Its not. its about a Rugby League coach denying that his club were interested in signing a union player, despite the claims of the players manager/agent.

nope...it was a pop at cooper trying to get more cash...it was 100% union bashing based and was pretty much a non-thread from the minute you typed it......but it highlights again the insecurity of Australian RL Fans
it was done a few months back...cooper stuck with ARU til after the RUWC.....and as I said back then, in attack he's a great player...but in defence...wipe your feet on him!

i dont mind nasser using the broncos name to take more of the ARUs money

heck with losses of 8 million this year and the brumbies having massive financial problems, any extra drain on their finances is to be welcomed

heck they should double john oneils salary for being able to deliver on his pledge for RU to overtake RL in australia

(s)

shouldnt all of barrys troll posts be in here rather than spamming up the board ...

its runing what otherwise was developing into a reasonable forum again ....

mckenzie is just wrecking it ...probably not the only one either

thought it was 2nd year running at over $11,000,000 in losses.....oh, hang on, that's Penrith

Cooper stuck with union after they raised his money.

Hmm, looks like gf has had his account jacked, this cant be him as he never skreams and complains to 'those who must be obeyed'.

The Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells thread handled an emotive OP rather well I thought. Folks from all over the site came to have their say and a conversation ensued. Hell, even bazza upped his game and behaved.Mostly.

Sounds to me like your having a sulk because you didnt like the direction the thread took (why so fond of Barnsley?

) Would you have preferred more rabid anti NRL rants and personal attacks on the fella named in the OP?

Whatever, you got your wish.

lol

I can't believe how much money that club is losing.

Truly shocking.

Can I cordially suggest that the OP should be shot.

Wouldn’t be surprised to see him sign with the new Brisbane team if/when they get in. Get them a bit of publicity and weaken one of their rivals in the Brisbane sports market.

Great idea







Oh.. it was me...

With the exception of Australia, rugby league is on a downward spiral wheras rugby union is on the up and up. I was a guest at the dubai 7s last year. 80,000 people watched the final of the plate comp for the amateur teams. It was a fine spectacle with plenty of celebrities, fine wine, champagne and canapes. I enjoyed it. This is something rugby league can learn from. Forget the 5 forward drives and a kick for a minute, but rugby league needs to take a long hard look at how rugby union markets itself. 80k for a final of an amateur comp. Rugby league hasnt had an 80k crowd for decades.

With persistant rumours that sky want to ditch super league or at least offer a vastly reduced deal (dont believe the spin that richard lewis puts on about it) it seems our sport is dying outside of the east coast of Australia. Its time to do something about it. if it means going cap in hand to rugby union so be it. Didnt harm London Broncos did it, who were on the verge of going belly up until harlequins RU saved them from extinction

No thanks, we've got a team in Melbourne, we'll soon have a team in Perth. Apart from a couple more teams in NZ the ARU offer nothing to NRL or RL. Take over will happen anyway as the ARU continue to flounder and their decent few players migrate across to the superior code. RU is set to become even more of a minor player and I can see why a RU fan would want to try and bail on his code and jump in bed with the far superior cousin!

Heard that the Force are facing some financial difficulties. They are pressuring the WA Govt to abandon the the East "fans stand" development at NIB and instead rebuild the West stand for corporates. Typical RU!

Fatty Tinkler taking over the Knights did Perths chances of getting a team a lot of good.

yeh I agree, I can see Twiggy not wanting to let a young whipper snapper fat East coast competitor get one up on him!

But lets not change the subject away from the train crash that is Australian RU and how the NRL will soon consume it. I can see this merger being like the Hull - Gateshed merger. RL will keep its rules and clubs and the RU can keep its erm, national colours

Wasnt there 80,000 at the Challenge Cup Final last season?

Since when does Sky want to ditch superleague? Like it or not tv ratings show SL is popular and the fact that championship RL games have got more viewers than Aviva prem games suggests RL is going nowhere.

I totally agree RL in the UK that needs to market itself a lot better but to say the sport is dying is a bit of a stretch. If the game was losing that much interest then nobody would watch it and lets not forget the ratings also show that its not just those in the north watching. The demographics is pretty much split between north and south of those who tune into Superleague.

