NRL TEAMS - 2024 Round 8
3 days ago | LeagueUnlimited Media
It is about time that some NRL administrators, club officials, and
former players who are now commentators, realised that we have a great
product - and that there is no need for radical changes on the field.
And to re-enforce that, the opening round of fixtures delivered Fox Sports the highest ratings for an opening round ever!
Add
to that the fact Monday's nights magnificent match between the Roosters
and the Rabbitohs was the highest rating programme on pay television
that day/night.
The overall viewing audience, as reported by the "Australian", was up NINE per cent on last season.
The Raiders-Storm match, hardly the match of the round, has a viewing audience that was TWENTY NINE per cent up on 2011.
And on Nine's free to air coverage on Friday night did even better than
the ratings giant, My Kitchen Rules, in Sydney. That is made even better
by the fact the cricket was available on Nine's digital channel at the
same time.
As the Australian's Brent Reid points out, the IC's pay television
bargaining position is greatly enhanced by outstanding ratings for the
opening round.
So why or why are there coaches, officials, and
commentators wanting to "tamper" with the bets sports product on free to
air and pay TV?
First it was Darren Lockyer, now a Nine commentator, who wants more
stoppages so there can be more ads to boost the "value" of the game as
part of the bidding process.
Now we read that the NRL is considering a
"challenge" system under which coaches would have a right to
"challenge" a referees decision, and that challenge would be reviewed
by the video referee.
It would apparently be similar to challenges allowed in the NFL, cricket, and tennis.
Well over the last summer the cricket and tennis crowds were DOWN and the ratings were DOWN!
I agree with Bill Harrigan that we need to minimise referees errors. We also need to minimise errors by the video referees!
But do we need more stoppages?
Don't we need more investment in training referees?
Our
game is strong because it is played by outstanding professional
athletes - and it is a flowing game with far fewer stoppages than say
rugby union.
It is a great television product - far better the Australian Rules.
So why do people want to tamper with its strengths?
Tweak the system for sure.
But let's keep its fundamental strengths.
And more stoppages would undermine one of its greatest strengths of all!