Expansion Can't all the codes just get along??

[3kzisfootball]

I gues the pointy end of the argument is.

Who wins out of Wal-Mart/Coles/Woolworths/Super Big Supermarket and the local corner-store?

That is at the root of the argument.

Even if the corner-store wins that particular battle - there are still plenty of Wal-Marts/Coles'/Woolworths' all over the place.

But, if Wal-Mart/Coles/Woolworths win that particular battle - that corner store is gone forever - it is unique and exists in only one place.

That is the crux of the matter.

I like both sports, but I can tell you - there are many countries around the world I can enjoy my Soccer fix, when it comes to Australian Football - there's really only 1.

That is the point of the matter.

Being No.1 in Australia is absolutely vital and imperative for our native game, being No. 1 here for other sports is far less important.

Its for that reason, that Australian Football must do all it can to be No. 1 in Australia - and if that means setting up teams in new areas that don't have a history of playing the game - then that means the AFL should do just that.

If it can't spread the game nationwide around Australia, then its as a good as a dead duck long-term. I'm talking 40-60 years.

It is an interesting analogy McCrann, but I think you (and other AFL fans) overstate the 'soccer juggernaut'. Just because a particular game is dominant in the world, does not mean that it will swamp everything in its path.

Cultural aspects are very important. I live in Melbourne which is the birthplace of Australian Rules football and the game is intrinsically interwoven in the fabric of the city. I don't really think that any other code is going to break that. And I expect that would be the same in Adelaide, Hobart, Perth and Darwin.

Of course fans will add another sport to the smogarsboard on offer if they want. And I think that is what's happening. I don't think fans are turning away from Australian Rules and to soccer. They still follow their AFL team and have an A-League team to follow as well.

Culture is very important. If FIFA was unable to crack the USA after giving them a world cup and a ridicolusly easy path to qualify for the World Cup and all the money poured in the country, I can't see FIFA being that interested in domination of Australia with its relatively small population.

And also look at Ireland. If there is a place where soccer could have swamped indigenous games that would be it. Made a couple of World Cups, have players in the EPL which is next door and in UEFA which is one of the strongest and best confederations in the world. But it seems to me that Gaelic Football and Hurling are still popular.

Of course in areas which are 'new markets' there will be competition for players and fans. And that is to be expected.

Hoewever I don't think Australian Rules have anything to fear from any other codes in its traditional areas.

 

[Hoops]

I gues the pointy end of the argument is.

Who wins out of Wal-Mart/Coles/Woolworths/Super Big Supermarket and the local corner-store?

That is at the root of the argument.

Even if the corner-store wins that particular battle - there are still plenty of Wal-Marts/Coles'/Woolworths' all over the place.

But, if Wal-Mart/Coles/Woolworths win that particular battle - that corner store is gone forever - it is unique and exists in only one place.

That is the crux of the matter.

I like both sports, but I can tell you - there are many countries around the world I can enjoy my Soccer fix, when it comes to Australian Football - there's really only 1.

That is the point of the matter.

Being No.1 in Australia is absolutely vital and imperative for our native game, being No. 1 here for other sports is far less important.

Its for that reason, that Australian Football must do all it can to be No. 1 in Australia - and if that means setting up teams in new areas that don't have a history of playing the game - then that means the AFL should do just that.

If it can't spread the game nationwide around Australia, then its as a good as a dead duck long-term. I'm talking 40-60 years.

Well said

It's like people saying, I wouldn't care if Aboriginal culture ceases to exist because western culture is so much better.


Despite huge international influences in culture due to media, immigration or just the prevelent cultural cringe a lot of Australians seem to have. This game, our game, a game invented by Australians for Australians continues to thrive which is something all Australians should be proud of whether you like the sport or not.

 

[Leagueworld]

I think the answer is of course no. Not for the people the run the codes anyway. Of course people can and do follow the different codes but EVERYONE realises that the NATIONAL health and strength of any code will come down to finances and wide spread profile in this age.

