Broncos guaranteed Sunday arvo slots

[Super Freak]

Brisbane Broncos keen to have family-friendly Sunday afternoon slots next season

October 4, 2017

THE Broncos say they have been assured by the NRL they will receive Sunday afternoon home football next year and hope for more than one game.

Brisbane played all home matches at night in 2017 and none on a Sunday, largely because they are a preferred team of Channel 9 for one of its Thursday and Friday telecasts.

The NRL’s promise of recent years that they “will take back the draw’’ from telecast networks in 2018 will have its acid test with next month’s draw, with Canberra and Newcastle and smaller Sydney clubs wanting more free-to-air exposure than in recent years.

“We are hoping the draw is a little kinder to us next year – four Thursday night home games didn’t help (with 2017 crowds),’’ Broncos chairman Dennis Watt said.

“Sunday games are family friendly and we’d like some for our fans next year. Todd Greenberg (NRL CEO) said he would look to try and have some Sunday games for us – we’d certainly expect more than one.’’

The NRL also needs to provide matches for Nine and Fox League, which deliver consistently good ratings and also set the groundwork for maintaining the sport’s rights values from 2023-27.

That NRL grand final on Sunday was watched by 380,000 fewer people than the 2016 title decider.

Like all major spectator sports the game is subject increasingly to fracturing of its audience, which has more ways to watch a match on their devices.

Broncos coach Wayne Bennett said they would not play another World Club Series match in England next February if asked.

The English Rugby Football League is having trouble raising Australian interest, with clubs wary of adding pre-season games for players who will contest the World Cup until as late as December 2.

“We have played games in England the last three years. We made a decision we probably won’t go over — we will take a bit of a different direction with it,’’ Bennett said.

Bennett said the Broncos would play trial games at venues to be announced, but would be outside Brisbane.

Grand finalists Melbourne and North Queensland have booked a testimonial trial in February to benefit Cameron Smith and Johnathan Thurston and the Storm may play as many as two trials against the Warriors, one at the Sunshine Coast and one in New Zealand.

Preliminary finalists Brisbane would have been a welcome WSC opponent, but the World Club Challenge trophy could only be contested by the Storm, as premiers.

The Storm and Cowboys declined the chance to play WSC matches in 2017 as preliminary finalists, with the Broncos losing to Warrington and Cronulla defeated in the WCC by Wigan.

Broncos CEO Paul White has made plain in the past two years their interest in hosting an English club in a WSC match at Suncorp Stadium.

“We’ve done a lot of the heavy lifting for it (the WSC) over the years, playing it three times,’’ Watt said.

Source: Courier Mail

 

[Mitchell_Broncos]

Gillet running the field wont forget this day!

 

[winslow_wong]

The broncos will be squinting. It's been that long since they've seen sunlight

 

[Lockysillegitimatechild]

I thought this would happen. Bellamy refused to go last year too. Seriously, I don't get how he gets a free ride from the media when he never tries to do anything positive for the game. I honestly reckon he would stab the game in the back if it meant a trial game win for his team. These games mean a lot for English fans.

 

[Taylor1921]

I miss Jack Reed

 

[Socnorb]

this is so unfair. What will the Sydney clubs winge about now?

 

[Foordy]

this is so unfair. What will the Sydney clubs winge about now?

they'll just change their whinge to "It's so unfair that the NRL just gave the Broncos what they wanted"

 

[Morkel]

they'll just change their whinge to "It's so unfair that the NRL just gave the Broncos what they wanted"

Exactly this.

 

[Dexter]

I'll be surprised if we get more than 1. Greenburg is a politician first and second. He is an expert in telling you what you want and deflecting the criticism later.
Wasn't he the one who put in a 5 year plan to increase crowds? so he fudges the figure by 15% and still has dropping crowd numbers but there's been very little about it. He is not accountable for anything.

 

[LittleDavey]

I'd like a few Saturday games. I'm gonna come down for one with my old man, father-in-law and 10yo as a birthday pressie for the boy. Bit like a rite of passage, turn 10 and off we go to a game..like my dad did for me :) Family tradition!!

 

[jarro65]

We need to get at least 4 Sunday arvo games next season to make up for how many we've missed over the years.

