upthetigers
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Critta named captain of the Dogs, interesting to say the least.
diedpretty
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From the DT :
"
Some weeks back ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys was pushed for a little more detail and explained the reasoning behind the NRL’s promotion in Las Vegas in the terms he knows best, which is numbers.
There were 350 million people living in America, he said, and if the NRL could manage to attract even one per cent of them to watch the NRL on its Watch NRL app, a subscriber service, that would mean 35 million people paying to watch the game. That, he pointed out, was much more than the population of the whole of Australia, meaning significant cabbage."
Surely this is a gee up - he might know his numbers but he needs a bit of work on his percentages.
"
Some weeks back ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys was pushed for a little more detail and explained the reasoning behind the NRL’s promotion in Las Vegas in the terms he knows best, which is numbers.
There were 350 million people living in America, he said, and if the NRL could manage to attract even one per cent of them to watch the NRL on its Watch NRL app, a subscriber service, that would mean 35 million people paying to watch the game. That, he pointed out, was much more than the population of the whole of Australia, meaning significant cabbage."
Surely this is a gee up - he might know his numbers but he needs a bit of work on his percentages.
69-05-41
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Wow, had the NRL targeted merely 1% of that 1% target they still would have needed more than a 500% increase in viewers to get close, meaning significant pumpkin.
BAGNF05
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Forum favourite who led us to 4-20 Hastings gooooone!
Ilias, dropped
Hastings, dropped
Big plays this week in team lists.
I think Cogger has been misused the first two rounds, as a bench hooker... he's looked Buderus like, to me but I think he's a more genuine #7
I would've been tempted to drop Gamble instead of Hastings but I guess he offers more speed/unpredictability.
Other teams problems though.
AmericanHistoryX
Well-known member
Nofo to be dropped. Terrible first outing. Most tries down his side....
Reg Gasnier and Keith Barnes open the batting for their team in a testimonial match at Marrickville oval on the15-12-1961. The match was played as a testimonial for Balmain player, Don Amos, who passed away during an end of season match in Brisbane earlier in the year. The teams were a mixture of first grade cricketers and League players.
Pass the hot wings: Why NRL’s fringe dwellers are the centre of attention
By Christian Nicolussi
April 20, 2024 — 7.00pmXavier Coates showed brute strength and athleticism to score the match-winner for Melbourne on Thursday night. He did likewise when he flew through the air against the New Zealand Warriors in round two, sending the internet into meltdown in the process.
Yet Coates says he is still ribbed by Storm teammates for being a winger.
Melbourne winger Xavier Coates scored a miracle try with 25 seconds left on the clock to rob the Warriors of victory in a pulsating NRL clash at AAMI Park.CREDIT:NINE
“I still cop the jokes around the club; how wingers don’t do much – it’s an ongoing joke that will never stop,” Coates says. “I feel like we do a fair bit in the game.”
The old rugby league saying that wingers hang out with footballers should surely be consigned to history after their Superman acts to start the season.
You only had to watch Ronaldo Mulitalo pick up all six Dally M points when he scored two tries and set up another couple against South Sydney last Saturday.
Or Zac Lomax being the standout player a day later when having a field day against Wests Tigers at Campbelltown Stadium. Or again on Friday night when shifted back to the centres against the Warriors.
On the flipside, a team like Parramatta have been struggling because they do not have that powerhouse winger carting them out of trouble early.
So what has changed? Why are wingers now so prominent? And could they finally be considered part of the team?
The 2010 rule change in which the corner posts were no longer deemed touch-in-goal paved the way for wingers to start launching themselves into the air and producing spectacular finishes.
The ever-improving kicking games from halves, including pinpoint floating bombs, means wingers not only have to hold their nerve under the high ball but often outleap their rivals to score themselves at the other end of the field.
Ronaldo Mulitalo scores a spectacular try in the corner for the Sharks.CREDIT:GETTY
And the importance of getting downfield to start your sets has forced wingers to resemble front-rowers – with footwork and personalities.
Even though people marvel at his acrobatics, Coates says he has done the most work on his yardage game in recent years.
The introduction of set restarts in 2020 also meant wingers were taking more hit-ups to help the forwards overcome the extra defensive workload.