The presumption that the AFL will get a billion is a little over the top however the AFL wants to position itself for that figure. There is still the strong possibility that it might not increase at all. NOW if that possibility does exist - and it does and the NRL increases its figures which is nearly a given that top tv execs and analysts believe it was under valued this round due in part to RL's problematic marriage to news ltd, that would put the elevated position of the AFL in Australia under pressure. NOT only then is it the NRL from a financial clout point of view but more locally in AFL strongholds the threat to the juniors and sponsorship and 'Cultural strength from an emerging soccer.

I am a RL fan and not trying to troll as I know the pain of it but it is all in the context of a wider context for each sport. The AFL knows that the next stage - the next 10 - 15 years will be a bigger cat fight than ever before with the NRL now consolidated and strong again in the biggest and emerging money/tv markets in Australia and wider in NZ/Pacific. Soccer is undoubtedly growing in the top market and there is NOT unlimited money and if they get more it will come from somewhere.

The reality is now every code will/is trying to position itself to grow substantially.

If the AFL are a success in GC and West Sydney - that would be huge for them - if not a serious problem as the 'i see I conquer' air of invincibility would be gone and a serious dent of money earning potential. It is still a real possibility for both the Swans and Lions to go seriously down hill and with them Aussie Rules in those states.

If the NRL successfully expands to markets such as Perth/2nd Brisbane another NZ, they would be on a roll that they feel has started and would increase their poistion - esp as they have potential access to markets that the AFL does not in NZ. Failure to do so would have effect on morale but they still hold the biggest TV markets far stronger than most Aussie Rules fans would like to think (eg. TOP TEN TV programs in QLD 2007 - ALL RL - that ultimately has serious effects)

If the A League becomes truly main stream and commands free to air/pay tv money that is even comparable to the NRL and AFL then both do have a serious competitor from juniors to city based club competitions (due to sponsorship dollar not unlimited) and an international appeal that can not be matched especially by the AFL.

One way or another an interesting couple years ahead.

 

[3kzisfootball]

I've written to Ben Buckley at FFA to try to convince him to organise a yearly soccer game between Australia and Turkey on ANZAC day.

Imagine if that happened, it would be so significant and make the collingwood/bombers game totally irrelevant.

This is the power of the world game.

No. Collingwood Essendon would still be the main game. That is because lots of bicodal people still would prefer the AFL game.

And I say this as a primarily soccer fan. Why on earth would you want to eliminate such a fixture in the Australian sport calendar?

 

[Hoops]

I think the answer is of course no. Not for the people the run the codes anyway. Of course people can and do follow the different codes but EVERYONE realises that the NATIONAL health and strength of any code will come down to finances and wide spread profile in this age.

The presumption that the AFL will get a billion is a little over the top however the AFL wants to position itself for that figure. There is still the strong possibility that it might not increase at all. NOW if that possibility does exist - and it does and the NRL increases its figures which is nearly a given that top tv execs and analysts believe it was under valued this round due in part to RL's problematic marriage to news ltd, that would put the elevated position of the AFL in Australia under pressure. NOT only then is it the NRL from a financial clout point of view but more locally in AFL strongholds the threat to the juniors and sponsorship and 'Cultural strength from an emerging soccer.

I am a RL fan and not trying to troll as I know the pain of it but it is all in the context of a wider context for each sport. The AFL knows that the next stage - the next 10 - 15 years will be a bigger cat fight than ever before with the NRL now consolidated and strong again in the biggest and emerging money/tv markets in Australia and wider in NZ/Pacific. Soccer is undoubtedly growing in the top market and there is NOT unlimited money and if they get more it will come from somewhere.

The reality is now every code will/is trying to position itself to grow substantially.

If the AFL are a success in GC and West Sydney - that would be huge for them - if not a serious problem as the 'i see I conquer' air of invincibility would be gone and a serious dent of money earning potential. It is still a real possibility for both the Swans and Lions to go seriously down hill and with them Aussie Rules in those states.

