NRL General Discussion Thread

[Harry Sack]

Weidler.

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/sp...as-slater-smith-fall-out-20180602-p4zj4o.html

There was a rumour going around a while ago that has recently resurfaced that involve issues for Smith at home. Given how close the families are/were it could be something to do with that. I didn't hear it the last time but have heard it from a few places this time around.

 

[tommy]

There was a rumour going around a while ago that has recently resurfaced that involve issues for Smith at home. Given how close the families are/were it could be something to do with that. I didn't hear it the last time but have heard it from a few places this time around.

Something to do with Yvonne?

 

[broncos4life]

Weidler.

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/sp...as-slater-smith-fall-out-20180602-p4zj4o.html

Lol. Yeah I’m sure as soon as Inglis heard about Smith retiring from rep duties the first thing he did was call Weidler to confirm.

What a flog.

 

[Kimlo]

Lol. Yeah I’m sure as soon as Inglis heard about Smith retiring from rep duties the first thing he did was call Weidler to confirm.

What a flog.

Yeah, Greg Inglis, captain of Souths, QLD, icon of the game and he just had to know something would run to ask Weedler. Lol. No one's going to believe that.

 

[broncos4life]

Yeah, Greg Inglis, captain of Souths, QLD, icon of the game and he just had to know something would run to ask Weedler. Lol. No one's going to believe that.

The truly sad part is that many will. It’s the reason this germ and others like him have a career.

 

[Alec]

Yeah, I thought it was bullshit as soon as I read that line about Inglis calling Weidler too. Well, actually I thought it was bullshit when I saw the world Weidler. I'm sure that guy runs with any rumour he gets his hands on, even if it's from a message board.

 

[roo-ted]

FOX SPORTS

How a Burgess, booze ban and a new baby steered James Roberts towards his State of Origin dream

JAMES Roberts doesn’t want to be a rugby league sob story.

He knows about his past, and he doesn’t need reminding of it. He can’t help that he constantly is.

But he wants you to see the person he is today — an Origin representative footballer, and a family man.

And that’s exactly what you get when you speak to him. At least for now.

Roberts is trying to leave the dark days behind him but even he admits there’s still plenty of work to do to escape them completely.

“I feel like I’ve matured a lot,” Roberts told foxsports.com.au from Blues camp.

“There’s still a long way to go. I’m still learning. But I’m on the right track at the moment.

“I’m enjoying my footy and my life.”

Ultimately, Roberts had to want to change himself, and he had to do something about it.

It took a long time to realise that. His early NRL career was spent jumping between clubs and struggling to stay out of trouble.

He spent time at South Sydney, Penrith, and Gold Coast before landing in Brisbane to be coached by the great Wayne Bennett.

And while it was James Roberts who had to help James Roberts in the end, his path to State of Origin is peppered with people who have gone out of their way to keep him on the straight and narrow.

One of the first was a big Englishman by the name of Sam Burgess.

Roberts was one of the game’s brightest young talents when he made his NRL debut for the Rabbitohs in 2011.

But even then South Sydney realised this exciting teenager needed some guidance to help with life away from footy.

That’s when Burgess offered to take Roberts under his wing, and the latter was invited to move into the Burgess residence.

“I moved in with Sam Burgess to try to help me a bit at one stage when I was at Souths as an 18 or 19 year old,” Roberts explained.

“I lived with him for about four months, and that was a good experience to see how professional he is.

“He’s a great leader, Sammy.”


Roberts still tries to catch-up with Burgess whenever the Broncos play the Rabbitohs.

Other key figures in Roberts’ rugby league journey are Penrith supremo Phil Gould, his relative Greg Inglis, and Broncos coach Wayne Bennett.

But the biggest influence on his life now is the baby daughter who was born just days before he was called into NSW camp.

You see, in the past it was all about James Roberts.

The booze ban he placed on himself and the trip to a Thailand rehabilitation facility in 2016 were driven by James Roberts, for James Roberts.

Now he has someone else to do it for.

“I had a little girl. It’s pretty exciting,” he said.

“It’s good, I love it. It gives me a purpose in life. It makes me realise the important things in life and I’m enjoying it.

“It’s not just me I’m looking out for now. I brought her into this world, it’s my job and my commitment to ensure she has the best life possible. That’s what I’m trying to do now.”

Roberts isn’t going to promise he’s completely out of the woods.

For the sake of his young family he desperately hopes that he is.

But his problems with alcohol appear to be under control, for the moment at least.

“I’m not on a booze ban. I pick and choose when I feel like it, but that’s hardly ever to be honest,” he said.

“Maybe when I feel like it I’ll have a quiet one but that’s about it.

“At the moment I’m focused on my family and footy.”

It’s taken a long time to get to this point, but his commitment to becoming a better man is seriously paying off.

He has realised his State of Origin dream

 

[Kimlo]

Really good video, fascinating watch. I would love our club to do some similar work. So much media potential yet all we get is lame ass team naming videos and short boring clips here and there.

 

[Foordy]

Really good video, fascinating watch. I would love our club to do some similar work. So much media potential yet all we get is lame ass team naming videos and short boring clips here and there.

Doesn't our club produce a show that airs on Sunday on nine ...

