Cowboys coach Paul Green turns up heat on NRL over scheduling

[Foordy]

Cowboys coach Paul Green turns up heat on NRL over scheduling
Peter Badel, The Courier-MailMay 2, 2017 8:00pm

COWBOYS coach Paul Green has called for a radical overhaul of State of Origin as the NRL confirmed the Anzac Test is headed for the scrapheap.

Green has turned up the heat on the NRL over scheduling, calling for the code’s showpiece event — State of Origin — to be played in October after the grand final.

As part of his representative blueprint, Green also wants the NRL to consider compensation if his star Cowboy, Johnathan Thurston, is injured in Friday night’s Anzac Test.

The NRL’s representative weekend has turned farcical with more than 50 players rejecting the opportunity to play in the final instalment of the City-Country Origin clash.

Meanwhile, the Kangaroos’ preparations for the Anzac Test have been turbulent, with Shannon Boyd succumbing to injury and Thurston racing the clock with a calf complaint.

Green says the Anzac Test is only one danger to NRL players and clubs, claiming the six-week Origin series has now become too brutal to be held mid-season.

“We should play Origin after the grand final,” he said.

“The NRL comp should run from start to finish. Then they should have a rep season with State of Origin and then the Test matches after that.

“I know the history of Origin and how it’s come to become a midweek thing. But it’s grown into such a huge beast that the quality of the NRL suffers during that period. The season goes on hold.

“The quality of the game wouldn’t be diminished if it was played after the grand final. You would still see the best players. That’s the drawcard. As a code we have to trust in how good the game is going to be.”

The ARL Commission was considering retaining the Anzac Test as part of the code’s $1.8 billion broadcasting deal, which begins from next season.

But Friday night’s clash will be the final instalment of the mid-season Anzac Test.

An Australia-New Zealand showdown next year will be rebranded and staged after the NRL grand final.

An NRL spokesman confirmed the trans-Tasman shake-up but insisted the ARL Commission would not be relegating Origin to a post-season series.

“State of Origin usually makes up the top three rating shows of the year — it is a showpiece for rugby league,” the spokesman said.

“We will not be tinkering with the timing.

“The NRL regains more control of the draw from 2018 and we will be moving the Test between Australia and New Zealand to the end of the season.

“So, again, there will be less pressure on the top players during the premiership.”


Green is sweating on the welfare of Cowboys champion Thurston and believes clubs should be entitled to salary-cap assistance if a star player is injured in the representative arena.

“At the end of the day, the clubs pay players’ wages — we hold all the risk,” Green said.

“There’s lots of things the NRL can do. If the NRL says they value international football, but if a player is injured, well perhaps they can make their wage exempt under the salary cap.

“At the moment, there’s none of that — we (the NRL clubs) have to foot the bill for guys who injure themselves in rep games.

“If you lose a big-name rep player in these games, as a club it makes it very difficult to win the comp.

“Someone needs to take charge. Where does the NRL value the NRL comp? Where does the NRL value the clubs and how they run their business and how does the NRL value rep footy?”

http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport...g/news-story/dcb3df1eb9385b2a657c6e803d58c731

 

[Foordy]

Green continuing to do what he is best at ... Whinging

IMO, you can't move State of Origin to after the GF, as that is when they play International games. unless you get rid of international footy altogether.

Bennett's plan of an "Origin month" does have some merit though.

 

[tommy]

I don't understand why he's so worried. Once Thurston and Scott retire he's not going to have too much of an issue with his players being selected for Origin.

Wanting salary cap compensation for your players being injured in rep games is just absurd. How would it even work?

 

[mitch222]

Green is such a fucking whinger. We have put up with it for 25 years now, get the **** over it you idiot. Its here to say. Its not like they play 162 games a year. And the players are more than rewarded for rep games.

 

[mrslong]

Write issue, wrong solution.

Origin wrecks the NRL season for 2 months. Something needs to give. At least 3 straight games would only wreck 1 month. If a player gets injured in game 1, then that gifts the next in line an opportunity in game 2. Rather that than ruin the NRL season.

 

[Nashy]

I hadn't heard him cry for a while. Glad he's ok.

