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NRL Superstars Sonny Bill Williams and Mark Gasnier are unhappy about their pay packets. It was alleged in print media over the weekend that Williams expected an upgrade of his $400,000 a year contract when the Bulldogs lost Willie Mason, Brent Sherwin and Mark O’Meley. Gasnier is on a similar contract, however additional 3rd party deals that were to increase his earning capacity appear to not have come to fruition.

It is sad when success can lead us to lose touch with reality and what is going on in the world today. The average NRL fan that attends matches or subscribes to Foxtel does not earn anywhere near the money that the average Rugby League player earns today. Players such as Williams, Gasnier, Lockyer and Thurston can earn the money they earn because fans attend the games and buy flags and jerseys.

Ironically, the teams of the two players in question are struggling at the bottom of the ladder. The time spent working out how much they are not earning should be better spent trying to help their teams out of their current situation, so they can again enjoy success and bring more fans to the game.

No one can begrudge these amazing superstars for attempting to improve their situations. Rugby League players have a short life span in the game and most leave the game with no real skills and long term physical problems. However, these type of discussions should be saved for a football club office or boardroom and should not be played out in the media or speculated upon by greedy player managers trying to fill their back pockets.

For the bricky’s labourer who puts their body under similar physical strain each week day, has a family and ever increasing mortgage, it will be hard to comprehend why almost half a million dollars is not enough. It will also make any prospective fan think twice about taking their family to a NRL game this weekend.

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Times are changing for NRL

May 16th 2008 14:45

As we head toward the first State of Origin match next Wednesday, with Queensland has favourites, a quick look at the NRL table confirms why Queensland's dominance may be present for many years to come.

The Titans and Broncos are firmly entrenched at the top of the table. Melbourne, although a city in Victoria, is made up of several Queensland players. The Cowboys are an exception to the theory, however have been in the mix around finals time over the last few years. As many rugby league commentators correctly pointed out, they were always going to struggle after coach Graham Murray was sacked before a ball was kicked.

Rugby League is changing and although its spiritual home is in New South Wales, its future may lie in Queensland. Slow pre-ticket sales for Centenary Test at the SCG led many astute rugby league followers to predict that if the game was held in Queensland, it would have sold out Suncorp Stadium.

Sydney's apparent lack of interest may be attributed to the wide variety of sports on offer. Rugby Union, AFL, Football and Rugby League administrators are fighting for a slice of the pie. Victorians are very dedicated to the AFL, hence the Melbourne Storm's constant battle to gain a foothold in the market. Although all four codes are played in Queensland, recent success has been in Rugby League as the Reds (Rugby Union) and Lions (AFL) struggle to gain ascendancy in their respective competitions.

As Sydney becomes to expensive to live in, many young families are moving to a much more affordable state, in Queensland. The dominance of non-Sydney teams is fantastic for the growth of the game. As Sydney's demographics and fan's habits change, NRL CEO David Gallop must remember to nurture the game's heartland by ensuring junior development has the necessary resources and funding to maintain its position as the number 1 winter sport in Sydney.

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Are Selectors watching the same game?

May 16th 2008 13:49

Recent rugby league representative team selections have led many a rugby league supporter to wonder how selectors choose representative teams.

In the recent Centenary test between Australia and New Zealand, in-form second rower Anthony Laffranchi was the team’s 18th man, however was overlooked for Michael Crocker when injury led to his inclusion. Crocker and coach Ricky Stuart’s relationship go back to their days together at the Roosters, whilst Laffranchi, the form second-rower in the NRL, was initially overlooked for Paul Gallen, who had just returned from suspension. Stuart is Gallen’s club coach at the Sharks.

An even more explicable decision was made when Titan’s in-form half back Scott Prince was overlooked for the Queensland team, in favour of playing a known full-back, Karmichael Hunt, at five-eighth. Tonight. Prince almost single-handedly destroyed the Bulldogs in the Titan’s 24-20 win, reminding selectors that he is still the form player of the NRL. In this case, no connection can be made between coach and player, however someone, whether it be one of the selectors or coach Mal Meninga has made a controversial decision to leave the best half-back currently in the NRL out.

It’s about time that current form is used to select representative teams and not on who individual coaches or selectors think should be in the team. Decisions like those made recently affect the credibility of the representative selection process and also rob the teams of having the best players available to play.

More importantly, NRL fans do not get the opportunity to see the competition’s in-form players on display. A Queensland halves combination of Prince and Johnathan Thurston up against NSW, would have made for a fantastic spectacle.

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How much is that Doggy in the window?

May 5th 2008 11:46

The cashed-up Bulldogs appear to be in the market for any and every player coming off contract. They have shown interest in a variety of players in varying positions, which may lead many Bulldogs supporter to question whether this scatter gun approach is going to bring them the success on the field that they have been use to in the past.

Over the last few months, the Bulldogs have had more misses than hits, missing out on high profile players such as Israel Folau, Jeff Lima and Matt Cooper. The only new recruit that recently signed is young Dragons winger/centre, Josh Morris. Not the type of key signing Bulldogs fans are expecting

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Bring back the Amco Cup

May 4th 2008 11:34

Just over 11,000 people braved the cold on Friday evening to watch the annual City-Country game that never reached any great heights. For a so-called representative game, played by the some of the top players in the NRL, the crowd was disappointing. The game would have received more attention and possibly a larger crowd if it was played in a major country centre such as Bathurst or Orange. The game was a fantastic opportunity to increase the exposure of the game to an audience currently starved of live NRL games.

The game was definitely not an opportunity for players to impress the State of Origin coach –Craig Bellamy did not even bother to attend the match. Hopefully, he stayed up to watch the late night replay available on Channel 9 in Victoria

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The Lost Handshake

May 3rd 2008 09:44

In the 80’s and 90’s, when former Bulldog legend Terry Lamb played Rugby League, he and Bulldogs CEO, Peter Moore, would seal his playing agreement with a handshake. Welcome to Rugby League in 2008 where a signed contract is not worth the paper that it is written on.

Over the last few weeks, we have had the Canberra Raiders coach, Neil Henry, walk out after 4 weeks of a two year contract. This is after he assured Raiders Half Back, Todd Carney that he would be remaining at Raiders. Carney had only just signed a long term deal with the Raiders. Cronulla Half Back Brett Kimmorley, having re-signed a new contract only last year, was told recently that if he can find a club, he will be granted a release mid-season. Bulldogs superstar Sonny Bill Williams, who is contracted to the Bulldogs until 2012, admitted on Channel 9’s Footy Show last Thursday evening, that he would listen to offers to play with the All Blacks

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May 2008

6 Posts