If the NRL successfully expands to markets such as Perth/2nd Brisbane another NZ, they would be on a roll that they feel has started and would increase their poistion - esp as they have potential access to markets that the AFL does not in NZ. Failure to do so would have effect on morale but they still hold the biggest TV markets far stronger than most Aussie Rules fans would like to think (eg. TOP TEN TV programs in QLD 2007 - ALL RL - that ultimately has serious effects)

If the A League becomes truly main stream and commands free to air/pay tv money that is even comparable to the NRL and AFL then both do have a serious competitor from juniors to city based club competitions (due to sponsorship dollar not unlimited) and an international appeal that can not be matched especially by the AFL.

One way or another an interesting couple years ahead.

A lot of ifs

 

[Leagueworld]

Obviously intentional - the future is not yet determined - AFL - NRL - Soccer - NONE are as secure or as superior in their position as they would like to think. AFL is within the potential to make huge gains and also in the position to slip in the next ten years to the number 2 game in australia, it is far closer in competition to the NRL than most AFL fans would like to believe.

 

[realfootball]

Does that mission statement on Fifa website include america for countries that soccer will be number 1?

We are just as reluctant to accept soccer as america is.

How do you work that one out? Anyone can look up the stats.
More registered players than each of the other football codes, consistently massive ratings for the national team, a domestic comp with crowds that have virtually caught up to RL and the last two sweeney reports that put public interest marginally behind AFL.

How does this 'reluctance' equate to similarities with america?

 

[jackmac7]

Obviously intentional - the future is not yet determined - AFL - NRL - Soccer - NONE are as secure or as superior in their position as they would like to think. AFL is within the potential to make huge gains and also in the position to slip in the next ten years to the number 2 game in australia, it is far closer in competition to the NRL than most AFL fans would like to believe.

Not just because i'm an AFL fan all the way but AFL have it in the bag and have for a little while now i beleive.

The AFL have the 2nd highest crowd attendance average in the world! How is that not Secure? Yes NRL are the closest compettition but the AFL will be even bigger with more presence in NSW and QLD. And it's next TV rights deal will top 1 billion dollars which could blow NRL and A-league out of the water.

The FFA are in millions of dollars of debt, A-league is stuck on pay TV forever and can't even get a mention on in the sports news, so alot of people don't even know it exsist. If you think the A-league is making inroads then think again. Last Friday the AFL had 23,000 for saints V tigers for a practice match and on sunday night the A-league Grand Final decider between Newcastle and Queensland had only 16,000, the same night an AFL practice match in WA pulled 32,000!

AFL will be forever and a day be the #1 sport in Australia.

The Australian game, the Indigenous game - OUR GAME

 

[agga78]

Not just because i'm an AFL fan all the way but AFL have it in the bag and have for a little while now i beleive.

The AFL have the 2nd highest crowd attendance average in the world! How is that not Secure? Yes NRL are the closest compettition but the AFL will be even bigger with more presence in NSW and QLD. And it's next TV rights deal will top 1 billion dollars which could blow NRL and A-league out of the water.

The FFA are in millions of dollars of debt, A-league is stuck on pay TV forever and can't even get a mention on in the sports news, so alot of people don't even know it exsist. If you think the A-league is making inroads then think again. Last Friday the AFL had 23,000 for saints V tigers for a practice match and on sunday night the A-league Grand Final decider between Newcastle and Queensland had only 16,000, the same night an AFL practice match in WA pulled 32,000!

AFL will be forever and a day be the #1 sport in Australia.

The Australian game, the Indigenous game - OUR GAME

Your hatred for football is blinding you to the threat Football really is to AFL, Jon Anderson from the Hearld sun an AFL writer was on the back page last night and this is what he said. "The AFL only fear one code and it's not the Rugby's it's soccer" That straight from AFL writer who would no more about the going's on at AFL HQ then you or I would. But you keep tell yourself that AFL will always be number 1, Look at the crowd figures compared to Football they don't lie, the television rights deal doesn't lie we have 780 million compared to 120 million. Just remember these deals were done at the highest point for AFL and lowest starting point for Football. The crowds are at the peak for AFL and at the starting point for Football.
It's not the Australian game for starters it's the Southern Australian game. We are the only true national and international game in Australia.

