NRL General Discussion Thread

[Harry Sack]

I assume he won't walk in with a chip on his shoulder so maybe things will be different. He had basically everyone offside the second he walked into the Broncos, if things go smoother at Manly it may get a different result.

 

[MrMoore]

I actually hope he goes alright, finally earn his money ...nah good luck Seibold, seems manly is a mess atm.

 

[broncos4life]

Vlandy's will get a sore arm patting himself and the NRL on the back.

he claims that during the pandemic the NRL was 2 months away from being insolvent and now they are making record profits.

there is also the claim that every single NRL club is "in the black"

On a daytime GF, he contradicts himself, proves the NRL only care about NSW and pulls figures out of his ass: he says

“It’s a thing of the past, the 3pm grand-final kick-off,” he said.

“It will not go back to that timeslot.

“I find it ironic that people want us to change the kick-off time. If I consider the fans, we will keep the grand final exactly where it is because our figures show the current timeslot is when the majority of fans watch it.

“The 7.30pm timeslot works because it’s a public holiday the next day in NSW, so kids can stay up later to watch a night grand final.

“There’s no doubt we could consider tweaking the time slightly but, if we put the grand final on in the afternoon, for argument’s sake, the majority of fans can’t watch it.

“They have other things to do during their day on a Sunday.

“Why would you want to lose 50 per cent of your audience going to an afternoon kick-off?”

So essentially he is saying that a majority of fans only watch the grand final because they are at home and there is nothing else on, and he sees that as a positive for the product?

 

[Foordy]

So essentially he is saying that a majority of fans only watch the grand final because they are at home and there is nothing else on, and he sees that as a positive for the product?

the guy is an idiot ... this whole thing has been about avoiding the truth, which is he is letting the TV networks decide the timeslot instead of the fans

he neglects to mention that the GF TV ratings have been in freefall since he started (the exception being 2020, when pretty much everyone was forced to be at home anyway)

he also says that he finds it ironic that people (i.e. fans) want them to change the timeslot when the current timeslot is when the majority of people watch it ... which doesn't make sense, since it's not like they have an option to watch the game in a different timeslot (at least if they want to watch it live, which most people do)

 

[theshed]

Not sure where to post this but some grim news has just broke.

A Dolphins player has died in Barcelona - he was on a Europe trip with other players like Jordan Riki, Brimson, and Arthurs. As the news is so current I won’t post the players name incase anyone here knows them personally. Not an NRL player.

 

[Super Freak]

Not sure where to post this but some grim news has just broke.

A Dolphins player has died in Barcelona - he was on a Europe trip with other players like Jordan Riki, Brimson, and Arthurs. As the news is so current I won’t post the players name incase anyone here knows them personally. Not an NRL player.

I thought he was just missing? Haven't seen anything to say he's been found dead.

Edit: Just saw a tweet that's just been posted to say he's been found dead in a night club. That's pretty shit.

 

[ZTop]

I thought he was just missing? Haven't seen anything to say he's been found dead.

He's been found dead in a nightclub according to a few news sources

 

[Sproj]

Wow, horrible news.

 

[Foordy]

as part of the the new CBA, the players are trying to have the drug ban for a second offence slashed from 12 weeks down to a possible four-game suspension. (illicit drugs not performance enhancing) ...

If I was in the NRL administration that would be a massive red flag tantamount to an admission that illicit drug use is wide spread in the NRL's player ranks, otherwise they wouldn't need to worry about reducing the ban severity.



RLPA chief executive Clint Newton says:

“We would certainly support and are advocating for that (12-match suspension) to be significantly reduced,” Newton said. “It (the reduced ban) is up for negotiation but I certainly think it would have to be slashed.

“We shouldn’t be looking to ‘out’ people that then puts them in a position of significant shame and only piles on more issues when genuinely people can make mistakes. There are many reasons why people may stray and we need to properly understand that to be able to make sure we can support people through it.

“What we don’t want to see is players rubbed out for periods of time when we know people make mistakes. The soul of the sport has working class roots. We have to take care of our people and the illicit drug policy should be fundamentally the same – taking care of our people.

“The players agree with a rationale about why a policy is important but this is over and above WADA’s own policy and the players believe the NRL should be better aligned with us on the philosophy that underpins it. The world body (ban) is currently around four weeks.

“We’re hoping that the NRL can align with the philosophy of the policy because if we’re not aligned then that will be problematic because we will be coming at it through very different lenses.

“The current model is not fit-for-purpose given the damage it can cause the individual and the game. The WADA code is taking a different approach when dealing with these kinds of matters.

“This is all part of negotiations we are currently working through with the NRL but our view is the policy should adopt a genuine educational, medical and rehabilitative model, rather than the current punitive model.

“We need to fully explore all the options that protect the player and protect the game. The game has an obligation to look after its people and we certainly think a new and fit-for-purpose policy is required.”

 

[BroncsFan]

as part of the the new CBA, the players are trying to have the drug ban for a second offence slashed from 12 weeks down to a possible four-game suspension. (illicit drugs not performance enhancing) ...

If I was in the NRL administration that would be a massive red flag tantamount to an admission that illicit drug use is wide spread in the NRL's player ranks, otherwise they wouldn't need to worry about reducing the ban severity.