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Although he continues to be asked about that Warriors try, which he knows will “become part of Storm history”, Coates was more focused on metres gained.
“The one negative in my game was I was getting dominated coming out of the backfield,” Coates says.
“The last couple of seasons I’ve also put on too much weight, thinking that would help me with my carries. I got up to about 108kg. But I’m playing around 104kg now. And the four kilos difference has helped me move around the park more.”
At most NRL clubs, when it comes to landing on a figure for players, they rely on a salary cap benchmarking document.
The document, which was published by this masthead last year, broke down what the best players earn in their respective positions.
Halfbacks were the best paid; wingers the worst. The top five wingers averaged $451,602, compared to the top five halfbacks who took home an average of $1,095,460.
Colleague Roy Masters wrote earlier this month that it might be time wingers were paid more than centres, whose top five players averaged $614,680.
Zac Lomax soars high for the try.CREDIT:NRL
It is a notion supported by Steve “Slippery” Morris, who won the Dally M winger of the year award in 1984 and 1987. Morris avoided the usual barbs about his position because he regularly headed infield to play as a first and second receiver.
“I was fairly well looked after when I played, but I know when [sons] Josh and Brett played, wingers didn’t get as much as the others,” Morris says. “But I think that will change.
“They do a lot more work today. They finish tries, they bring the ball back and they have a lot of pressure on them trying to catch some of those kicks.
“I’m glad I’m not playing when I watch them put the ball up high like they do.
“When you look at a guy like Zac Lomax, I can’t believe he’s complaining about being on the wing because that’s where he’s now playing his best footy. He’s not stuck in the one spot and can run a lot more.”
Morris played when corner posts were out of play. A player couldn’t touch them while scoring a try, so he was never required to double as a part-time contortionist on his way to the corner.
For the record, while he loved Coates’ finish against the Warriors, his all-time favourite remains his boy Brett’s finish for the Dragons against Cronulla in 2014, “when he caught the ball and virtually went head-first into the ground”.
Long-serving Eels winger Luke Burt, who weighed only 71kg when he debuted as a 17-year-old in 1999 and went on to score a club-record equalling 124 tries, cannot believe how the body shape of wingers has changed so dramatically in such a short time. He knows because he is now head coach of Queensland Cup heavyweights Burleigh.
“And that’s because play one and play two are so important, and you need that big, powerful body to get the ball back downfield as far as you can,” Burt says.
“The set restarts and back-to-back sets have also made wingers more important, as they need to get in and help out the middles with more carries due to the amount of defence required from those set restarts.
“I think you will see the pay gap between wingers and centres start to close. If anything, the elite wingers will be paid more. A lot of decisions need to be made in that position – they’re very important in the modern game.”
Canberra boss Don Furner has been in the code more than 20 years and accepts for the first time that top-shelf wingers deserve to earn more than $500,000.
“They certainly weren’t getting that five years ago,” Furner says. “Centres used to be worth so much more than wingers, but they’re very similar now. Wingers now take 20 hit-ups, and leaping into the air to score and save tries. You’ll see that [pay gap] shown in the cap.”
Pass the hot wings: Why NRL’s fringe dwellers are the centre of attention
The old rugby league saying that wingers hang out with footballers should surely be consigned to history after their Superman acts to start the season.
Braydon Trindall has been charged, mid range drink driving, also driving on a suspended license.
Awaiting further tests on an alleged positive cochineal test too.
Wow
Awaiting further tests on an alleged positive cochineal test too.
Wow
GNR4LIFE
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Up, up the nostrils
Mighty_Tiger
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Idiot. No excuse as a NRL starting half being paid what he does to be driving whilst suspended let alone drugged up if true.
These guys should be punted from the game for stupidity alone.
We owe it to our kids': Wally Lewis calls for $18 million government funding for CTE research
Wally Lewis has delivered an impassioned plea in the nation's capital, calling for $18 million of government funding into CTE research and awareness.
The rugby league icon fronted the National Press Club on Tuesday to explain his battle with probable CTE, as well as early onset dementia, caused by his time in the sport.
Lewis is widely-regarded as one of Queensland's greatest players - nicknamed "The King" for his exploits in the brutal State of Origin arena - but revealed the confidence he once possessed on the field has been taken away.