 

[Hoops]

Your hatred for football is blinding you to the threat Football really is to AFL, Jon Anderson from the Hearld sun an AFL writer was on the back page last night and this is what he said. "The AFL only fear one code and it's not the Rugby's it's soccer" That straight from AFL writer who would no more about the going's on at AFL HQ then you or I would. But you keep tell yourself that AFL will always be number 1,

Your hatred for Football is blinding you to the fact that soccer has a long way to go to be even a threat to Rugby League let alone football. Never seen a soccer fan give so much credence to an AFL journo before - but hey what ever suits your argument

Look at the crowd figures compared to Football they don't lie,

60,000 a week compared to 300,000 a week yep have to agree the figures don't lie.

the television rights deal doesn't lie we have 780 million compared to 120 million. Just remember these deals were done at the highest point for AFL and lowest starting point for Football. The crowds are at the peak for AFL and at the starting point for Football.

yours is over 10 years compared to 5 for the AFL so $156m v $12m - agrre with you here too.

It's not the Australian game for starters it's the Southern Australian game. We are the only true national and international game in Australia.

thats like saying soccers not a world game it's the European, South American and African game. Football has a higher rate of registered players in Australia than soccer does world wide.

 

[jackmac7]

Your hatred for football is blinding you to the threat Football really is to AFL, Jon Anderson from the Hearld sun an AFL writer was on the back page last night and this is what he said. "The AFL only fear one code and it's not the Rugby's it's soccer" That straight from AFL writer who would no more about the going's on at AFL HQ then you or I would. But you keep tell yourself that AFL will always be number 1, Look at the crowd figures compared to Football they don't lie, the television rights deal doesn't lie we have 780 million compared to 120 million. Just remember these deals were done at the highest point for AFL and lowest starting point for Football. The crowds are at the peak for AFL and at the starting point for Football.
It's not the Australian game for starters it's the Southern Australian game. We are the only true national and international game in Australia.

That starting point your talking about for crowd coparison was 75 years ago. It's 2008 buddy and you have 20 million people to feed off unlike the AFL's crowd figures back the when their were ****-all people in this country.

 

[The Frederick]

thats like saying soccers not a world game it's the European, South American and African game. Football has a higher rate of registered players in Australia than soccer does world wide.

Umm... almost every country has a national team. Almost every country has a top-level league. The only countries that don't are countries where it's not feasible, like the Vatican.

What about AFL? Not every state in AUSTRALIA has a professional team, let alone anywhere else in the world.

 

[MacMum]

NimChief, I agree with everything you have said in your opening post......I've never understood why the need to be rivals......surely people can like a few different sports at the same time........We are AFL mad, but also like Victory......my Son lives on the Gold Coast and is a Geelong supporter, but still chose a rugby team to follow, seeing as he lives up there (Storm actually)....he has no probs following both.......the whole them v. us mentality is ridiculous.....

 

[ParraEelsNRL]

In the land of fairies and chocolate trees, all Governments get along, all races kiss and play handy pandy together all sports get along and share their resources

Talk about your tree hugging hippie smoking crap, Greenpeace is down south at the moment trying to kill humans instead of Whales, I'm sure one of the fairies will fly you down.

 

[acker]

Umm... almost every country has a national team. Almost every country has a top-level league. The only countries that don't are countries where it's not feasible, like the Vatican.

What about AFL? Not every state in AUSTRALIA has a professional team, let alone anywhere else in the world.

That would be great argument except for a couple of points.

Regardless of not having a national team they are currently generating $156 million dollars per annum in television rights anyway.

The national participation rate at under 16 is multiples ahead of both rugby codes combined.

And besides that really how interesting are those Rugby League Test matches Australia versus Georgia, France, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Wales, Samoa etc anyway. Lebanon occasionally gets a few try's but most from people associated with Australia anyway.