In fact a show that had higher ratings earlier in the season than the "new" Thursday Footy Show

 

[Kimlo]

Doesn't our club produce a show that airs on Sunday on nine ...

In fact a show that had higher ratings earlier in the season than the "new" Thursday Footy Show

Such a great show that I haven't read a single BHQ post about it other than that it exists?

It's 2018, TV is shit. The clubs digital media is straight up garbage tier. We have a YouTube channel that hasn't had an upload in 6 months, has less than 200 subscribers, and arguably not a single interesting video. The Facebook page is alright, but YouTube gets zero effort from a club that is the biggest (and richest?) in Australia.

I'd like to see some interesting insights from Bennett, the performance staff, the captain, the behind the scenes. Things that are genuinely interesting to fans, not Milford delivering Maccas to some random family. Almost all of the videos are just sponsored bullshit videos with a pretty bland twist.

The entire Facebook video feeds seems more of an advertising outlet for sponsors than any real fan engagement, which is fine I understand they need to satiate sponsors, but you don't build brand loyalty and club loyalty through nothing but sponsored videos. There needs to be a mix of genuine content that real fans enjoy seeing.

Do you think the club does enough for the fans outside of game day? I certainly don't. I think most NRL clubs suck in that area, but we're a billion dollar International sport, we need to aim higher. Converting digital audiences into international viewerships grows the game.

 

[Viti]

Really good video, fascinating watch. I would love our club to do some similar work. So much media potential yet all we get is lame ass team naming videos and short boring clips here and there.

I was actually thinking about this series this morning, how much better off would the game be if this was used to promote our code rather than all these useless self entitled flogs in the media who think the game owe them something.

 

[Super Freak]

Such a great show that I haven't read a single BHQ post about it other than that it exists?

It's 2018, TV is shit. The clubs digital media is straight up garbage tier. We have a YouTube channel that hasn't had an upload in 6 months, has less than 200 subscribers, and arguably not a single interesting video. The Facebook page is alright, but YouTube gets zero effort from a club that is the biggest (and richest?) in Australia.

I'd like to see some interesting insights from Bennett, the performance staff, the captain, the behind the scenes. Things that are genuinely interesting to fans, not Milford delivering Maccas to some random family. Almost all of the videos are just sponsored bullshit videos with a pretty bland twist.

The entire Facebook video feeds seems more of an advertising outlet for sponsors than any real fan engagement, which is fine I understand they need to satiate sponsors, but you don't build brand loyalty and club loyalty through nothing but sponsored videos. There needs to be a mix of genuine content that real fans enjoy seeing.

Do you think the club does enough for the fans outside of game day? I certainly don't. I think most NRL clubs suck in that area, but we're a billion dollar International sport, we need to aim higher. Converting digital audiences into international viewerships grows the game.

There is so much that can be done with video in this day and age but the club really doesn't do much with it.

It's one area they are quite slack in. They can and should do a lot more because this is the kind of stuff fans wants to see.

I would kill to have the resources they have. It's such a shame to see them do **** all with them.

 

[Harry Sack]

There is so much that can be done with video in this day and age but the club really doesn't do much with it.

It's one area they are quite slack in. They can and should do a lot more because this is the kind of stuff fans wants to see.

I would kill to have the resources they have. It's such a shame to see them do **** all with them.

Send them an email with some of your work and offer to take care of it for them. Do not ask for a company car.....

 

[Broncs_Fan]

There is so much that can be done with video in this day and age but the club really doesn't do much with it.

It's one area they are quite slack in. They can and should do a lot more because this is the kind of stuff fans wants to see.

I would kill to have the resources they have. It's such a shame to see them do **** all with them.

The Broncos are the richest club in the league. There is no excuse for them not to be the best at digital and fan engagement in the NRL. Obviously they are too tight at the moment.

 

[tommy]

There is so much that can be done with video in this day and age but the club really doesn't do much with it.

It's one area they are quite slack in. They can and should do a lot more because this is the kind of stuff fans wants to see.

I would kill to have the resources they have. It's such a shame to see them do **** all with them.

tbh I would have been happy with a stream of the Toowoomba trial game but they couldn't even get that right.

 

[Kimlo]

There is so much that can be done with video in this day and age but the club really doesn't do much with it.

It's one area they are quite slack in. They can and should do a lot more because this is the kind of stuff fans wants to see.

I would kill to have the resources they have. It's such a shame to see them do **** all with them.

They've got a coaching/playing group worth 10 million dollars, and all they use them for is Maccas adverts or loans.com.au adverts. It's rubbish.

I can't see how they don't have a full time video guy who records interesting videos, has interesting discussions with the players, etc.

Jordan Kahu offers more interesting insights into the club than the actual club.

 

[gordjw]

There is so much that can be done with video in this day and age but the club really doesn't do much with it.

It's one area they are quite slack in. They can and should do a lot more because this is the kind of stuff fans wants to see.

I would kill to have the resources they have. It's such a shame to see them do **** all with them.

Send them an email with some of your work and offer to take care of it for them. Do not ask for a company car.....

I just wanted to chime in and second @Harry Sack's suggestion. Do eeeet.

 

[Morkel]

Absolutely. No company car.