"I once had the confidence in myself to succeed – lead my team to victory, captain my country, remember the strengths and weaknesses of my opposition, organise myself and feel in control of my life," the 68-year-old said.
"Now, much of that confidence has been taken away from me by the effects of probable CTE dementia. My everyday life is no longer blessed by confidence.
"Now I struggle to accept that it has been filled with fear and embarrassment about how forgetful I've become."
The legend fronted media on the same day Sharks veteran Dale Finucane announced his retirement from the NRL due to repeated concussions, while multiple AFL players have hung up the boots due to similar head injuries in 2024.
Lewis is pleading with the government to look into funding for research and awareness, while also urging players to think of the risks involved with contact sports.
"Players need to understand that just because you can't always see it, like a broken arm, a brain injury needs to be taken seriously," he said.
"It's not a badge of honour to go back out on the field with a head injury – it's careless.
"Along with the delivery of this program will come an expectation ... that sufficient actions are now being taken to protect their children It's our duty to do this and get it right. I can't say it enough: it is preventable.
"We owe it to our kids."
Darren Lockyer backed the move from his Maroons counterpart and believes the more knowledge the better for NRL players past and present.
"It's all about awareness," he told Nine's QLDER.
"While it can't be diagnosed while you're living, there can be symptoms that show you do have potential CTE. Wally has been open-minded about it and he's been happy to express his thoughts and how it's impacting his life.
"When you see someone like Wally Lewis, who is arguably the best rugby league player ever in history, talk openly about it goes to show the attitude and how it has changed towards concussions and how we prevent and manage it the best we can."
Phil Gould breach notice
NRL Media Release Thu 2 May 2024, 04:06 PMShare on social media
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The notice proposes a fine for Gould of $20,000, half of which will be suspended for a period of 24 months.
It is alleged that on the 100% Footy program on Monday evening, Gould made public comments considered to be detrimental to the best interests of the game, in contravention of the NRL Rules.
The Code provides that no person bound by the Code shall engage in any conduct which is detrimental to, brings into disrepute, is inconsistent with, is contrary to, or is prejudicial to, the best interests, image or welfare of the ARLC, the NRL, the NRL Competition, the Related Competitions, the Representative Competitions, the Clubs or the Game.
NRL CEO Andrew Abdo said there was no place in the game for public comments of that nature.
“We welcome constructive criticism and passionate opinions, but registered officials cannot overstep the mark and make comments that are considered detrimental to the game or NRL competition. Destructive attacks on the game itself will not be tolerated,” Mr Abdo said.
“This is a professional sport and our leaders should set the standard around reasoned debate and respect for the game.”
Gould has five business days to respond to the breach notice.
Phil Gould breach notice
The National Rugby League (NRL) today issued Bulldogs General Manager of Football Phil Gould with a breach notice alleging a breach of the NRL Code of Conduct (Code).
www.nrl.com
Phil Gould fined $20,000 over television rant
By Adam Pengilly
Updated May 2, 2024 — 4.08pmfirst published at 4.05pmThe NRL has fined Phil Gould $20,000 for a television rant in which he described the game as “stupid” because of its own rules.
Gould, who is employed as the Bulldogs’ general manager of football, took aim at the discrepancy in the game’s interpretations on Nine Entertainment’s 100% Footy on Monday night. Nine Entertainment is also the publisher of this masthead.
Gould said the game was “stupid” over a decision to disallow a try to Wests Tigers captain Api Koroisau in their loss to the Broncos, and later criticised an off-season rule tweak in which teams are not penalised for shot kick-offs or dropouts which don’t travel 10 metres.
“Our game’s so stupid,” Gould said on Monday night. “You can lose the ball over the line and it costs you 20 metres and seven tackles. Why?
“I don’t know because it’s stupid, but I can just take a line dropout, and it goes out on the full ... no consequence. It’s nothing at all. What sort of stupid game is this? Who sits and makes up these rules?”
NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo had warned the Bulldogs last year about Gould’s commentary surrounding the game in his media role, which includes his Six Tackles With Gus podcast.
He met with Canterbury officials last year after Gould was critical of a number of decisions in outstanding matters, including the lack of salary cap relief for retired captain Josh Jackson and a judiciary matter involving Bulldogs forward Jacob Preston.