Even Union holds more weight on an international level than League. But then again Union is basically an elite private school sport in Australia with a national team occasionally coached by the odd Sydney radio shock jock, who also coaches Rugby League occasionally. Funny how Graham Kennedy or Bert Newton never coached an AFL side, if they were from Sydney Fitzroy and StKilda may never have been the same again.

I saw a game in the 70's Papua New Guinea versus North Ballarat. Good game at the Ballarat Showgrounds, but that is about as far as I would have wanted to see Papua pushed.

Not playing international's is a very hollow argument.

As for why the codes can't get along. They probably will after the sponsorship and live to air match rights are taken from Rugby League and possibly Union by the AFL.

To fight in my opinion Rugby League and Union must find some common ground and fight it together. If League gets sunk in Australia, it's terminal for league in England, France and New Zealand as well.

And if League sinks Union won't sink but it will lose a lot of currency.

League is the weakest of the two. But in Australia the reward in sponsorship's and TV rights for knocking it back a few pegs rather than knocking it out is huge in dollar terms.

 

[ParraEelsNRL]

That would be great argument except for a couple of points.

Regardless of not having a national team they are currently generating $156 million dollars per annum in television rights anyway.

And as the years go on and the world goes more multinational, where's this leave AFL?

You look at sports that play internationals, they rake in millions, whats AFL doing?

The national participation rate at under 16 is multiples ahead of both rugby codes combined.

Is this for AFL?

If it is, you are talking crap, RL has heaps of juniors, they actually don't put the school teams in, the AFL count Auskick even if a kid turns up once.

And besides that really how interesting are those Rugby League Test matches Australia versus Georgia, France, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Wales, Samoa etc anyway. Lebanon occasionally gets a few try's but most from people associated with Australia anyway.

Australia doesn't play against most of those teams outside of WC's, Georgia doesn't even play RL, they play union, out of those teams you have selected there, Australia plays France whenever they have a European tour and once in a while they play Wales, the last time was about 5 years ago.

When an Australian team plays PNG, it's not the Kangaroos, it usually a Prime Ministers XIII or the junior Roos.

It might surprise you, but to RL fans, any game Australia plays is interesting, you might find this hard to believe seeing as the Australian AFL side has never played a game.


As for Lebanon, they have two national teams, 1 full of home grown players from their domestic comp and the other is filled with players from other RL comps around the world with a few from the local league in Lebanon.

Even Union holds more weight on an international level than League. But then again Union is basically an elite private school sport in Australia with a national team occasionally coached by the odd Sydney radio shock jock, who also coaches Rugby League occasionally. Funny how Graham Kennedy or Bert Newton never coached an AFL side, if they were from Sydney Fitzroy and StKilda may never have been the same again.

Only one union coach has coached a RL team in Australia Alan Jones and he destroyed both clubs he touched, those being Balmain who had been in 2 GF's in a row and South Sydney, there haven't been any since, but look at union world wide, South Africa use an ex Parramatta eel as a defensive coach, the Wallabies had ex RL player as their defensive coach for years, Englands whole coaching setup to win the 2003 yawion WC out here were ex RL players, Wales has just signed Sean Edwards the ex GB RL captain to coach them as well as coaching a club side.

Ex Canterbury Melbourne and Roosters coach Chris Anderson got punted from the NRL and walked straight into a coach gig in Wales without ever having played the game, there are more but it would take up too much time to put them all in.

I saw a game in the 70's Papua New Guinea versus North Ballarat. Good game at the Ballarat Showgrounds, but that is about as far as I would have wanted to see Papua pushed.

Closest AFL will ever get to proper internationals huh?

Whats happening now, AFL taking over PNG?

Not playing international's is a very hollow argument.

No it's not, it shows there is an interest outside of your own country, it helps the game to survive, what happens if the AFL go belly up?

It's not like another country can keep to sport alive is it?

