Re: Rugby league is becoming unattractive : Sun Sep 17, 2017 8:05 am  

I can certainly agree with a lot of what Smith says but, rather unsurprisingly, this thread focuses solely on the RFL for the solution and attributes very little blame on the clubs.

One post earlier said that our strength was in the club game, but it is the clubs that carry the biggest responsibility to market those games (and rightly so - they should know their market better than anyone else).

I've said before, but wishing Big Nigel away doesn't address the fact that Wakefield don't have a ground to play in next year, it doesn't address the problem that Huddersfield can't sell a respectable number of tickets at a market rate, that Salford can't grow their crowds or that all clubs are seemingly incapable of reaching new, more diverse audiences.

Losing Big Nigel also doesn't solve the problem that too few clubs generate a respectable level of commercial income, that too few clubs know how to use modern marketing techniques effectively, that too few clubs are contributing to the elite talent pool and that clubs are doing too little to encourage local participation.

We can argue that we can't compete with the money in Union, but I genuinely think that collectively the sport isn't even trying.

Re: Rugby league is becoming unattractive : Sun Sep 17, 2017 8:30 am  

Salford red all over wrote:

Tony Smith is talking the same language as many posts and posters on here have done for a good while now, I think his timing might be wrong and thus it comes accross as sour grapes but in my opinion he's not wrong.

Maybe he's not really been able to express what he really thinks until now.
He's a coach of course but whilst he can to be critical of the game to some degree, he is an ambassador for the sport and thus the expectation is that he doesn't $h1t on his own doorstep.
Now it looks likely it won't be his doorstep for much longer, he can speak his mind more candidly.

Re: Rugby league is becoming unattractive : Sun Sep 17, 2017 3:56 pm  

Sorry but what exactly is he unhappy with ? , because it really isn't clear

Re: Rugby league is becoming unattractive : Sun Sep 17, 2017 6:23 pm  

I wondered how long it would be before someone proclaimed we needed licensing back.

What next? Change the playoff format....again!?

I don't buy into the doom porn on here but it's clear the game is going through a difficult spell after having a great first decade of super league, what with the style of play (thanks Maguire) and salary cap/economic issues.

I think we'll come out off the trough and move into another upward spiral within the next decade, we'll get new leadership at the rfl, a different (hopefully more attractive) style of play will emerge and the pound/general economy may start doing better allowing once again good quality imports.

Re: Rugby league is becoming unattractive : Sun Sep 17, 2017 6:26 pm  

GIANT DAZ wrote:

He's right, compared to 20 years ago the spectacle on the pitch is boring, 26 robots who do the same thing week after week, in the same patch of grass, 1 or 2 apart, no flair players anymore cos everyone has to work to a set structure, plus wrestling and milking penalties have turned the game into a farce.

I never used to miss a live game on TV, nowadays i don't even know who's playing on the TV games.

sadly I agree with every word

Re: Rugby league is becoming unattractive : Sun Sep 17, 2017 7:00 pm  

knockersbumpMKII wrote:

learn to engage your brain and bother to read before you open up your silly troll mouth and going into a rant that had nothing to do with what I said "Rugby union have changed their rules yet again so as to reduce the stop/start. They still have a long way to go"

A long way to go until what?

Regards

King James

Re: Rugby league is becoming unattractive : Sun Sep 17, 2017 8:16 pm  

The Warrington teams of 5 or so years ago played an expansive and entertaining brand of rugby that had everyone talking. Unfortunately they seem to have regressed into a side more obsessed with dummy half running than anyone else in the League so maybe Smith is part of the problem and boring himself out of a job?

I do agree that a lot of work needs to be done on RL improving its image and its a huge task. Unfortunately we get no help from the public school network in the press and the BBC who would rather push utterly unwatchable (& unwatched) garbage like women's football, cricket and yawnion ahead RL in the sports headlines.

Compare and contrast with Australia where yawnion is rightfully dying (despite its own old boys network there) as RL thrives. Its possible, a different area entirely and I don't want to start a political bun fight or give any endorsements but Corbyn showed you can make gains even in the face of a hostile establishment if you act outside the box.

Re: Rugby league is becoming unattractive : Sun Sep 17, 2017 8:41 pm  

Wish statements are made clear that it's Rugby League in Europe which is finding it hard to find growth.

Secondly one problem we have is that super league continues to lose its best talent and we don't have enough quality to come in and replace these guys.

Until the sport over here grows the talent pool we are gonna be in mess. It's clearly evident that super league getting worse. Compared to 3-5 years ago I feel not just the quality of matches is poorer but the intensity in most games just doesn't seem to be there.

We were told that the new format would be for the better but I don't see it.

Re: Rugby league is becoming unattractive : Sun Sep 17, 2017 9:28 pm  

So we blame the structure , and not the coaches and players who cheat

Well Cas don't seem to have a problem producing exciting RL , Similarily Leigh a couple of years back

Maybe , just maybe we need the rules to change to encourage that style of RL , rather than the borefest initiated by Mr McGuire at Wigan , and now copied by others

Re: Rugby league is becoming unattractive : Sun Sep 17, 2017 9:54 pm  

GUBRATS wrote: Sorry but what exactly is he unhappy with ? , because it really isn't clear https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WAB8FbH8Uk Seems pretty clear, here.

GUBRATS wrote: Sorry but what exactly is he unhappy with ? , because it really isn't clear https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WAB8FbH8Uk Seems pretty clear, here.