The NRL breach notice proposes Gould be fined $20,000, half of which will be suspended for 24 months.
Gould politely declined to comment on Thursday night.
Gould is a registered club official and is subject to the NRL’s code of conduct, and was fined because the league considered his comments not in the best interests of the game.
“We welcome constructive criticism and passionate opinions, but registered officials cannot overstep the mark and make comments that are considered detrimental to the game or NRL competition,” Abdo said.
“Destructive attacks on the game itself will not be tolerated. This is a professional sport and our leaders should set the standard around reasoned debate and respect for the game.”
In a statement, the NRL said, “the code provides that no person bound by the code shall engage in any conduct which is detrimental to, brings into disrepute, is inconsistent with, is contrary to, or is prejudicial to, the best interests, image or welfare of the ARLC, the NRL, the NRL competition, the related competitions, the representative competitions, the clubs or the game”.
Several rival NRL clubs have in the past privately raised their concerns over Gould’s media commentary while holding a role with the Bulldogs, trying to claw their way out of the NRL’s bottom four.
Gould joined the Bulldogs almost three years ago and has slowly helped rebuild the battling club, which enters round nine of the competition in the top eight.
Not a single player from Canterbury’s top 30 roster in 2021 remains in coach Cameron Ciraldo’s current squad.
Phil Gould fined $20,000 over television rant
The NRL has sanctioned the high-profile television commentator after he labelled the game “stupid” in a rant about rules interpretations.
AmericanHistoryX
Well-known member
What if Phil is right... and the money makers are wrong... in full flight Korisau scored that try against Brisbane and Olam was tripped against Penrith...
AmericanHistoryX
Well-known member
We welcome constructive criticism and passionate opinions, but registered officials cannot overstep the mark and make comments that are considered detrimental to the game or NRL competition.
Cause you guys make sense.....you played the game.
Cause you guys make sense.....you played the game.
The NRL numbers that prove attack is the new black
By Christian Nicolussi
May 3, 2024 — 11.49amThe Eighth Immortal, Andrew Johns, had just finished watching Manly defeat Parramatta last Friday when he told TV viewers: “The game has gone into a real attacking mode. For a while, the game was really structured and dour. But the game is flying at the moment. It’s so good to watch.”
Joey was bang on. The game is flying – and the NRL has the attacking stats to prove it.
Heading into this weekend’s round, a whopping 2812 points had already been
scored in the opening eight rounds.
It is the highest number of points that have been scored in the past decade.
NRL's long range forecast
Table with 6 columns and 10 rows.| Season (after eight rounds) | Points | Per game | Long-distance tries (50m+) | Average losing score | Losing side 20+ points scored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2812 | 44 | 50 | 14 | 17 |
| 2023 | 2756 | 43 | 44 | 16 | 16 |
| 2022 | 2489 | 39 | 24 | 12 | 12 |
| 2021 | 2725 | 43 | 41 | 13 | 11 |
| 2020 | 2474 | 39 | 25 | 12 | 10 |
| 2019 | 2469 | 39 | 25 | 13 | 8 |
| 2018 | 2507 | 39 | 22 | 13 | 13 |
| 2017 | 2466 | 39 | 25 | 13 | 12 |
| 2016 | 2573 | 40 | 25 | 13 | 13 |
| 2015 | 2490 | 39 | 30 |
When this masthead asked NRL head of elite competitions Graham Annesley if Johns was on to something, he came back with some fascinating statistics.
Annesley confirmed that the total points scored was up on the 2756 points scored by this time last year and the 2489 scored in 2022.
Long-range tries were up to 50, which was more than double the number scored two seasons ago (that did not include Taylan May’s simple 80m try for Penith from a 20m tap restart against South Sydney on Thursday night).
And 98 tries had come from kicks, which was again the highest number posted in the last ten years.
Put simply, attack is the new black.
But when – and how – did all this razzle-dazzle creep into our game?
Weren’t the early rounds meant to be all about completing sets and making your tackles?
Some good judges said a few rule changes in recent years had benefited attacking teams.
The six-again rule has introduced fatigue. The big men get pooped quicker.
