The Official Aussie Rules vs Rugby League Mega Trollfest Thread

[1908]

Sorry, but that's rubbish and you know it. Union dominates league overseas by a big margin.

True. However soccer dominates Rugby Union, so what. Teams like Ireland, Scotland etc have NEVER beaten the All Blacks so why do they keep bothering. Purely because the game has more to it than games v NZ. The same goes for RL, it's not all about games v Australia, England v NZ are some of the best games you will see, the recent Pacific Cup games were fantastic to watch.

 

[lions_den]

Exactly, the BBC's coverage of the France-Australia match in Paris rated 1 million.

In a country that has over 50 million people...

 

[STC]

I didn't realise you spoke for everyone. My mistake.

Of course the AFL is huge on expansion and their recent Multicultural acadamy held in Victoria is a testament to that.

Go ahead, poll AFL fans about whether they really care about international expansion. So far we've had a few agree with me, and none disagree. We're happy keeping it national, it is our own sport after all. I don't speak for everyone, but it seems rather clear I speak for the majority.

The product is pretty good, so it would be at least worth a try.

And they are trying, but it's a long process for any sport, as I just said.

They do, but then it's once every 4 years, so it's hardly a International program as such.

That's only one part of the international program, and it's every 3 years. The international program is ongoing and is the reason other countries play the sport in the first place to come to the cup.

The tri-nations had excellent support and was the reason it was actually expanded to a 4 nations tournament.

So excellent it had a smaller attendance than a SANFL game?

Nope. Growing day by day, year by year.

Sure, just slower than every other major sport.

Wrong again, but that's ok.

Really? Name one other country that has a pro RL league in the top 3 sporting leagues of the country?

I love the fact that sports offer such a massive variety and are glad I dont limit myself to only following one sport.

Each to their own I guess.

I don't limit myself to one sport at all. I follow AFL, cricket, soccer and international rugby (the one people care about). Three of those have striving international markets. League doesn't.

See the bolded bits.

 

[goDees22]

lol why bother AFL fans know we're in a better position so we don't even bother responding. Its the same with sexism, women get jobs in the police force these days because they are women, no man can be bothered complaining about it but if it was the other way around there'd be mass uproar

 

[Aucklander]

See the bolded bits.

Very good. If only you could use the quote function.

Anyway, you actually said, and I quote, "Only in the north-east part of Australia is it a major player on the sporting landscape"

You were wrong. Rugby league is a major player on the sporting landscapes of, New Zealand, England, Papua New Guinea and France.

I don't limit myself to one sport at all. I follow AFL, cricket, soccer and international rugby (the one people care about). Three of those have striving international markets. League doesn't.

Cricket? It's marginally more striving than Rugby league and Union is almost completely dominated by the All Blacks and South Africa.

To be fair though, Union does have a lot of other nations who play the game, but they simply make up the numbers. Funnily enough there are some people who bag other codes for doing the very same thing.

 

[1908]

In a country that has over 50 million people...

The Wales v NZ union game rated 1.9million.

Say what you like that's a good figure for league.

 

[.Shotties.]

1908, help me out here, no one has responded to me when i ask: why is league the better or superior product and why are the people of australia so disinterested in it compared to what is apparently an inferior product?

 

[1908]

The AFL has no professional international scene on which to compare. All we have of a similar size to international League tournaments are state leagues.

Just for fun, can anyone recall any other professional, international tournament that claims to have a strong international scene that drew 6,000 people to a game between two of the four strongest nations? Can you imagine Union or soccer drawing 6000 people to a game between NZ and South Africa or Brazil and France?

What about cricket? Did you not see the World Cup in the West Indies recently?

 

[STC]

Very good. If only you could use the quote function.

Anyway, you actually said, and I quote, "Only in the north-east part of Australia is it a major player on the sporting landscape"

You were wrong. Rugby league is a major player on the sporting landscapes of, New Zealand, England, Papua New Guinea and France.

I couldn't be bothered.

And I'll give you PNG, but really, it's not much of an achievement, but it's hardly a major player in England or New Zealand or France. All of them prefer Union, and all of them have several other sports they prefer. Like we just established, an England international league game got a lower crowd than a SANFL game. What does that tell you about its popularity?

League is a minor sport abroad, nowhere near the heights of its competitors, including Union. And heck, you just listed every country in the world that plays the game professionally. And there's a difference between having a pro competition and being a major player. It's not a major player.

Cricket? It's marginally more striving than Rugby league and Union is almost completely dominated by the All Blacks and South Africa.

To be fair though, Union does have a lot of other nations who play the game, but they simply make up the numbers. Funnily enough there are some people who bag other codes for doing the very same thing.

Cricket is marginally more striving than league? That's a laugh. There are more cricket fans in India than league fans in the world. Then there's the rest of the subcontinent (by now we've doubled league fans in the world), the Caribbean, England, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and even Zimbabwe. In all of them, it's the dominant summer sport, and Twenty20 threatens to blow open new countries too.

As for Union, it might be dominated in play by a few countries (and that may be the case now, but England have made two finals in a row, but that hardly detracts from its popularity. In every country that plays League, Union is more popular bar PNG and probably Australia - and even that is changing fast, considering WA is already behind Union and Victoria is soon to be. And then there's all the countries that play Union but not League.

 

[STC]

What about cricket? Did you not see the World Cup in the West Indies recently?

I'm pretty sure their crowds were larger than 6,000 (maybe Bermuda games were a bit lower), but that tournament was a shambles, the prices were too expensive for the average citizen to afford and is by no means representative of the game's popularity in the Caribbean.