As for the rich going to some RU game in Dubai I am not really sure what that proves. A fine spectacle with plenty of celebrities, fine wine, champagne and canapes is typical Rugby Union isnt it.

Rugby League is never going to be that type of event. Union will always have that sort of crowd as the sport is bred in those circles.

The difference I see between the two is people seem to go to these Union games not as Union fans but just for the 'event'. How many people that watch this games actually know the rules? Full credit for the sport being able to get these casual fans to want to attend the 'events' and its something the RFL need to look at.

Agree 100% with everything you say...especially the last bit. I have been attacked for saying it, called a Union Troll, a vichy collaborator and generally targeted by the self appointed defenders of the RL faith on here......but Rugby League, like it or not, CAN LEARN A LOT FROM THE IRB.
Seriously.....countries PAY the IRB to host the RUWC.....then these countries have to Finance the whole thing whilst the IRB manages to generate all the additional revenues from TV deals (individual 8 year deals to maximise potential revenue and Exposure) and merchandise....everything about their organisation is geared to spread the game and generate cash.

In the UK, lOCAL Union clubs, in the main, own their own grounds, clubhouses etc....league clubs generally don't. Union clubs receive funding from a central pool if required....the RFU are light years ahead of the RFL. Harlequins v London Irish got 75k fans for a regular season game and yet RL fans are fretting about a double header at Wembley not getting the 40k Saracens get for a regular game there.....the first attempt at and English SOO is being played at a 'SAFE" ground......

Australian SOO got 33k+ for their first game......the average gate for a regular season game that year????......9,881

This is where the NRL are streets ahead of the RFL.....but until the balance of power (and money) shifts from club to country, then league will always play second fiddle IMO...

.

bAHAHA


brumbies and the ARU as well ...

hurry uo new TV deal lol

bahahaaa

Things we can learn from union :

1. Exaggerate about your crowds, participation figures and TV ratings
2. Try and con the world that your world cup is popular by multiplying the real figures by a factor 20
3. Get friends in the media and politics to give special favours others dont get, espeically when your clubs go broke
4. When you have lost a fair competition with rival sports get the government to intervene to save you ....if this government is connected with the Nazis who cares people will forget
5. Fight rival sports for 100 years over certain issues then at the drop of the hat adopted those things yourself without any apologies for the war youve created
6. Treat working class clubs and players differenetly to non WC clubs and players
7. when picking your national test side ensure that the lads come from university and posh schools, ensuring WC kids dont get a similar chance of getting picked

yeah sign me up weve got to copy them lol

theres a report on the SMH website that suggests Israel Folau has been told by his AFL coaches not to tackle rival AFL players hard for fear of making their stars and the sport look weak ...``










i cant link atm on this computer so if someone can ill appreciate it ..


bahahaaa

So then...I'm off ignore



To whom? You still say that they are conning advertisers and sponsors...I still say that I trust the judgement of these captains of Industry more than yours.

As I have pointed out, there are 2 figures used by the RUWC, FIFA, The Olympics and other global sporting events...one is potential, the other is actual.
Grow up you child

Their friends in the Media may well have washed 25yrs ago, but there is a new king in MediaTown......it's called the internet and it doesn't give a flying one where you went to school....
Agree, RL has nothing to learn from FFR......but loads to learn from the IRB......based in Dublin and Neutral during the war...HTH



So the IRB shouls say sorry for turning professional and creating a number of competitions that show up how small mined the RL powers are

Yeah....that's very grown up



It's called LIFE you moron.......there has always been a class system in place.....and it's not there because of Rugby Union. God...really.....are you 5yrs old?

.....really? Intersted to know what your thought are on as the the education of the current AB's squad. Also, the Current Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England, French squads......I believe that SA is still the only predominently "private school" team in the comp......though I am not sure about Fiji, Tonga, PNG, Japan and the other countries ...like Spain, Portugal, Italy, Argentina........

So yet again dally I counter all of your arguments...I fully expect hudds 1999 to pop along soon and call me a troll, but what I don't expect reasoned debate from you or your mild mannered reporter mate

There is a GOD