A sport that is played in more than 1 country has a massive chance of surviving, if it dies in one country, it's still alive elsewhere, your game dies, it's gone.

As for why the codes can't get along. They probably will after the sponsorship and live to air match rights are taken from Rugby League and possibly Union by the AFL.

See, there you go, you seem to think RL is struggling and you have posted this a fair few times, yet you haven't provided anything to prove your point, how can you say sponsorship will dry up for RL when some of the sponsors for NRL teams are amongst the biggest in the country, how will RL revert back to a suburban little comp with people like Crowe involved spreading his teams name all around the world?

As I said in another post, Souths would be more known world wide than every AFL club combined, yet you seem to think the almighty AFL is going to kill RL.

You AFL fans are a strange mob, you go on about how great you game is and how no sport goes up against it in Australia blah blah blah, well RL goes up against every year, has done for 100, we now have the Storm carving out a niche market in Victoria, yet this is a failure, I don't get it.

The biggest football game on TV last year was RL, RL also had more games in the top half than the AFL, is that not competing with AFL?

Why would a FTA TV ch not go after RL when it has a massive audience just to get another sport to show in a market where the sound of music, 1st wives club the iron chef and countless other crap shows beat it?

To fight in my opinion Rugby League and Union must find some common ground and fight it together. If League gets sunk in Australia, it's terminal for league in England, France and New Zealand as well.

That will never happen as the codes and the fans hate each other more than any other sports on the planet, its been war for 113 years and it isn't going to end until one of the codes die, even local derbies between the biggest rivals in Soccer can't touch the hatred RL and Union have for each other.

You are showing you have no idea about the history of any sport bar AFL.

And if League sinks Union won't sink but it will lose a lot of currency.

How's RL going to sink, please show me, is it because the AFL says they are putting 1 team in the West Sydney suburb of Blacktown?

League is the weakest of the two. But in Australia the reward in sponsorship's and TV rights for knocking it back a few pegs rather than knocking it out is huge in dollar terms.

RL is the weakest of the two?

Are you mad?

Where are the FTA games of Union on TV outside a few Internationals each year, how can it take over from RL when said international can't outrate a Bulldogs-Eels local derby on a Friday night?

And what of the juniors, if you don't know, the ARU actually has under 100,000 people playing union in Australia, the truth came out late last year, RL has over 400,000 with around 7-800,000 playing Touch footy.

The ARU couldn't even keep their national comp going for a second year, but you seem to think it will take over RL which has been belting union out here since RL began.

You also forget how much money the ARL makes from 3 SOO games each year, they also happen to be in the top ten most watched programs of the year every year, something the AFL, ARU and Soccer doesn't have, but we see all the other codes trying to promote the NSW-QLD rivalry all the time.

So please, so me how this almighty AFL is going to destroy RL?

 

[The Frederick]

That would be great argument except for a couple of points.

Regardless of not having a national team they are currently generating $156 million dollars per annum in television rights anyway.

The national participation rate at under 16 is multiples ahead of both rugby codes combined.

And besides that really how interesting are those Rugby League Test matches Australia versus Georgia, France, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Wales, Samoa etc anyway. Lebanon occasionally gets a few try's but most from people associated with Australia anyway.

Even Union holds more weight on an international level than League. But then again Union is basically an elite private school sport in Australia with a national team occasionally coached by the odd Sydney radio shock jock, who also coaches Rugby League occasionally. Funny how Graham Kennedy or Bert Newton never coached an AFL side, if they were from Sydney Fitzroy and StKilda may never have been the same again.

I saw a game in the 70's Papua New Guinea versus North Ballarat. Good game at the Ballarat Showgrounds, but that is about as far as I would have wanted to see Papua pushed.

Not playing international's is a very hollow argument.

As for why the codes can't get along. They probably will after the sponsorship and live to air match rights are taken from Rugby League and possibly Union by the AFL.

To fight in my opinion Rugby League and Union must find some common ground and fight it together. If League gets sunk in Australia, it's terminal for league in England, France and New Zealand as well.