Whinging little bitch. **** the Cowboys.

 

[Mister Wright]

Why can't they make either June or July 'Origin Month'? Play Origin on 3 consecutive Saturday nights. With the rep round & the two bye rounds that still leaves 24 games for the regular season. Each Origin side selects a squad of 21.

 

[Battler]

The Origin month idea has some merit, you could also promote Q/NSWcup by broadcasting all the games on FTA/ Fox.

 

[Nashy]

Because it makes too much sense to do that. The NRL don't deal in good ideas.

 

[Super Freak]

At least he is whinging and putting pressure on the NRL over something that will benefit us greatly.

The Origin period really does ruin the comp.

The price of tickets is increasing each year and the scheduling effects crowd numbers and when people do go, they pay to see their best players play. Not some heavily depleted team go up against a full strength team and get completely flogged.

In soccer, when they have rep games, all clubs in the comp are given breaks until it's over and you know what? It works.

 

[Morkel]

You'll watch it'll happen now that Green's had a sook. How many other clubs get as much special treatment as them? Does any other club get to nominate that they have the majority of their home games on a Saturday night so that their fans can get to see them? If given the choice I'm sure the Broncos would love predominantly Sunday arvo games, and I reckon we'd get 40k+ every game if that happened. But for some reason the NRL have gone in to bat for the Cowboys, no one else, when sorting out the TV rights deal, and we're left with bullshit Thursday or Friday night games every week.

 

[CaptainHook]

I don't like Paul Green and he whinges way too much but he does have a point.

The NRL is a joke. The scheduling of these games has been a disaster for a while. I could hardly care less about Origin anymore and the season will be derailed by this nonsense for the next 3 months.

The problem with Origin is that Rugby League is competing against itself. The season proper marches on and gets lost among the Origin hype. What professional sport anywhere in the world goes up against itself? It makes no sense.

Teams are forced to play without their star players and results get inflated. Although I don't remember the media complaining when the Broncos were providing 11 players towards rep teams. Apparently that's all good.

Ironically, moving Origin to midweek was designed to lessen impact on clubs until they discovered weeknights are a ratings bonanza. It's hard to see it moving from there.

With the money Origin makes, anything other than suspending the competition for a month is a disgrace. That way people can go Origin crazy all they want and teams won't be adversely affected.

 

[Foordy]

if a NSW coach had have suggested the "Origin month" style plan the Bennett suggested as an option to fix rep scheduling, then it probably would have been implemented by now.

Although they are making a start in the right direction as Origin 2 will reportedly be on a stand alone weekend in 2018

 

[Foordy]

FTR, this is the plan Wayne Bennett suggested in 2014:

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...y/news-story/387c55f9a1fa7291d2a59668a4ede496

 

[Harry Sack]

FTR, this is the plan Wayne Bennett suggested in 2014:

View attachment 1305

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...y/news-story/387c55f9a1fa7291d2a59668a4ede496

There will be a rebuttal from Tallis claiming that you couldn't do that because of the physicality of Origin, plus the missing players give the younger guys a chance in top grade. Guaranteed.

 

[Renegade]

I don't want it moved from it's current period, it's tradition. I know we like shitting on tradition where possible but having it at the end of the year won't give it the same feel.

 

[Foordy]

after refreshing my memory about Bennett's plan ... it seems like a bloody good idea and will lessen the impact that Origin has on the remainder of the season, while still giving us quality origin matches.

 

[Huge]

I don't want it moved from it's current period, it's tradition. I know we like shitting on tradition where possible but having it at the end of the year won't give it the same feel.

Traditionally we played only one Origin. Change is inevitable. I want a club to stand up and take legal action to prevent the Nrl from selecting its players for Origin until compensation and scheduling is sorted. That way my club doesn't get crippled every year. No way should a club have to provide players, its employees without insurance, a salary cap reduction for lost work time, paid at the rate the employee gets normally. Origin is just hiring the players from the NRL ans the clubs should not have to suffer. It only badly affected us in the past but nowadays, other clubs have suffered and suddenly there's outrage...shit, half the clubs love seeing us nobbled.