Re: Irish Origin game : Tue Jul 29, 2014 7:54 pm  

Dreamer wrote:

Why did Castleford call themselves Tigers?.

They woke up, realised they had neighbours who had no chance of real progression and noticed their colours matched. That's not to say that Cas have a right to succeed, however, I do think they have captured more long term support than their flat cap neighbours.

Re: Irish Origin game : Tue Jul 29, 2014 10:23 pm  

Dreamer wrote:

Marketing? revitalisaing a tired image? Sometimes it works, sometimes not.

You don't need to market or 'revitalize a tired image' of two regional representative teams that are playing in a two-match series. The Origin teams don't call themselves things like 'Queensland Barracudas' and 'New South Wales Falcons', it's just pointless and stupid. Especially when this is being billed as 'Origin', which is a wholly Aus-centric concept that would surely be alien to most Irish people, and the fact that it's an amateur event between players from amateur leagues, they aren't club sides and are not looking to turn a profit. Not that it would be a good idea even if that was the case because giving teams random animal nicknames is an archaic concept straight out of the 1990s.

marvwoodburn wrote:

They probably did it for the same reason you call yourself "headhunter" - because they thought it sounded cool but your right, it kinda sounds stupid.

We can't all have usernames as interesting as 'marvwoodburn'.

Re: Irish Origin game : Tue Jul 29, 2014 11:00 pm  

headhunter wrote:

We can't all have usernames as interesting as 'marvwoodburn'.

Oh...how I remember the RLFANS end of year awards......Marv would surely be in with a shout for most inventive name would he/she not?

Re: Irish Origin game : Tue Jul 29, 2014 11:05 pm  

headhunter wrote:

You don't need to market or 'revitalize a tired image' of two regional representative teams that are playing in a two-match series. The Origin teams don't call themselves things like 'Queensland Barracudas' and 'New South Wales Falcons', it's just pointless and stupid. Especially when this is being billed as 'Origin', which is a wholly Aus-centric concept that would surely be alien to most Irish people, and the fact that it's an amateur event between players from amateur leagues, they aren't club sides and are not looking to turn a profit. Not that it would be a good idea even if that was the case because giving teams random animal nicknames is an archaic concept straight out of the 1990s.

We can't all have usernames as interesting as 'marvwoodburn'.

I'm sorry, remind me how the very game of rugby league started? Something about amateur clubs being rich enough to compensate players? No?

Re: Irish Origin game : Tue Jul 29, 2014 11:45 pm  

Magic Superbeetle wrote:

I'm sorry, remind me how the very game of rugby league started? Something about amateur clubs being rich enough to compensate players? No?

What does that have to do with a representative match between players from Northern Ireland and ROI? These aren't club sides, and even if they were I don't think naming themselves after random animals would help them to become rich. Nobody buys into that, it's the sort of poop you see in sports like netball and speedway and a relic from an era of 'European Super League', mergers and other silly ideas.

Re: Irish Origin game : Wed Jul 30, 2014 12:01 am  

headhunter wrote:

You don't need to market or 'revitalize a tired image' of two regional representative teams that are playing in a two-match series. The Origin teams don't call themselves things like 'Queensland Barracudas' and 'New South Wales Falcons', it's just pointless and stupid. Especially when this is being billed as 'Origin', which is a wholly Aus-centric concept that would surely be alien to most Irish people, and the fact that it's an amateur event between players from amateur leagues, they aren't club sides and are not looking to turn a profit. Not that it would be a good idea even if that was the case because giving teams random animal nicknames is an archaic concept straight out of the 1990s.

We can't all have usernames as interesting as 'marvwoodburn'.

The Origin teams do call themselves the Maroons and the Blues but I agree with the thrust of your post.
We see something successful in Australia and try and replicate it here without thinking properly about it. The Aussies are much more like Americans in sporting terms and are more likely to refer to their sports team by their nicknames ie Warriors, Broncos etc than their location.
It's something that annoys me when Sky do it here too and refer to teams as the Warriors or the Wildcats instead of Wigan and Wakefield.
I'm not a stick in the mud who pines for the old days, nicknames can work. It certainly has at my club, Leeds. But I still hate it if people refer to them as "The Rhinos". They're not. And it helps no-one to refer to them that way. They're Leeds Rhinos, or if you're going to shorten it then just leave the Rhinos bit off and call them Leeds. At least then people know where they're from!

I hate us, in Britain, using the term "Origin". We used it for the Yorks v Lancs and for the Exiles match and I hated it. The term has no meaning over here and most non-NRL savvy people are just confused as to what it means in this context.

Like you say, there's no need for these regional sides to have nicknames. Or we'll be doing the same with national sides next.

Re: Irish Origin game : Wed Jul 30, 2014 12:09 am  

What like the british lions

Re: Irish Origin game : Wed Jul 30, 2014 12:21 am  

Him wrote:

Like you say, there's no need for these regional sides to have nicknames. Or we'll be doing the same with national sides next.

National teams actually do have nicknames, but they're done in the same way they are in football, just unofficial titles. You don't hear anyone talking about the 'Australia Kangaroos' for example. That's also the same for the NSW and Qld Origin sides with Blues and Maroons.

And yeah, I'd prefer if it all the British club nicknames were dropped, or just changed to nicknames rather than being part of the actual club name and thus shoved down the fans throats. Especially the stupid ones like Wigan 'Warriors' and Leigh 'Centurions', what does that achieve honestly? Clubs like St Helens, Hull FC and Hull KR have got it spot on IMO.

Re: Irish Origin game : Wed Jul 30, 2014 7:26 am  

Years ago (during the troubles) I was very involved in Trade Union which had a large number of members in Northern Ireland. I remeber well the issues in trying to produce a poster showing the UK wide strength of the union: put a red cross on it and the Catholics were annoyed, put a shamrock on it and the Protestants were annoyed. From links that go back to those days, some of those feelings are still there.
So, if you decide to use a name, I applaud the chouces especially as "elk" has a good Itish background.
Wolfhound is already used.


My own team has a proud heritage of being the Red Devils.

Re: Irish Origin game : Wed Jul 30, 2014 9:53 am  

headhunter wrote:

Is it really necessary to call the teams the 'Elks' and 'Eagles'? What is the point in that?

Is it really necessary for you to fart into a really interesting, positive thread about RL with such a crass criticism? leaving aside that if people go to all the bother of organising a team, they should be free to call it what the hell they want, even a minute's research would for example have informed you that the "Elks" name is a reference to the prehistoric giant Irish Elk, Megaloceros giganteus, and I'd say the name is therefore very well thought out.

Next time you might take a moment to chill before flaming, that way you won't end up looking so stupid and rude.


Irish elk