Again, some highlights on a free site is worth exactly zero. To quote Tom Cruise - show me the money. A few bored Yanks looking at YouTube clips does nothing. Parra could play a friendly in the US and make a few quid? Wow. That's worth losing one of the best backs of his generation. Not.
Talking up these benefits and how the publicity around Hayne can be "capitalised" on reminds me a lot of the dotcom boom. Went from valuing websites based on profit, to revenue and finally to clicks. Unsurprisingly the wheels fell off because the much hyped clicks never turned into cash. As will Hayne's move to the NFL.
Always wondered what would happen if USA took RL seriously, only about 1.5% of college graduates make it to the NFL and last over 4 years so there is a large pool or very fit athletic guys there who if they had another option might make the move over to RL, majority are probably built for it, needs some multi billionaires to get behind it and push the idea into colleges and onto the main stage over there, similar to how the MLS has grown over the years.
League is taking baby steps in the US. If interest in Hayne can drive a small comp in the south west to form, that would be a good step forward. The south west has been talked about as the next logical area for League to develop for the 15 years that League has been played in the US, because of high population density and high ex-pat population from League playing countries.
Jarryd Hayne has won a place in the San Francisco 49ers 53 man roster for 2015-16.
This represents one of the greatest code switches in sporting history.
It required enormous courage, dedication and talent.
It also gives great publicity to rugby league, because the words rugby league and NRL are all over the NFL and San Francisco 49ers websites.
I fear however that NFL agents will soon descend on Australia and New Zealand, and might possibly snare other NRL stars like Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Jason Taumololo, James Roberts, Anthony Milford, Semi Radradra or Marika Koroibete.
They might even look at the Under 20s, and grab superstars in the making, like Sydney Roosters full back Latrell Mitchell.
In Britain they may chase Zachary Hardaker, Kallum Watkins, Ryan Hall, Thomas Briscoe, George Williams, and Dominic Manfredi, and in France Fouad Yaha.
Regardless, Hayne's achievement in such a short time, with only four preseason games under his belt, has been amazing. It shows the superior athleticism of the top rugby league stars.
So you think that a "brain drain" into yet another sport will be good for the game.
If it were to help attract blue chip sponsors into RL then I would agree with you and there is some satisfaction in seeing one of League's top players succeed BUT, if the NRL comes calling, as a sport, we simply cannot compete with the $millions in that sport and apart form perhaps getting some yankee dollar, the numbers of top players will shrink still further.
What do you think would happebn if another 6/8 top players went form our sport ?
Again, some highlights on a free site is worth exactly zero. To quote Tom Cruise - show me the money. A few bored Yanks looking at YouTube clips does nothing. Parra could play a friendly in the US and make a few quid? Wow. That's worth losing one of the best backs of his generation. Not.
Talking up these benefits and how the publicity around Hayne can be "capitalised" on reminds me a lot of the dotcom boom. Went from valuing websites based on profit, to revenue and finally to clicks. Unsurprisingly the wheels fell off because the much hyped clicks never turned into cash. As will Hayne's move to the NFL.
I couldn't agree more - it's meaningless, unless our only value as a sport is as a curiosity that occasionally throws up people who turn out to be good at 'better' sports.
I'm pleased for the lad, but it's much ado about nothing in terms of value to RL.
I couldn't agree more - it's meaningless, unless our only value as a sport is as a curiosity that occasionally throws up people who turn out to be good at 'better' sports.
I'm pleased for the lad, but it's much ado about nothing in terms of value to RL.
I don't think it's meaningless at all. The more people exposed to our sport the more fans we will find.
It seems we are stuck here between two extremes where this will either get us a fully pro league in the US or it will do nothing at all.
Used correctly this can be a catalyst. There is no reason to expect it can't. We should use this as our foot in the door. It will get people to listen. We should get use it. We should capitalise on it.
Send the WCC there. Use Haynes name. Use that recognition and if at the end of it we get an amateur side there. Fantastic. Cali if it were a country would be amongst the biggest economies in the world and there are millions of people there. A foothold there is a brilliant thing.
and, looking at it the other way round, surely the awareness of RL created by Hayne, creates an opportunity for our clubs to attract some of the majority of American footballers who don't make NFL level, to trial for RL. There must be some huge athletes who we could train up to play prop if nothing else. As we have seen reported in connection with Hayne, they don't earn huge amounts if not selected for the final roster of an NFL club.