2024 NRL General Discussion Thread

[ningnangnong]

New season, new thread.

Get discussing, chumps!

 

[Big Pete]

Move over Sproj, ning is new favourite mod.

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Have to feel for the Tigers faithful. While they may have won the premiership in 2005, it was more or less a game of musical chairs and they happened to be the form team when they won the competition. They weren't dominant in the way the Panthers, Roosters, Storm, Sharks, Cowboys were and outside of 2010-11, have never looked like replicating it.

I really hope they turn things around. I think they've jumped the gun going with Benji too soon, I think you could have easily gone the Don Furner-Wayne Bennett route there where Furner was the figurehead, Bennett was the coach but not to be. My first question is how long do they persist with Aidan Sezer because after 20 minutes, I had some serious concerns.

For example...

You're a senior player brought into lead by example. So you put a kick through to test Sloan, you don't chase it, you don't run your support onside and then you miss your tackle and allow him to go up-field. The forwards then work their arses off, only for you to lose an aerial contest with the opposing halfback when you had as good if not better play on the ball.

I could live with giving Sezer another opportunity, but surely as a coach that passage sticks with you?

 

[Sproj]

Move over Sproj, ning is new favourite mod.

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Have to feel for the Tigers faithful. While they may have won the premiership in 2005, it was more or less a game of musical chairs and they happened to be the form team when they won the competition. They weren't dominant in the way the Panthers, Roosters, Storm, Sharks, Cowboys were and outside of 2010-11, have never looked like replicating it.

I really hope they turn things around. I think they've jumped the gun going with Benji too soon, I think you could have easily gone the Don Furner-Wayne Bennett route there where Furner was the figurehead, Bennett was the coach but not to be. My first question is how long do they persist with Aidan Sezer because after 20 minutes, I had some serious concerns.

For example...

You're a senior player brought into lead by example. So you put a kick through to test Sloan, you don't chase it, you don't run your support onside and then you miss your tackle and allow him to go up-field. The forwards then work their arses off, only for you to lose an aerial contest with the opposing halfback when you had as good if not better play on the ball.

I could live with giving Sezer another opportunity, but surely as a coach that passage sticks with you?

I’m sure this is a really good post but I couldn’t read it through the tears.

 

[Big Pete]

Speaking of Dean Ritchie and Sydney centric commentators.



It's not 1994 anymore.

 

[Sproj]

When an idiot, man I have not missed his face and dumb being one of the only league things mid-week.

Does he realise how contradictory those two sentences are?

 

[BroncsFan]

Speaking of Dean Ritchie and Sydney centric commentators.



It's not 1994 anymore.

It's maybe the shittest of takes... I dont even think he's trolling I think he actually believes that people and players would for some reason love Sydney finals.

I mean clearly people would prefer 15-20k at an empty ANZ instead of the 40-50k at Suncorp we got last year for Brisbane vs Melb wk1 and Brisbane vs Warriors prelim... oh and also **** NZ selling out their Wk 2 final last year, send the ***** to a quarter full 80k stadium... the kiwi fans will love it.

If he loves Sydney finals so much go and watch the NSWRL finals... he'll get to see Newtown vs Norths and live back in the 80's with a tinnie on Leichhardt Hill

 

[Foordy]

When an idiot, man I have not missed his face and dumb being one of the only league things mid-week.

Does he realise how contradictory those two sentences are?

don't knock Kent's logic, because I'm sure the Broncos vs Warriors Grand Final qualifier would have been more special at an empty SFS than a sold out lang park ... or the Warriors vs Knights semi would have been more special at a half empty Commbank Stadium than at a Mount Smart stadium that was packed to the rafters.

the guy is a dead set fucking moron that should have done the Rugby League universe a favour and stayed off TV.

 

[broncos4life]

It's maybe the shittest of takes... I dont even think he's trolling I think he actually believes that people and players would for some reason love Sydney finals.

I mean clearly people would prefer 15-20k at an empty ANZ instead of the 40-50k at Suncorp we got last year for Brisbane vs Melb wk1 and Brisbane vs Warriors prelim... oh and also **** NZ selling out their Wk 2 final last year, send the ***** to a quarter full 80k stadium... the kiwi fans will love it.

If he loves Sydney finals so much go and watch the NSWRL finals... he'll get to see Newtown vs Norths and live back in the 80's with a tinnie on Leichhardt Hill

People that have lived their whole lives in Sydney honestly don’t know how far up their own ass their head is. The can’t fathom that anyone could not love Sydney as much as they do.

 

[Big Pete]

It's maybe the shittest of takes... I dont even think he's trolling I think he actually believes that people and players would for some reason love Sydney finals.

I mean clearly people would prefer 15-20k at an empty ANZ instead of the 40-50k at Suncorp we got last year for Brisbane vs Melb wk1 and Brisbane vs Warriors prelim... oh and also **** NZ selling out their Wk 2 final last year, send the ***** to a quarter full 80k stadium... the kiwi fans will love it.

If he loves Sydney finals so much go and watch the NSWRL finals... he'll get to see Newtown vs Norths and live back in the 80's with a tinnie on Leichhardt Hill

50,000+ & 52,000+ at Brisbane
29,000+ at Newcastle
26,000+ at Auckland

The only argument he has is Melbourne and I doubt we would have seen much more at ANZ.

