Basil2
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Apr 25, 2006 16:58:43 GMT -5
Post by Basil2 on Apr 25, 2006 16:58:43 GMT -5
Forget ru in Aus as the challenger for rl's supremacy - its the afl that might well in the long run sink the ship. There are a number of dangers long term presented by afl:
- its simply better run & more aggressive. Last night's news featured an afl talent finding programme being run in sydney's elite private schools. the aim - identify potential afl stars (no matter what sport they are now playing) & if possible recruit them. - the massive amounts of money being spent on developing afl juniors in rl's heartland areas - more intelligent use of tv. Yesterday, the ANZAC holiday the afl was on free to air - no rl was present, (so I missed the Dragon's glorious victory over Easts, but could have watched 2 afl games on different channels [10 & 9]). - a northward moving border between afl zones & rl zones. The afl is eating away at rl's southern border zone in the Riverina, gradually marching northwards. - Gradual expansion of the afl comp nationwide - how long before additional teams appear - another Sydney side & the Gold Coast are obvious target areas.
In contrast the nrl does not appear overly interested in protecting itself or even in expanding into afl areas:
- the Melbourne Storm are barely surviving - failure to protect/support rl in the southern areas of the state. Witness the nrl's failure to support the leagues club in Wagga Wagga (which closed down removing the chief financial backing for rl in the town) with the result that afl is set to dominate rl in what was once an rl town.
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rus
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Apr 26, 2006 7:47:20 GMT -5
Post by rus on Apr 26, 2006 7:47:20 GMT -5
I will answer in detail later Baz; but
1) crowds of 8k & 9K at the Gold Coast & Canberra for recent AFL games that were (or are supposed to be) AFL heartlands means that their expansion plans must be on hold at the mo;
2) TV ratings have plummeted in Brisbane & they are still poor in Sydney;NRL games on FNF still outrate AFL games in that timeslot Australia wide;
3)the crowd numbers have boomed but the increase has only been in Melbourne. In Sydney & Brisbane they are dropping slightly;
4)the AFL provide playing numbers that include Auskick numbers- these aren't players who play the game each weekend etc;
But you are right. The AFL seems to be better managed & the are certainly more aggressive in their expansion plans into NSW & Queensland. I shudder to think what sort of propaganda we will be showered with when they get the $780 million TV money.
One tuesday morning I was driving around Brisbane & I tuned into a popular FM station. It was about 11am & I heard some sort of mini AFL coaching clinic about how to catch a ball etc.
Depressing really!
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Basil2
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Apr 26, 2006 15:51:03 GMT -5
Post by Basil2 on Apr 26, 2006 15:51:03 GMT -5
Points 1-3 that you made are slightly reassuring rus. I hope they're accurate!
They are certainly both of those things rus. They're eating into the border regions where rl & afl overlap aggressively. I can't understand why the nrl doesn't pour more money into areas like the Riverina & Wagga - in fact country rl in general, because that's where afl will in the long run get them. Thr game since superleague seems simply to focus on Sydney, Brisbane, Newcastle & Wollongong. The loss of the odd player to ru pales into insignificance when the danger of afl looms.
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AFL
Apr 26, 2006 22:40:06 GMT -5
Post by bizzaro on Apr 26, 2006 22:40:06 GMT -5
In contrast the nrl does not appear overly interested in protecting itself or even in expanding into afl areas: - the Melbourne Storm are barely surviving - failure to protect/support rl in the southern areas of the state. Witness the nrl's failure to support the leagues club in Wagga Wagga (which closed down removing the chief financial backing for rl in the town) with the result that afl is set to dominate rl in what was once an rl town. can't comment on what is happening in wagga wagga but i can say that this year (actually from end of last year) the NRL is making a decent push into Melbourne. This includes having a SOO match there and a test match. Other lower profile things include more development officers. Hopefully next year they can start getting some free-to-air coverage down there when channel 9 loses the AFL rights
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rus
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Apr 27, 2006 5:49:11 GMT -5
Post by rus on Apr 27, 2006 5:49:11 GMT -5
The perverse thing about the Melbourne RL side is that they have some of the most exciting talent in the game.
The side has always had several internationals & has always been competitive even they are clearly a transported side. The haven't insulted the intelligence of the locals by having the side filled with sub-standard players such as union have done in WA.
