6 billion at ANZ, Allianz and Parramatta. The upgrade at Parramatta is a wonderful investment in Sydney’s west but fans at other Sydney clubs have been ignored.
Greenberg says: I think we have seen that, given the right game, we can attract a big crowd to any stadium. Our Origin matches are sell outs, Brisbane attract big crowds to Suncorp every week and we had great crowds at the big stadiums over Easter and Anzac Day.
And one of the highlights for me was the community day the Sharks put on which attracted a sellout crowd. So the fans will attend if there is good reason.
The fans are not showing up to ANZ Stadium.
COSTS
Although good value membership packages are available for rusted on supporters, the casual fan and families can easily spend $250 by the time they have purchased seats, food and beverages, petrol and parking. It’s far easier on the weekly budget to watch on television from home.
Greenberg says: I think the cost of tickets — particularly the family tickets offered by most clubs — are pretty attractive and good value. And, while tickets and food and controlled largely by the stadiums and clubs, we’d love to see any reduction which will attract more fans to the game. Certainly, we will be looking to make ticket prices affordable during the Finals series.
REFEREEING
Social media is in meltdown almost every game, every week. The biggest problem is inconsistency. Penalties at the 2pm Sunday game are ignored in the 4pm game. Both St George-Illawarra coach Paul McGregor and the Canberra Raiders’ Ricky Stuart have gone ballistic in the last two weeks. McGregor even described it as “Incompetent and embarrassing.”
Greenberg says: I think people have been passionate about referees since the game began more than 100 years ago and I don’t expect that to change. Most people watch games through their team colours and that’s what creates so much passion and debate, which is one of rugby league’s greatest strengths. As long as you have humans involved there will be errors from time to time.
We are doing all we can to minimise mistakes but there are so many 50/50 calls in a game that there will always be people who have a different view to the referees.”
IS foul play keeping the fans away.
FOUL PLAY
This is a game that sends players to the sin bin for slapping. Yet if you bash superstar fullback Billy Slater unconscious with a vicious swinging arm and closed fist you’re allowed to stay on the field. Again last weekend. Parramatta’s Kenny Edwards attacks the head of an opponent on the ground, UFC style. Manly forward Addin Fanua-Blake bashes Cooper Cronk in the jaw. No send offs no sin bins. This is a massive turn off for women and families.
Greenberg says: I know we have had a few unfortunate incidents recently but, overall, I think the game has never been cleaner. There have been very few deliberate and serious acts of foul play this year. Coaches and players know they cannot afford to miss games.
CONCUSSION
Stories out of America about the plight of former NFL players has had a carry-over effect in the NRL. At least Todd Greenberg has cracked down on the treatment of head knocks with the immediate removal of players from the field of play. Sadly he does nothing about the foul play involved in many of the head injuries.
Greenberg says: I think we have led the way in dealing with concussion. That work is continuing and we will not let up. But the clubs have really come on board and recognise the importance of identifying and dealing with head injuries.
Is the NRL doing enough on concussion.
MEDIA
The clubs wouldn’t have a clue how to promote big time sport. Instead of using communication and marketing experts to sell the game, coaches often determine the amount of newspaper, TV, digital and radio coverage that players and the club gets. All players are well trained now to give boring, stereotype answers.
Greenberg says: Overall, I think the media coverage of our game is very positive. Naturally people are going to talk about issues which arise but that is part of the game. I have said consistently that people will judge us on how you deal with issues rather than the issue itself.
SCHEDULING
Who would allow a draw that robs free-to-air viewers from watching Cameron Smith’s 350th game in Melbourne yesterday. Instead they show the care-factor-zero Titans game against the Wests Tigers. This happens every week. Parramatta play the Bulldogs this week. A huge game for Eels fans that would attract 35,000 on a Sunday afternoon. It’s on Thursday night. Hopefully it’s a problem that should be solved when the NRL takes control of the schedule next year.
Greenberg says: So much work goes into the schedule and there are many conflicting demands. We have to take into account the availability of grounds, we try to limit 5 day turnarounds, there are requests from clubs for particular match-ups and the host broadcasters want to televise matches which attract the most viewers. So it is tough to please everyone.
But, from next year, we will have more control over the schedule and we will take on board the feedback we receive from clubs and fans to deliver the best possible outcome.
Why aren’t the fans showing up?
STANDARD OF FOOTY
There have been too many low quality matches this year. Thursday night should be a marquee television production yet we get shockers like Penrith against Canterbury last week. There is still too much of the four hit ups, a shift and a kick. Teams are too programmed. No-one wants to take a risk.
Greenberg says: I don’t think anyone can criticise the standard of football. Our players and clubs are so strong. Look at the quality of football during the Origin period. It sometimes drops away with the stars missing but the squads are so strong now that we had some of our best games during the Origin rounds.
dogluva
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Injuries have wrecked this season. Out since round 7 was due back Round 21 after a foot injury.
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