This all comes back to the journalist's perspective. Back in the day, the players would all be around Sydney, you'd drive down to one of their sessions, write up a few puff pieces typically in favour of the Sydney team and get lost in the hype of it all.

Now that opportunity might go to your colleague and instead you're stuck reporting some off-season story. For years, it was like their own month of Magic Round, now it's inconsistent and the only guarantee is that they get the big dance.

 

[BroncsFan]

50,000+ & 52,000+ at Brisbane
29,000+ at Newcastle
26,000+ at Auckland

The only argument he has is Melbourne and I doubt we would have seen much more at ANZ.

This all comes back to the journalist's perspective. Back in the day, the players would all be around Sydney, you'd drive down to one of their sessions, write up a few puff pieces typically in favour of the Sydney team and get lost in the hype of it all.

Now that opportunity might go to your colleague and instead you're stuck reporting some off-season story. For years, it was like their own month of Magic Round, now it's inconsistent and the only guarantee is that they get the big dance.

Conduit to the people
#ForTheFans

 

[Sproj]

NSW teams can't even fill out their own stadiums for their own games, how does the idiot expect that will improve with two out of town teams they have even less interest in supporting?

Have not missed him at all.

 

[tommy]

I think Paul Kent likes it when people talk about Paul Kent.

 

[Big Pete]

I've been looking into development pathways and came across an interesting figure.

Since the dissolution of the National Youth Competition, the amount of U/20s football NRL players have played has halved.

Players born in 1997 averaged 34 NYC games.

EDIT: To give you an idea of who was born that year you have Nathan Cleary, Latrell Mitchell, Jarome Luai, Liam Martin, Briton Nikora, Scott Drinkwater, Jaydn Su'A, Curtis Scott etc.

Compared to players born in 2000 (most of whom were ineligible for NYC) averaged 17.

EDIT: To give you an idea of who came through in 2000 you've got David Fifita, Dylan Brown, Matt Burton, Stephen Crichton, Tino Fa'asuamaleaui etc.

This figured dropped to 11 games for players born in 2001.

Granted there are a few variables to consider. Namely the impact COVID had on Colts footy where players were limited to a dozen Colts games a year. Clubs like Canberra, Newcastle and North Sydney also opted out of Colts footy entirely, denying players those opportunities. This impacted players like Leo Thompson who were named for the second Round of the 2020 Jersey Flegg competition, but never played a Flegg game for the Raiders before he transferred to Newcastle.

An NYC season mirrored the NRL with 24 regular season matches, whereas Flegg has fluctuated from 20-22 games and Hasting Deerlings from 14-20 games. So an NYC player could have played 72+ games, while a Flegg/Colts player is looking around 50 games.

That drop off paints an interesting picture, especially in the wake of the QRL's decision to drop the Colts entirely and have the U/21s play in the local competitions. To give you some examples close to home, Ben Te Kura only played 4 games of U/21s compared to 13 in U/18s and the 25 he's managed in the Queensland Cup.

For those who want to follow the juniors more closely, I can't recommend the 18thman.com enough. It's a tremendous resource and is the Rugby League Project for all the junior grades.

 

[JayPee]

On the Dalky Ms. The Hammer picked up 1 point and Adam Reynolds picked up a point for their respective games over the weekend. Both men were in the worst 3 players on the field. Fire this award into the sun. How hard is it to just go with the nba and nfl system. Deadset.

 

[Super Freak]

On the Dalky Ms. The Hammer picked up 1 point and Adam Reynolds picked up a point for their respective games over the weekend. Both men were in the worst 3 players on the field. Fire this award into the sun. How hard is it to just go with the nba and nfl system. Deadset.

Ruan must have voted for them.

 

[Big Pete]

The other crazy thing about Reynolds scoring a Dally M point is that Joseph Manu didn't receive anything despite his role in the victory.

I wouldn't have voted for Hamiso, but it reminds me of so many games where Bowen would somehow receive a point even though by his standards he was poor. I think sometimes the panelists will give a point to whoever is the most dangerous player on the park, so players like Hammer and Mango could make 4 errors, but then they come up with a couple of big runs so they take that point off of the would be third place player.

 

[Mick_Hancock]

Off topic and not sure where this should go… but CSB (chicken sandwich boy) **** he’s had some shit luck since leaving:

The Bulldogs have formally applied to the NRL for an urgent salary cap resolution surrounding young gun Karl Oloapu, who faces an uncertain future as he recovers from delicate neck surgery.

In a situation which almost mirrors that of St George Illawarra fullback Cody Ramsey, who is also battling to return to the field after a debilitating illness, the Bulldogs have lodged an appeal with the NRL for possible cap dispensation.

 

[Mick_Hancock]

The other crazy thing about Reynolds scoring a Dally M point is that Joseph Manu didn't receive anything despite his role in the victory.

I wouldn't have voted for Hamiso, but it reminds me of so many games where Bowen would somehow receive a point even though by his standards he was poor. I think sometimes the panelists will give a point to whoever is the most dangerous player on the park, so players like Hammer and Mango could make 4 errors, but then they come up with a couple of big runs so they take that point off of the would be third place player.

Manu was easily one of the best players on the field. Insane that he didn’t get the votes