 

[papabear]

I thought this would happen. Bellamy refused to go last year too. Seriously, I don't get how he gets a free ride from the media when he never tries to do anything positive for the game. I honestly reckon he would stab the game in the back if it meant a trial game win for his team. These games mean a lot for English fans.

The Melbourne Storm are rugby league in victoria and as a face of rugby league the storm do it very very well.

I agree that bennett as a coach has been very good for international rugby league, I also agree with him in not running out a side this year, I dont think they should do it with the World Cup.

The broncos however, if they want to take that same high road as bennett, imo, need to not have their parent company that owns a certain newspaper write absolute garbage which affects other rugby league clubs, happy for them to write the truth even if it is negative on other clubs, but just pushing an agenda, leave that for phil gould.

Also, is there still an agreement that there cant be a second side in brisbane?

 

[pagey]

The Melbourne Storm are rugby league in victoria and as a face of rugby league the storm do it very very well.

I agree that bennett as a coach has been very good for international rugby league, I also agree with him in not running out a side this year, I dont think they should do it with the World Cup.

The broncos however, if they want to take that same high road as bennett, imo, need to one not have their parent newspaper write absolute garbage which affects other rugby league clubs, happy for them to write the truth, but just pushing an agenda, leave that for phil gould.

Also, is there still an agreement that there cant be a second side in brisbane?

You mean the the same newspaper that only recently sold the storm. Melbourne are the 2nd Brisbane team !!!

 

[papabear]

You mean the the same newspaper that only recently sold the storm. Melbourne are the 2nd Brisbane team !!!

They also sold my team.

I dont mind that a company owns them.

I just dont think they should write garbage that is worse then the tele just to push a brisbane broncos agenda, I know it isnt the broncos fault but the stain sticks on them.

 

[Lockysillegitimatechild]

The Melbourne Storm are rugby league in victoria and as a face of rugby league the storm do it very very well.

I agree that bennett as a coach has been very good for international rugby league, I also agree with him in not running out a side this year, I dont think they should do it with the World Cup.

The broncos however, if they want to take that same high road as bennett, imo, need to not have their parent company that owns a certain newspaper write absolute garbage which affects other rugby league clubs, happy for them to write the truth even if it is negative on other clubs, but just pushing an agenda, leave that for phil gould.

Also, is there still an agreement that there cant be a second side in brisbane?

Hahahaha so the broncos can tell their owners what to do?

Tomorrow, at work, can you try this technique out and let me know how it goes? Centrelink is open till 5 I think, might be useful info for ya mate....

 

[Lockysillegitimatechild]

They also sold my team.

I dont mind that a company owns them.

I just dont think they should write garbage that is worse then the tele just to push a brisbane broncos agenda, I know it isnt the broncos fault but the stain sticks on them.

And if you SERIOUSLY think the media is on the broncos side you should have a word to....

Tallis
Paul Kent
Rothfield
Hooper
meninga
Andrew Webster
Matty Johns
Gould

You're paranoia is a bit selective papa....

 

[Foordy]

Hahahaha so the broncos can tell their owners what to do?

Tomorrow, at work, can you try this technique out and let me know how it goes? Centrelink is open till 5 I think, might be useful info for ya mate....

I doubt that they are open that late ... they are a government agency after all :P

 

[johnny plath]

Also, is there still an agreement that there cant be a second side in brisbane?

I always wonder about the reality of this... has anyone ever been quoted, or seen anything official that confirms this agreement is real. Or is it just some bullshit that journalists and other clubs use to whinge about. There really is a rewrite of Broncos history, and their place in Brisbane sport that makes me wonder. People seem to choose to forget that the buzz around the arrival of the broncos was that BRL players no longer had to go to Sydney to play in the top comp. They also seem to forget that apart from finals, and diehards, the crowd support for BRL was already poor, yet Broncos seem to be the whipping boys for the demise of the BRL comp. A genuine question that I've asked elsewhere but haven't been able to find out, but did the Raiders, the Knights, the Warriors, the Steelers, the Cowboys, the Seagulls, all have an affect on local comps. I just can't imagine that cities/towns smaller than Brisbane suddenly taking players out of local comps doesn't impact, but Broncos seem to be the biggest ***** in the world for it, but no mention of other teams affecting local comps.