The kicking habit
Table with 2 columns and 10 rows.| Season (after eight rounds) | Kick try assists |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 98 |
| 2023 | 82 |
| 2022 | 92 |
| 2021 | 90 |
| 2020 | 92 |
| 2019 | 81 |
| 2018 | 62 |
| 2017 | 69 |
| 2016 | 64 |
| 2015 | 54 |
Kickers have become almost a protected species and rivals are quickly penalised for laying a hand on them once they have passed or kicked.
And the short dropouts have ruined the age-old practice of rolling the ball into the in-goal area in the hope of getting a fresh set and building pressure.
What is the point if a team can get the ball back from a short dropout? Teams have been forced to get creative.
Manly skipper Daly Cherry-Evans arrived in the game 14 seasons ago when defence was all the rage.
You still need rock-solid defence to win titles.
Daly Cherry-Evans is loving the attacking trend in the NRL.CREDIT:GETTY IMAGES
But the rules were kinder to those teams with the ball in their hand. Cherry-Evans said there had been similar attacking trends in the NFL and Twenty20 cricket.
Even our beloved Ange Postecoglou has introduced “Angeball” at Tottenham in the Premier League, which is heavily based on all-out attack.
Cherry-Evans loves it. It also helps having speed in the outside blokes, which Manly has, and a healthy sprinkling of millennials who do not care (or can not remember) if they take a risk or make a mistake.
“These new-age players have this amazing demeanour where they know if they make a mistake it won’t define the game or the season they have,” Cherry-Evans said.
“It’s great, and it only keeps me fresh.”
Broncos skipper Adam Reynolds has plenty of those flamboyant and confident kids in the Brisbane backline, including Reece Walsh, Selwyn Cobbo and Ezra Mam.
The Broncos are probably the best team in the NRL when it comes to being able to pile on points quickly.
They thumped the Wests Tigers 34-10 last Saturday but hopped on the bus from Campbelltown afterwards knowing they could have had 60 points.
Reynolds orchestrated one of those long-range tries right on half-time when he kicked on his own 40m for Deine Mariner, who steamed on to the ball on the right wing, charged upfield and had no fewer than four Broncos teammates in support. Walsh ended up scoring.
“We actually attempted that play about ten minutes earlier, but we couldn’t get the ball to Deine,” Reynolds said.
“We noticed an opportunity out there and I told Deine to get ready on the wing. The boys were good enough to finish it off.”
Like Cherry-Evans, Reynolds was brought up in a defensive era and won a competition in 2014 at Souths under Michael Maguire, who adopted tough defensive principles while in Melbourne.
But Reynolds had to quickly evolve his game to suit the young rockstars at Red Hill.
“I know we can attack from anywhere on the field, and these boys like to back themselves to score from anywhere,” Reynolds said.
“Teams have become so good with their defence over the years, which is why the attack is now evolving at a quick rate.
“You need to come up with new ways to break teams down in attack.
“I had a simple game plan when I debuted, which was to make my tackles and get my kicking game right. The attack would always flow off the back of that.
“I enjoyed the physical side of things, which came from ‘Madge’ [Maguire]. Defence wins grand finals and wins big games.
“The art of the game is still defence, but I’ve since enjoyed trying to pull teams apart.”
St George Illawarra coach Shane Flanagan watched the Roosters scored six tries from kicks on Anzac Day. He also witnessed the Dragons score the first try of the game, which was an excellent long-range effort started by some Zac Lomax magic and finished with Jack Bird showing good instinct to pass for Jaydn Su’a.
Flanagan has always loved thinking outside the square when it comes to attack. Remember Ben Barba’s sneaky try from the scrum in Cronulla’s 2016 grand final triumph?
These days, Flanagan said teams needed to be even more creative, and from much further up the field, because there was little reward simply trying to build pressure with dropouts.
“Getting repeat sets isn’t what is used to be,” Flanagan said.
“You’d put the kick into the in-goal and you’d be guaranteed to get another set on their tryline because most teams would take the long dropout. Now, there’s no real reward because of the short dropouts. So you need to come up with attacking kicks, or even running it on the last.”
Defence wins premierships. Attack is winning over the fans.
The NRL numbers that prove attack is the new black
Defence wins competitions – but attack wins over the fans. Points records are being set in the NRL, and here are the reasons why.