 

[Holding The Ball]

Far NQ is AFL territory btw.

 

[Tex_21]

Everywhere to the south and west of the Barassi line you'll find four sticks rather the letter H.

Darwin is somewhat debateable IMO. As there is a large amount of 'expats' there RL is very popular-and all of my mates who live up there (not just Darwain but NW NT as well (south of the Timor Sea) say that RL is more popular.

Far NQ is AFL territory btw.

Horseshit.

 

[lions_den]

Darwin is somewhat debateable IMO. As there is a large amount of 'expats' there RL is very popular-and all of my mates who live up there (not just Darwain but NW NT as well (south of the Timor Sea) say that RL is more popular.



Horseshit.

Far NQ i meant. Pretty well anywhere from Cairns north. Not a lot of people up there though. Big aboriginal community.

 

[Holding The Ball]

 

[lions_den]

Compared to the specs of scattered dots for thugby sleaze.

 

[Tex_21]

Far NQ i meant. Pretty well anywhere from Cairns north. Not a lot of people up there though. Big aboriginal community.

Cairns is not AR territory at all.

 

[lions_den]

Cairns is not AR territory at all.

Yeah probably 40/60 to RL. Close enough. Everywhere north of Cairns is definitely AFL though. You should actually visit Cairns during the winter before coming to your own conclusions.

 

[SJ]

All those people and it's still only played by a minority in Australia (its biggest market) and an even smaller minority in New Zealand and England. Negligible everywhere else.

 

[SweetLeftFoot]

You were wrong. Rugby league is a major player on the sporting landscapes of, New Zealand, England, Papua New Guinea and France.
.

Yet the Challenge Cup final has just been removed from the list of protected free to air events and even in Wigan, home of RL in England, the local soccer team draws twice as many people week in, week out.

RL is very much a minor, regional sport in the UK.

 

[SweetLeftFoot]

I couldn't be bothered.

And I'll give you PNG, but really, it's not much of an achievement,

Don't forget the Cook Islands and Tonga!

Fact is, in 50 years time, with a minor rise in sea levels, rugby league will be all but wiped out outside of western Sydney.

 

[zero]

people quoting rugby league attendances need to remember that they are padded mercilessly. NRL clubs routinely add several thousand to each game so its not so ****ing embarrasing.

the real NRL average is most likely 1-2 thousand less than the "official" numbers

 

[Aucklander]

Yet the Challenge Cup final has just been removed from the list of protected free to air events and even in Wigan, home of RL in England, the local soccer team draws twice as many people week in, week out.

Shit. Soccer draws bigger crowds in England than Rugby league. Who'd have thought that was ever possible. ROFL.

RL is very much a minor, regional sport in the UK.

That still provides a way to earn a living, play the game overseas and provides an opportunity to play against the best sides in the world. All the attributes which make it a major sport on a world scale.

 

[1908]

Yet the Challenge Cup final has just been removed from the list of protected free to air events and even in Wigan, home of RL in England, the local soccer team draws twice as many people week in, week out.

RL is very much a minor, regional sport in the UK.

Now why would Sport England invest so much in a sport that is meaningless as you say.

Rugby league receives big increase in Sport England funding

Rugby league has received a significant increase in funding from Sport England, with funding up from £18.5million to £29.4million.

By Michael Fisher
Published: 3:54PM GMT 17 Dec 2008

The award will cover a four-year period from April 2009 to March 2013.

The Rugby Football League will use the cash to increase participation by developing alternative forms of the game such as tag rugby and creating more opportunities for over-35s and women.

The governing body have also detailed plans to further develop the game beyond its traditional heartland.

RFL chief executive Nigel Wood said: “With this level of this funding award, the RFL’s Whole Sport Plan has been recognised by Sport England for its robust and detailed nature and its high quality.

“The level of funding also reflects the confidence Sport England has in the RFL to deliver its objectives. This reputation has been earned by our collective efforts and achievements in recent years”.

Also commenting the RFL’s national community development manager, Julia Lee, added: “The RFL is looking forward with great enthusiasm to working with all sections of the game to sustain and increase the growth in participation that we’ve already seen and to continue to move rugby league forward on all fronts.

“We will also continue to work hard to ensure that the sport is accessible to everybody and that the environment the sport is played in continues to be safe, enjoyable and effective for all.”

 

[1908]

On international rugby league how about we let one of the players tell us what it means to them, this from Ben Hannant:

http://www.smh.com.au/news/lhqnews/...the-implacables/2009/11/16/1258219799868.html

… To be able to represent my country, alongside one of my best mates and a bloke I really look up to [in Civoniceva], it's definitely up there with winning a premiership and State of Origins. These things you never forget. This team can hopefully go forward and make a legacy for itself now.''

As Aussie Rules fans of course you wouldn't understand these things, afterall your off-seasons have traditionally been about dissecting EVERY detail of the next season draw and the EXCITEMENT of the draft. Ho hum........................

 

[bzparkes]

On international rugby league how about we let one of the players tell us what it means to them, this from Ben Hannant:

http://www.smh.com.au/news/lhqnews/...the-implacables/2009/11/16/1258219799868.html



As Aussie Rules fans of course you wouldn't understand these things, afterall your off-seasons have traditionally been about dissecting EVERY detail of the next season draw and the EXCITEMENT of the draft. Ho hum........................

Yep he said it's 'definitely up there with winning premierships' but given the chance, sounds like he'd much rather win a premiership than represent his country.