Rugby League 2023 - Change is coming

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Record crowd for a club game at Suncorp, I know it's still a novelty but it does point towards that they should have made this move years ago instead of agonising about it.

Close game at Huddersfield last night, and Salford leading Wigan tonight, it does feel like the top six or seven are well matched this season, with a clearer gap to the bottom group. Warrington are running riot at Cas.

Leeds v Catalans should be another good game tomorrow but I won't get to see it until tomorrow night at the earliest.

[The Mighty Trin]

Absolute horseshit.

[Gangster Octopus]

Quite.

[ad hoc]

Record crowd for a club game at Suncorp, I know it's still a novelty but it does point towards that they should have made this move years ago instead of agonising about it.

Why has it taken so long? Is it just that all the teams from Greater Sydney don't like to have to travel too much?

[Tony C]

I think assurances of long term financial stability were part of the hesitancy. Certainly travel costs would be part of those considerations as it must be the best part of 1000k from Redcliffe to Sydney. I’m not sure how the costs are being covered in the Dolphins’ case - it was having to pay for opponents travel that certainly did for expansion team Perth Reds in the 1990’s although the east to west coast trip obviously dwarfs this.

Having said that Hunter Mariners went under after being discarded by the newly formed NRL (after the Super League debacle) because it was decided that the Newcastle area of Sydney couldn’t support two elite clubs whereas Melbourne got the green light to join at the same time so geography isn’t a deciding factor.

[ad hoc]

From the outside it always seems like a bit of a NSW stitch up. Obviously league is just as big in Queensland as it is in NSW, and their relative success in Origin implies that at grass roots level it's as big, if not bigger. But then only 3 QLD teams for years (and one of those on the gold coast which feels like a sort of separate place entirely). When you watch the Cowboys you can see the absolute passion of the crowd. And yet they have teams in Melbourne and even New Zealand before allowing a second Brisbane team

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

The Broncos not being keen in sharing the Brisbane "market" was also a factor, although ironically it was the Broncos dominance of free to air TV slots which paved the way for a second Brisbane team, to make Fox pay TV more attractive in Queensland.

The NRL has also agonised for years about added more teams because they dont want to dilute the standard of the competition by spreading what talent there is across more teams - which obviously doesn't have a huge impact when just adding one more, but logically they will end up adding an 18th and there will still be demand to add others.

To which the counterpoint is to merge some of the Sydney teams but they've obviously been down that road before and in some ways are still recovering from the damage done.

I don't think the travel costs are a big problem (not as big as they were for Perth certainly), the Queensland Cup is managing to fly teams to and from PNG and Fiji on a fraction of the money that the Dolphins' entry is adding to the table for the NRL.

[Tony C]

Souths beat Manly in another golden point game.

This is such an intensely competitive league.

[Tony C]

Leeds - Catalans on Channel 4 right now. Catalans 22-8 up and it’s an entertaining match but Leeds’ defensive organisation is a problem.

[Tony C]

A real second half turn round leaves it 32-22 for Leeds with Catalans’ defence going to pieces second half. A couple of minutes left.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Leeds having a torrid time in a downpour at Craven Park, some slapstick defending going on and KR are coping better with the conditions.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

More hilarity as Hull KR get possession from their second half kick off and score on the next play. Many of Leeds' players appear to think the ball will explode if they go near it, but they have got one back now.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Now Leeds have managed to hit one of their own players with a goal line drop out, which I don't think I've ever seen before. KR fail to capitalise from the resulting penalty though.

[nmrfox]

Leeds were hilarious. OK the conditions were tough but some of the decision making by the wingers and full back left a hell of a lot to be desired. HKR thoroughly deserved the win and Ryan Hall was as good going onto tackles as any prop.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

https://twitter.com/mikelavelle93/status/1641898427192692752?s=19

[Tony C]

Leeds were hilarious. OK the conditions were tough but some of the decision making by the wingers and full back left a hell of a lot to be desired. HKR thoroughly deserved the win and Ryan Hall was as good going onto tackles as any prop.

He’s certainly a big unit for a winger.

[Tony C]

Even golden point extra time couldn’t separate Manly and Newcastle today as both defences held firm in denying their opponents even a field goal in the added zone. The fame finished 32-32 with England wing Dom Young scoring four tries for the Knights.

[Nurse Duckett]

Watching Warrington-Hull on C4 (no spoilers) - why is the on-screen score showing number of tries scored by each side (OK, slight spoiler)? There doesn't seem to be a bonus point system as in Rugby Union. Does it come into play after a pointless golden point period?

[The Mighty Trin]

There doesn't seem to be a bonus point system as in Rugby Union. Does it come into play after a pointless golden point period?

No bonus point system and no impact on golden point. I do not care for this Super League golden point rule at all. A draw's a draw.

[nmrfox]

Great day in this house with York winning a cracking game against Sheffield live on BBC. Playing 50 minutes with 12 men they did ever so well to hang on.

[Tony C]

Great day in this house with York winning a cracking game against Sheffield live on BBC. Playing 50 minutes with 12 men they did ever so well to hang on.

With Sheffield in such great form this was a very good win for York.

[Nurse Duckett]

No bonus point system and no impact on golden point. I do not care for this Super League golden point rule at all. A draw's a draw.

Ta. I agree with a draw being a draw in non-knockout matches; I'm still puzzled as to why they show the try count.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

I guess it's just one of Channel 4's "presentation innovations" but there are more useful things they could be doing to help the casual viewer.

[Tony C]

Widnes take a towelling in the Challenge Cup away at League One Dewsbury.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

This week's BBC RL podcast was a surprisingly interesting and revealing interview with the recently retired Dan Sarginson. As Dave Woods commented towards the end, they could have easily filled two or three hours but were limited to one.