RLPA chief executive Clint Newton says:

“We would certainly support and are advocating for that (12-match suspension) to be significantly reduced,” Newton said. “It (the reduced ban) is up for negotiation but I certainly think it would have to be slashed.

“We shouldn’t be looking to ‘out’ people that then puts them in a position of significant shame and only piles on more issues when genuinely people can make mistakes. There are many reasons why people may stray and we need to properly understand that to be able to make sure we can support people through it.

“What we don’t want to see is players rubbed out for periods of time when we know people make mistakes. The soul of the sport has working class roots. We have to take care of our people and the illicit drug policy should be fundamentally the same – taking care of our people.

“The players agree with a rationale about why a policy is important but this is over and above WADA’s own policy and the players believe the NRL should be better aligned with us on the philosophy that underpins it. The world body (ban) is currently around four weeks.

“We’re hoping that the NRL can align with the philosophy of the policy because if we’re not aligned then that will be problematic because we will be coming at it through very different lenses.

“The current model is not fit-for-purpose given the damage it can cause the individual and the game. The WADA code is taking a different approach when dealing with these kinds of matters.

“This is all part of negotiations we are currently working through with the NRL but our view is the policy should adopt a genuine educational, medical and rehabilitative model, rather than the current punitive model.

“We need to fully explore all the options that protect the player and protect the game. The game has an obligation to look after its people and we certainly think a new and fit-for-purpose policy is required.”

Given the amount of **** ups that the NRL players get up to when under the influence of drugs or alcohol, I'd suggest that reducing the ban length would just mean players become more careless with it leading to more negative headlines in the media.

Until the players can show that they can be actual adults I'd tell the RLPA to **** off... that or a 3rd strike leads to a 12 month suspension (it might already). If they want to **** around and get done twice then they should expect a 3rd time to be a hell of a lot bigger.

It seems like the RLPA have some sort of hold over the NRL admin, because they seem to be able to dictate and get their way when it comes to these decisions.

They got an increased share of the revenue, but I'd say they haven't changed their actions at all when it comes to being a 'partner' in the game... they just wanted more money to do the same thing.

Now they want lower suspensions when they **** up and get caught on the nose candy. It's all one way with them.

 

[Cult]

The NRL should raise the ban length instead.

 

[Super Freak]

"our view is the policy should adopt a genuine educational, medical and rehabilitative model"

Sounds like a more fancy way of saying sending them to a class where they talk about how "drugs are bad mkay" and give them a very stern talking to. Which is pointless.

I don't see why the punishment for a repeated offense shouldn't be harsh. If they didn't learn the first time around, they don't deserve leniency.

 

[Foordy]

"our view is the policy should adopt a genuine educational, medical and rehabilitative model"

Sounds like a more fancy way of saying sending them to a class where they talk about how "drugs are bad mkay". Which is pointless as these guys already know all they need to know about why they shouldn't be doing it.

I don't see why the punishment for a repeated offense shouldn't be harsh. If they didn't learn the first time around, they don't deserve leniency.

they're (RLPA) are trying to ignore the fact that the policy does do exactly what they want it to ... for a first offence.

I mean for the first offence carries a suspended fine and counselling and is only shared by the club’s doctor and chief executive.

 

[tommy]

If they aren’t high while playing then it’s not cheating and I seriously could not give a ****.

 

[Organix]

The soul of the sport has working class roots

ummm what are they implying?

The world body (ban) is currently around four weeks

Yeah, ok, then I'm happy enough with this argument. Simply because alcohol is just as bad, if not worse, and punished far less (if at all).

“We shouldn’t be looking to ‘out’ people that then puts them in a position of significant shame and only piles on more issues when genuinely people can make mistakes. There are many reasons why people may stray and we need to properly understand that to be able to make sure we can support people through it.

I dunno how I feel about this. Players chose their career paths. If they're not coping being professional sportsmen, maybe do something else, because it seems like a pretty good gig for the most part. That being said, willingly becoming a tool for mass distraction for the greater populace might have me questioning my life and doing drugs too.

Seems to me that role models need to be aware of their responsibilities and not play the pity/victim card.

So long as drugs are illegal, making excuses for getting caught using them seems kinda dumb. Probably better to just sack up and take the punishment. I'm not taking my policy views from a sportsperson in any case, but many people (especially young people) do.

 

[Mustafur]

if it's weed in the off season 100%, for cocaine MDMA and others not soo much.

they are footy players who carry a **** tonne of painful injuries for their career many of which would probably experience pains in their body every day even when recovered you can't blame them in that scenario to take something to ease it a bit.

 

[john1420]

"We shouldn’t be looking to ‘out’ people that then puts them in a position of significant shame and only piles on more issues when genuinely people can make mistakes"

Except the second time isn't a mistake, it's a pattern. The first time could be a mistake, and they already have what they want there, low penalty, no public announcement, education.

Clint Newton = moron.

 

[Foordy]

if it's weed in the off season 100%, for cocaine MDMA and others not soo much.

they are footy players who carry a **** tonne of painful injuries for their career many of which would probably experience pains in their body every day even when recovered you can't blame them in that scenario to take something to ease it a bit.

in reality, the rules don't prevent them taking anything in the off season ... because they can't be tested (at least the NRL can't test them)