NRL General Discussion Thread

[Morkel]

Melbourne Storm are the most widely supported NRL (or AFL) club in 2021 ahead of the Brisbane Broncos and Parramatta Eels - Roy Morgan Research

www.roymorgan.com

• NRL total fan base up by 1 million new supporters
• Storm most supported club with 1.211 million supporters... Up 28.7% from a year ago.
• Broncos 1.028 million supporters, up 15% from a year ago.

I'd like to know they got those figures. IIRC there were harsher restrictions on crowds last year (many games with no crowds) so any advertised "growth" in the game is likely bullshit.

 

[Sproj]

The Titans have more than 1 fan, that tells you this is false right there.

 

[Dash]

Melbourne Storm are the most widely supported NRL (or AFL) club in 2021 ahead of the Brisbane Broncos and Parramatta Eels - Roy Morgan Research

www.roymorgan.com

• NRL total fan base up by 1 million new supporters
• Storm most supported club with 1.211 million supporters... Up 28.7% from a year ago.
• Broncos 1.028 million supporters, up 15% from a year ago.

I wonder how many of those Storm "fans" are just random Victorians who answered "eerr, the Storms I guess".

 

[Sproj]

I wonder how many of those Storm "fans" are just random Victorians who answered "eerr, the Storms I guess".

1,211 million at a guess.

 

[Super Freak]

Just on the Storm, they announced that all ticketed members for the 2021 season will receive their 2022 membership for free. They are paying for every membership.

Would be great if the richest Rugby League club in the country would do something like that.

Say what you want about Storm, they know how to bring in fans in a tough market.

 

[Battler]

I wonder how many of those Storm "fans" are just random Victorians who answered "eerr, the Storms I guess".

Yep it’d be like counting me as a Brisbane lions fan when the last time I watched them was for like 20 mins in a final last year.

 

[Foordy]

Just on the Storm, they announced that all ticketed members for the 2021 season will receive their 2022 membership for free. They are paying for every membership.

Would be great if the richest Rugby League club in the country would do something like that.

Say what you want about Storm, they know how to bring in fans in a tough market.

that's exactly what they did for the 2020 memberships.

we got our full memberships in 2021.

the only reason the Storm are rolling over their 2021 memberships to next year (like we did for the 2020 memberships) is because their members couldn't attend the games with the NRL being relocated to QLD

just another case of the Storm copying us again

 

[tommy]

Just on the Storm, they announced that all ticketed members for the 2021 season will receive their 2022 membership for free. They are paying for every membership.

Would be great if the richest Rugby League club in the country would do something like that.

Say what you want about Storm, they know how to bring in fans in a tough market.

Or maybe they crashed out and everyone in Melbourne loves the demons this week instead.

 

[Kimlo]

I'd like to know they got those figures. IIRC there were harsher restrictions on crowds last year (many games with no crowds) so any advertised "growth" in the game is likely bullshit.

by drawing on the qualitative and quantitative data gathered by in-depth personal interviews conducted with over 50,000 Australians each year.”

 

[BroncsFan]

Just on the Storm, they announced that all ticketed members for the 2021 season will receive their 2022 membership for free. They are paying for every membership.

Would be great if the richest Rugby League club in the country would do something like that.

Say what you want about Storm, they know how to bring in fans in a tough market.

Think Brisbane did that this year didn't they??

 

[Morkel]

"How many games did you go to last year".

LIke, I could only go to three, there were no crowds allowed.

"How many this year".

Geez, the games were shit, maybe.... four? I gave up after that"

NRL Spin Doctors:

 

[Mr Fourex]

@ The Brisbane Brownsnakes .......reallY?

How many voted yes to that fucken name...Jesus.

Support the Browns >cringe<
.....FMD.

 

[GCBRONCO]

The jersey concept for the "Brownsnakes" is just the Crushers jersey lol

 

[IceWorks]

Looks like you guys might have another outbreak, wonder if the GF will go ahead.

I personally would prefer they move the final to wherever and keep community sport open... of course with a few clusters festering and a lock-down happy health minister we will probably get a transmission event at the game and be locked down with no community sport for weeks after.. Mind you the Victorians have demonstrated you don't actually need to attend the game live to help spread the rona.

Having said that I will be attending a friends place to watch the game.. so I will be one happy hypocrite on Sunday, go the Bunnies... Just cos friend is a bunnies tragic, don't really mind if the Panthers win either frankly.. happy the Storm aren't there!

 

[Browny]

If it’s brown flush it down

 

[Sproj]

Thread re-badged to 2022.