And if League sinks Union won't sink but it will lose a lot of currency.

League is the weakest of the two. But in Australia the reward in sponsorship's and TV rights for knocking it back a few pegs rather than knocking it out is huge in dollar terms.

Umm... what does anything of that have to do with assoc. football?

 

[jackmac7]

Well considering their are now 7 junior football clubs in Penrith and more junior Aussie rules clubs are popping up all over Sydney I would say you are in a bit of trouble come the next 10 years.

And then of course you have young kids like Kieran Jack son of a RL great who is just the pioneer for all young kids in NSW too switch to Aussie rules.

It's a plague, a disease, a Tsunami and it's only just beginning.

 

[ParraEelsNRL]

Well considering their are now 7 junior football clubs in Penrith and more junior Aussie rules clubs are popping up all over Sydney I would say you are in a bit of trouble come the next 10 years.

And then of course you have young kids like Kieran Jack son of a RL great who is just the pioneer for all young kids in NSW too switch to Aussie rules.

It's a plague, a disease, a Tsunami and it's only just beginning.

Yeah and free entry last night saw 1500 turn up

 

[Red_and_white]

Most Aussies are sports fans. They'll have a local footy team to follow, they'll watch the cricket, they'll probably have a team in the EPL, Serie A, or some other European soccer leagues, NBL, NFL, NBA, MBL etc. But lo and behold if one of them supports an AFL team and an NRL/ A- League team its heresy! For only 20 million people we're spoiled for first class sport but for some reason most can't seem to fathom being able to support more than one code of football in this country.

 

[ChrisFooty]

I think NRL will eventually play it's season in between the A-League and AFL, a bit like the NFL, MLB and NBA in America. .

Thats pure nonsense. NRL will be number one in NSW and QLD for the short to meduim term at least. That is over half the country. I could not think of a reason why the NRL would even consider such a thing.

 

[jackmac7]

Thats pure nonsense. NRL will be number one in NSW and QLD for the short to meduim term at least. That is over half the country. I could not think of a reason why the NRL would even consider such a thing.

The way AFL is going into the future wouldn't it serve their league better interest if they wern't going head to head every week of the year for audiences?

 

[Grunty]

The Australian game, the Indigenous game - OUR GAME

It was interesting to see Jade North holding up the trophy for Newcastle at the A-League Grand final.

As captain of the Newcastle Jets, he is the first indigenous Australian ever to captain a championship sporting team.

 

[jackmac7]

It was interesting to see Jade North holding up the trophy for Newcastle at the A-League Grand final.

As captain of the Newcastle Jets, he is the first indigenous Australian ever to captain a championship sporting team.

That's one half-cast in the whole league.

 

[ParraEelsNRL]

It was interesting to see Jade North holding up the trophy for Newcastle at the A-League Grand final.

As captain of the Newcastle Jets, he is the first indigenous Australian ever to captain a championship sporting team.

What a liar that soccer fella is, I knew he was bullshitting when i heard it.

Hasn't he ever heard of Mal Meninga?

http://www.eraofthebiff.com/p-112.html

Big Mal Meninga has done it all, simple case of been there, done that. And done that with courage and grace.

His records speak for themself.

An unprecedented 4 Kangaroo Tours - 1982, 1986, 1990 and 1994 - including 2 as captain.
An Australian record of 45 test-match appearances.
A world record 270 points in test Rugby League.
23 tests as Australian captain.
A total or 86 appearances in an Australian jumper including Tests, World Cup and touring matches.
A record 38 appearances for Queensland.
A record 32 appearances in State of Origin football.
A record 161 points scored in State of Origin football.
A total of 306 grade games for his 3 clubs Brisbane Souths, St Helens and the Canberra Raiders.
3 Grand Final wins with the Canberra Raiders (1989, 1990 and 1994 - all as captain)
2 Grand Final wins with Souths.
11 Grand Final appearances (5 with Canberra and 6 with Souths)
An incredible total of 465 first class games in all.