Set of Six: How hard is the NRL actually trying to curb bad behaviour?
Another week of rugby league scandal in Australia has seen the game back in the headlines – does the NRL like it that way? Is all publicity good publicity? That and more in Jarret Filmer’s weekly league round-up.
Is the NRL actually trying to prevent bad behaviour?
Another week, another round of off-the-field incidents, all involving cocaine. This has prompted all the regular talking heads to vent their spleen about the NRL being full of thugs and derelicts, reinforcing all the familiar narratives about how league players can’t be trusted to behave and how the NRL doesn’t provide enough support to all the poor troubled souls that fill their playing ranks. The more pertinent question is not whether the NRL is doing enough to prevent such incidents but whether they actually want all the off-the-field nonsense to continue unabated.
The NRL obviously revels in the non-stop, wall-to-wall coverage of its players’ failings across every available media outlet – if they were serious about rooting out bad behaviour they would level serious penalties for major anti-social acts like drink driving or domestic violence. Combine this ineffectualness with the slew of other recurring distractions – mid-season free agency, the failings of the Bunker and the difficulty enforcing the Head Injury Assessment protocol – it’s almost impossible to believe that the league isn’t at least partially complicit in ensuring a surfeit of coverage.
The NRL isn’t content with owning gameday – they want to own the headlines every day of the week, no matter how bad those headlines are. The NRL doesn’t see off the field incidents as a problem but just another opportunity to grab some more headlines.
https://twitter.com/NRL/status/862049588936572928
Is Origin obsession hurting the NRL?
It’s that time of year where every injury or incident is viewed through the lens of how it might impact State of Origin. Much of the discussion around Johnathan Thurston’s potentially season-ending injury, for example, has focused on the impact on the Queensland Origin team rather than the North Queensland Cowboys’ season hopes. Queensland is arguably much better placed to survive an injury to Thurston, with ample talented replacements waiting in the wings. The Cowboys season, on the other hand, will be on life support if JT is scratched.
Origin is the pinnacle of the Australian rugby league season, but the amount of focus it receives still feels overblown. Much of the interest in the contest has been dissipated due to Queensland’s decade-long dominance and the dour nature of recent contests. In the past few years Origin has felt like something to be endured rather than celebrated.
While Origin is on, the NRL season lurches to a halt. The slew of byes interrupts the momentum and the enforced absence of Origin players robs crucial clashes of star power. Once Origin is concluded it takes the competition a couple of weeks to get back up to speed, at a time when it should be hitting its peak. Origin is important, but the continued Origin obsession is at risk of ruining the NRL.
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Can’t the NRL find a spot for City-Country Origin?
Last weekend saw the demise of the City-Country game, a somewhat beloved institution that has faded in recent years due to player withdrawals and its increasing irrelevance as a trial match for the NSW Origin team. Despite its tatty status, it’s obvious that the game held a special importance to the Country regions of the game, areas that have provided some of the games greatest players. The fact the NRL has bowed to pressure from the clubs and given City-Country the heave-ho should be more troubling than a few players banging out a couple of lines. If City-Country has reached the end of the road then hopefully the NRL can find a suitable way to acknowledge the contribution that the regions make to the game.
Can Jamal Idris make (another) comeback?
Man-mountain Jamal Idris suffered a season-ending knee injury at Wests Tigers training, prematurely ending what could have been one of the feel-good stories of the season. Idris took a break from his NRL career in 2016 to travel the globe and survive a kidnap attempt in Vietnam.
Idris had enjoyed a tumultuous career across three clubs and a slew of off-the-field issues including depression, alcohol abuse and being attacked with a samurai sword. But since signing a one-year deal with the Wests Tigers he seemed more comfortable in his skin – and while his attacking game had yet to regain its former venom, he was proving a fearsome presence on the edge defensively. If Idris can recover from another significant injury he’ll need another club desperate enough to take a chance on a player with a significant history of injury and off-the-field issues. Hopefully another NRL comeback isn’t beyond Jamal Idris.
https://twitter.com/WestsTigers/status/861893518410694657
Should we just give the Kangaroos the World Cup now?
Despite some whole-hearted efforts by the Pacific Island nations during rep round, there were worrying signs for the spectacle of the Rugby League World Cup later this year. The Kiwis simply failed to turn up in the first half of the ANZAC test in Canberra. David Kidwell’s tenure as Kiwis coach is verging on disastrous and the subsequent suspension of Jesse Bromwich and Kevin Proctor threatens to seriously compromise the Kiwis’ ability to challenge the Kangaroos. England were impressive in dismissing Samoa, but there is still a vast gulf between them and the Kangaroos. Maybe Wayne Bennett can work some trademark magic, but it’s hard to see England giving the Kangaroos a serious challenge at the end of the year.
https://twitter.com/brisbanebroncos/status/861378426711687168
Match of the Round: Broncos vs Sea Eagles
The second half of Saturday night’s Brisbane double header promises to be the highlight of Round 10. Brisbane will be looking to bank some points ahead of the Origin period, while Manly needs to consolidate recent victories over Canberra and Souths. Dylan Walker has been pressing for an unlikely Origin call-up and given Thurston’s injury his halves partner Daly Cherry-Evans will be wanting to put on a show for the Queensland crown in the hope of a recall.
But the most intriguing match-up is the coaching duel: grizzled icon Wayne Bennett versus the unreasonably handsome Trent Barrett. Bennett’s previously bulletproof reputation has been dinged up in recent years while Barrett has received plaudits in his second year at the helm of the Sea Eagles. Look for the old master to teach the young upstart a few tricks and for the Broncos to squeak home in front of their rabid fanbase.
PICKS (Last Week 5-3, Season Record 44-28): BULLDOGS OVER COWBOYS / SHARKS OVER DRAGONS / TIGERS OVER RABBITOHS / PANTHERS OVER WARRIORS / STORM OVER TITANS / BRONCOS OVER SEA EAGLES / RAIDERS OVER KNIGHTS / ROOSTERS OVER EELS.
Comments on RugbyPass
Wasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
3 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
3 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
30 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
3 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
30 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
30 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
30 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
30 Go to comments