 

[Morkel]

Yay, let's look for who can be the fairytale team in 2022. Note: extra saltiness involved in these comments as well as the normal amount of conspiracy thrown in:

Broncos:
Showed improvement towards the end of the year, and the roster looks o be much improved next year. But were we just "allowed to play" at the end of the year because we were already guaranteed to miss the finals? It'll go one of two ways - we'll improve so that when the Plastics are introduced (and predictably beat us) there will be a "wow these guys are the real deal" feeling. Or of course we'll be over-penalised, neutered by heavy-handed suspensions, and mysteriously have terrible calls go against us all year. 3/10

Raiders:
Sticky had his chance, he's not developing from the area, and is once again showing he has no idea how to develop a half (and will keep cycling through them). Strategically irrelevant. 2/10

Bulldogs:
If anything I don't see them improving at all, because they are paying massive overs for their recruits, and their chequebook mentality will be the big no-no over the next few years. 1/10

Sharks:
Buzz bought his premiership in that one year they weren't cheating, I think their "luck" has run out for at least the next half decade. Kick them out. 1/10

Titans:
Oh they'll be gifted plenty of games and they will likely be the "best" Queensland (cough) team again, but that's only because of politics. The NRL can't have a Gold Coast franchise fail for the seventh? time. Even with Brisbane II coming in, the Titans' players will all somehow want to be Titans 4 Lyfe despite only being there because they followed the money. 6/10

Sea Eagles:
Tommy Turbo (and to a lesser extent his brother) is everything the NRL want to showcase in the "development pays off" marketing plan. DCE and Foran also fall in to the same category, but surely Foran is due to have his arm just completely fall off at the shoulder next time he is tackled. 4/10.

Storm:
Just **** off. 9/10

Knights:
Chequebook mentality has ended up with a bought roster, but interestingly the media are already claiming Gagai is going "home" so maybe the NRL has plans for them to not be shit and keep the two Johns lunatics happy. 7/10

Cowboys:
Wow, the media will keep calling them brave and they'll live off 2015 and 2017 for at least the next decade, but I can't see them doing anything with that roster and that "coach", even if the NRL wanted to. 3/10

Eels:
Hard to gauge. In my opinion they have over-achieved as it is, and with some of their key players (Gutherson, Moses) looking for a big payday it's possible they'll be due for a rebuild. But don't underestimate the influence Sterlo will have behind the scenes now that he doesn't have to appear impartial. 6/10

Panthers:
Now that they've been gifted their premiership they won't be carried quite as much. Cleary will still be allowed to play in a dinner suit but they won't be as dominant, and the NRL will claim how unfortunate it is to see such a successful, tight-knit team start to fall apart because of all those mean clubs who are poaching their talent. 6/10

Rabbitohs:
I strongly suspect that they were this years patsies, given a first-class ticket to the Grand Final but were only ever there to lose. Their defensive fortitude would have surprised even the NRL considering some of the efforts they came up with during the year though. Will lose a lot without Reynolds and Wayne. 4/10

Dragons:
Might be given a bit of a helping hand in order to claim that Brisbane were so stupid to let all these good players go, but apart from that I can't see a reason for the NRL to want them to succeed, especially after JDB kind of gave their "no fault stand down" policy the big middle finger. 2/10

Roosters:
They were sooo brave to make it as far as they did without all those great players and what talent they are able to bring through to support their superstar veterans. And they only poach unproven young players and develop them so well with their Culture and Standards and Systems and nothing shady going on here at all! My early premiership favourites for 2022. 10/10

Warriors:
Smokies actually. With Johnson returning there, and all the efforts they have put in during Covid, I think the NRL know they owe them one. And they would be a good team to prop up with the narrative that The Prodigal Son should never have left the Warriors and the NRL should do more to ensure developed stars stay with their team. 8/10

Tigers:
9th. I really feel sorry for Maguire. 3/10

 

[Adzbroncoz]

Yay, let's look for who can be the fairytale team in 2022. Note: extra saltiness involved in these comments as well as the normal amount of conspiracy thrown in:

Broncos:
Showed improvement towards the end of the year, and the roster looks o be much improved next year. But were we just "allowed to play" at the end of the year because we were already guaranteed to miss the finals? It'll go one of two ways - we'll improve so that when the Plastics are introduced (and predictably beat us) there will be a "wow these guys are the real deal" feeling. Or of course we'll be over-penalised, neutered by heavy-handed suspensions, and mysteriously have terrible calls go against us all year. 3/10