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AFL
Apr 27, 2006 21:17:25 GMT -5
Post by bizzaro on Apr 27, 2006 21:17:25 GMT -5
Rugby League Storms into the CurriculumMelbourne Storm Development have taken steps to ensure the future development of Rugby League in schools, by embarking on a coach education and accreditation program which is targeting large numbers of both current teachers and teacher education students. In just the first few months of the school year, the Melbourne Storm Development team has held coaching courses and coaching sessions for over 180 current and future teachers. The goal of the program is to showcase Rugby League as a school based activity and to ensure that teachers are comfortable with teaching the skills of the sport in a school setting. Ross Antoniolli, coach accreditation provider for Melbourne Storm Development comments that: "Football codes are a current component of the Physical Education and Health syllabus, and our program will ensure that Rugby League is seen as an option to be taught in this subject. It's our way of helping to put Rugby League on the menu." The program, running in conjunction with RMIT and Australian Catholic University (ACU) has proven popular with both male and female teachers, with one of the most successful programs conducted with the primary education students at ACU. Melbourne Storm Development is currently implementing the ARL Development national schools programs into Melbourne primary and secondary schools, but the new teacher education and accreditation programs will enable schools to continue to develop Rugby League using their own skilled staff. News sent by: www.melbournestorm.com.au
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Basil2
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Apr 28, 2006 23:54:34 GMT -5
Post by Basil2 on Apr 28, 2006 23:54:34 GMT -5
The haven't insulted the intelligence of the locals by having the side filled with sub-standard players such as union have done in WA. Why rus, how uncharacteristically unkind of you when talking about the Force. As we all know ru has a much smaller player base to draw on & the Force's results haven't been all that bad. They compare rather favourably with Souths in the Nrl & I don't see you indicating the nrl is insulting South's fans by allowing the bunnies to parade sub-standard players - & the rabbits have had over 80 years to get their act together. And we won't of course bring up results of other now established nrl sides in their first seasons in top grade. I seem to remember the Canterbury side in its first season in 1st grade being on the end of scores in the mid 80s. Just as the dogs have come along so will the Force. One wonders about Souths though? ?
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Thomas
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May 1, 2006 17:36:41 GMT -5
Post by Thomas on May 1, 2006 17:36:41 GMT -5
Russ...even though TV viewing numbers are down, the crowds at the Gabba are still booming, with Lions tickets being the hot property.
I bet the Broncos would kill to have crowds like the Lions....they aren't winning but they are still bringing in the crowds.
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rus
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May 1, 2006 21:09:24 GMT -5
Post by rus on May 1, 2006 21:09:24 GMT -5
They are down slightly on last year. The two crowds they have had this year have been 34K & 30K. I think they have pre-sold close to 30K before the season started.
here is my tip. The won't fill the Gabba (now a 40K capacity) until the Collingwood game.
The Broncos have been playing big drawing teams since the Cowboy's clash
From Barry Dick's column in the Courier-Mail of the 28 April:
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Thomas
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May 1, 2006 21:19:27 GMT -5
Post by Thomas on May 1, 2006 21:19:27 GMT -5
But the Lions are out-averaging the Broncos even though the Broncos have been playing highdrawing teams. Is that what you are saying Rus?
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Thomas
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May 1, 2006 21:21:35 GMT -5
Post by Thomas on May 1, 2006 21:21:35 GMT -5
And I add...will there be a Lions home game that gets under 25k this year?
I doubt that.
For a one team town, the Broncos should be pulling in bigger crowds than the Lions.
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rus
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May 2, 2006 2:39:51 GMT -5
Post by rus on May 2, 2006 2:39:51 GMT -5
Thomas
I should have said the broncos haven't been playing big crowd drawing oppoments since the Cowboys.
Broncos crowds so far this season:
Cowboys 46K Parramatta 25.5L Penrith 25.5K Souths 20.2K Canberra 23.5K TOTAL 140.7
Average =28.14 v AFL average of 32K so far. Take out the Souths game & the Broncos have ab average of over 30K.
Does the AFL have a team like Souths?
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Basil2
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May 2, 2006 5:02:03 GMT -5
Post by Basil2 on May 2, 2006 5:02:03 GMT -5
Thomas I should have said the broncos haven't been playing big crowd drawing oppoments since the Cowboys. Broncos crowds so far this season: Cowboys 46K Parramatta 25.5L Penrith 25.5K Souths 20.2K Canberra 23.5K TOTAL 140.7 Average =28.14 v AFL average of 32K so far. Take out the Souths game & the Broncos have ab average of over 30K. Does the AFL have a team like Souths? Apart from their big crowd against the Cowboys the Broncos would actually appear to have an average closer to 25K. Not brilliant for a team that has all of Brisbane as its supporter base. So taking into account the Lions appear to have an audience on FTA of roughly half the Bronco's viewers & a crowd size if what I understand is correct of around the 30,000 mark (in a bad year), they would appear to be presenting rl in Brissie with a mighty challenge. I guess the question one has to ask is why the Broncos are only averaging around the 25K mark this season when their ground will hold over 40K? Indeed, what was the average crowd figure at home games for the Bronco's last season rus?
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rus
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May 2, 2006 17:19:07 GMT -5
Post by rus on May 2, 2006 17:19:07 GMT -5
The Broncos averaged just over 30K Baz. I think last year the broncos lost their last 7 games. The Brisbane Lions games averaged 33.5L as I recall.
Averages can nbe deceptive. Take out the interstate union match for the Reds & their average is below 20,000.
St George , the Roosters & Newcastle games should get over 35K I would think.
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Thomas
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May 2, 2006 17:43:48 GMT -5
Post by Thomas on May 2, 2006 17:43:48 GMT -5
Rus, the Lions haven't played the big drawing teams up here yet (Sydney and Collingwood). I am being dragged to the game this weekend with some mates so will let you know how full it is.
And yes, the Reds average could be below 20K if you take the NSW game out, but their average has risen considerably since moving to Suncorp.
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