Raiders:
Sticky had his chance, he's not developing from the area, and is once again showing he has no idea how to develop a half (and will keep cycling through them). Strategically irrelevant. 2/10

Bulldogs:
If anything I don't see them improving at all, because they are paying massive overs for their recruits, and their chequebook mentality will be the big no-no over the next few years. 1/10

Sharks:
Buzz bought his premiership in that one year they weren't cheating, I think their "luck" has run out for at least the next half decade. Kick them out. 1/10

Titans:
Oh they'll be gifted plenty of games and they will likely be the "best" Queensland (cough) team again, but that's only because of politics. The NRL can't have a Gold Coast franchise fail for the seventh? time. Even with Brisbane II coming in, the Titans' players will all somehow want to be Titans 4 Lyfe despite only being there because they followed the money. 6/10

Sea Eagles:
Tommy Turbo (and to a lesser extent his brother) is everything the NRL want to showcase in the "development pays off" marketing plan. DCE and Foran also fall in to the same category, but surely Foran is due to have his arm just completely fall off at the shoulder next time he is tackled. 4/10.

Storm:
Just **** off. 9/10

Knights:
Chequebook mentality has ended up with a bought roster, but interestingly the media are already claiming Gagai is going "home" so maybe the NRL has plans for them to not be shit and keep the two Johns lunatics happy. 7/10

Cowboys:
Wow, the media will keep calling them brave and they'll live off 2015 and 2017 for at least the next decade, but I can't see them doing anything with that roster and that "coach", even if the NRL wanted to. 3/10

Eels:
Hard to gauge. In my opinion they have over-achieved as it is, and with some of their key players (Gutherson, Moses) looking for a big payday it's possible they'll be due for a rebuild. But don't underestimate the influence Sterlo will have behind the scenes now that he doesn't have to appear impartial. 6/10

Panthers:
Now that they've been gifted their premiership they won't be carried quite as much. Cleary will still be allowed to play in a dinner suit but they won't be as dominant, and the NRL will claim how unfortunate it is to see such a successful, tight-knit team start to fall apart because of all those mean clubs who are poaching their talent. 6/10

Rabbitohs:
I strongly suspect that they were this years patsies, given a first-class ticket to the Grand Final but were only ever there to lose. Their defensive fortitude would have surprised even the NRL considering some of the efforts they came up with during the year though. Will lose a lot without Reynolds and Wayne. 4/10

Dragons:
Might be given a bit of a helping hand in order to claim that Brisbane were so stupid to let all these good players go, but apart from that I can't see a reason for the NRL to want them to succeed, especially after JDB kind of gave their "no fault stand down" policy the big middle finger. 2/10

Roosters:
They were sooo brave to make it as far as they did without all those great players and what talent they are able to bring through to support their superstar veterans. And they only poach unproven young players and develop them so well with their Culture and Standards and Systems and nothing shady going on here at all! My early premiership favourites for 2022. 10/10

Warriors:
Smokies actually. With Johnson returning there, and all the efforts they have put in during Covid, I think the NRL know they owe them one. And they would be a good team to prop up with the narrative that The Prodigal Son should never have left the Warriors and the NRL should do more to ensure developed stars stay with their team. 8/10

Tigers:
9th. I really feel sorry for Maguire. 3/10

My man this is incredibly biased coming from a diehard Broncos supporter. Legit we’ve overestimated our credentials badly we were running last just a couple of months ago and the team that is now last has recruited better than us so much so that the Spremiership odds have just been released:
Panthers 5.50
Storm 6.00
Sea Eagles 7.00
Rabbitohs 8.00
Roosters 9.00
Eels 12.00
Titans 15.00
Raiders 19.00
Sharks 21.00
Knights 21.00
Bulldogs 23.00
Broncos 26.00
Warriors 34.00
Cowboys 34.00
Tigers 41.00
Dragons 51.00

I think that our purple patch of form against inferior teams in the competition is going to really cost us because we are going into 2022 thinking that we are the shit when in reality we barely won against a Sharks side even the Bulldogs beat, won against a warriors team with half their men out with injuries and suspensions and then a Knights team resting their stars for the finals. It ain’t that impressive if you ask me. So coming from a realist perspective there’s a very good chance we’ll be in the bottom 4 again. Reynolds will not have the strike that he had around him at Rabbitohs and there is clear indications that his groin problems have duped Red Hill into handing him a contract. In other words, Reynolds is not our saviour and will never be though I welcome his signing because anything is better than the rabble we have now