*Official* NRL 2012 Season thread

[Hurricane]

My thought I have which people agree with me at work about is that Melbourne won because their line speed on defence was so quick (sometimes legally sometimes illegally).

 

[vic_orthdox]

If they could have been kept for legal money why did they need second contracts?

There's a whole bunch of difficult to quantify benefits that come with assembling a squad like that too. The building of a "winning culture". Allowing management to choose what parts of the illegally assembled machine to shed. As mentioned early the "unfinished business" factor encouraging key players to stick around for less money.

Not wanting to take away what the Storm have gotten out of nobodies like Lowe, Proctor, Norrie and so forth. Just feel that anything this Storm team achieve will always have a question mark against it because of how it was put together.

So you're still talking about retaining, not obtaining.

Fair enough, don't see how it's worse than a Folau, Lockyer, Hodges combination up in Brisbane though in terms of cash.

The one that always smelt to me was Finch hanging around, supposedly playing for base wage. Did he get a big payout before he came down here?

 

[Ausage]

Lockyer was on the long service discount for most of that time iirc. Hodges in particular wouldn't be worth what the big 3 are, and even then Brisbane didn't hold on to two of them.

Manly retaining their big players this year is the only modern example I can think of. But then Manly have a lot of the advantages Melbourne do (strong winning culture) but they obtained them legally (to our knowledge).

 

[Mister Wright]

Lockyer was on the long service discount for most of that time iirc. Hodges in particular wouldn't be worth what the big 3 are, and even then Brisbane didn't hold on to two of them.

Manly retaining their big players this year is the only modern example I can think of. But then Manly have a lot of the advantages Melbourne do (strong winning culture) but they obtained them legally (to our knowledge).

Manly had to sacrafice a lot of their depth signings however this year. Lussick and Whare are at the top of that list. If they have an injury plauged season like this season, it's hard to see them finish Top 4. They have one of the best first XVIIs in the competition, but will struggle with depth next season. That's the cost of keeping guys like DCE, Foran & Stewart brothers.

 

[chaminda_00]

The thing with Manly is we always lose our depth each season and replace those guys with other fringe players. In general Melbourne do the same, but I find it a bit strange they are able to sign the likes of Will Chambers and Ryan Hoffman this season and still stay under the cap. Those guys are mid range players and wouldn't be that cheap coming back from Super League and Rugby. Add to that someone like Jason Ryles. Fair enough getting one of those players, but three players. Who did they really get rid of last season to get those three. Adam Blair, Beau Champion??

Then you have players like Ryan Hincliffe. Fair enough we have our own players they that in Burher, but we had to lose Tony Williams, Lussick, Harrison and potentially Kite to keep him.

Everyone goes on about how Melbourne only have the big three and no one else. Yeah there is couple players who a nobodies that play really well for them. But majority of the side are top line first graders.

You look at teams like Tigers and Cowboys who have players close the standard or better then the top three at Melbourne. They have far worse depth then Melbourne.

For mine there has to still be some major question marks over whether this side in under the cap.

 

[chaminda_00]

Finch signs on for Storm return | Rugby League, NRL Scores, NRL Ladder | Fox Sports

What salary cap???

 

[Ausage]

A Manly lower grade player died after falling from cliffs at Freshwater Beach. Incredible after the Port Adelaide player in Vegas a month ago.

Awful stuff. RIP.

 

[uvelocity]

gee this will be a big improvement methinks. hopefully see a lot of different teams on friday nights and so on.

NRL Draw to be announced late this week - Tigers

 

[chaminda_00]

Nah nothing will change. Brisbane will get one Friday night game every week and the other goes to SFS or Telstra Stadium team, regardless of where teams are on the table.

 

[Ausage]

Yeah the schedule is going to get tiring. It'd be nice to see the Cows or the Titans get some more Friday games but 9 have already pretty much confirmed the Broncos will get the majority.

I reckon it's going to be a great season though. $BW vs Bulldogs will be great to watch, lots of teams with fresh looking lineups.

 

[uvelocity]

Yeah the schedule is going to get tiring. It'd be nice to see the Cows or the Titans get some more Friday games but 9 have already pretty much confirmed the Broncos will get the majority.

I reckon it's going to be a great season though. $BW vs Bulldogs will be great to watch, lots of teams with fresh looking lineups.

odds on sbw dogging his contract?

 

[chaminda_00]

Just saw the press conference for him signing for the Roosters. Doesn't seem overly keen on playing League tbh. Just seems like he is playing to honour the handshake agreement with the Roosters from three years ago. Which seems strange considering what he did with Bulldogs.

Reckon he will play one season, try and win the League WC and then go back to rugby for the next Rugby WC.

Seems as he is just back in League for unfinished business the League WC and then back to Rugby.

 

[Ausage]

He's a mercenary. Has been ever since he shacked up with Mundine. If League continue to pay him more than RU than he'll stay. If RU offer him bigger $$ he'll be back there in a heartbeat.

Don't think he'll dodge this year though. If he's not interested he'll just play half arsed, be injured regularly, talk about boxing/RU/racial inequality/etc.

 

[uvelocity]

reckon he will find it pretty tough. look forward to guys like tamou and sims knocking him over

 

[chaminda_00]

They said the same thing when he come over to Super Rugby and ITM Cup. We all know what happened over there.

Regardless what you think of him, he is talented footballers and I reckon after the half way mark of the season he will be back near the level he was when he left.

I reckon there is something wrong in League and Union when the top best leagues don't command the biggest pay cheque. Surprised more elite players from both codes don't do the one year contracts and cash up in Japanese or European Rugby in the off season.

The whole it ok the earn less money to play in the top leagues can only last for so long. End of the day your only one injury or bad season away from sent to out to pasture.

 

[uvelocity]

I wouldn't have a clue what happened in some flog union league

 

[Ausage]

I reckon there is something wrong in League and Union when the top best leagues don't command the biggest pay cheque.

I've always wondered about that. I'm assuming there are loads of super rich benefactors involved in the Union, particularly in Japan? I'm sure their TV deal isn't commanding high numbers and the crowds are tiny.

That kind of support isn't sustainable surely. Class structures change, people fall out of money or find other toys to pour disposable income into. Without strong fundamental support no investor will touch it without a significant personal interest in promoting the sport in the region.

 

[Burgey]

We are Parra. We want to pay massive dough for a winger who won't see the ball and who has been playing Aussie Rules. But the NRL won't let us.

Hear us roar.

 

[Ausage]

You'll get him. Stuart's just playing games with the media with the whole brick wall comments.

 

[chaminda_00]

I've always wondered about that. I'm assuming there are loads of super rich benefactors involved in the Union, particularly in Japan? I'm sure their TV deal isn't commanding high numbers and the crowds are tiny.

That kind of support isn't sustainable surely. Class structures change, people fall out of money or find other toys to pour disposable income into. Without strong fundamental support no investor will touch it without a significant personal interest in promoting the sport in the region.

They get most of the money back outside basic Union income from TV deals and crowds. It is the advertising profits of having your brand mentioned in the media. Your not necessary playing SBW just for Rugby, he is basically doing a couple months of ads for Panasonic for example. Panasonic was mentioned about 10 times in the SBW press conference.

Also the rest of team get paid very little in general. So it not like there is 30 guys on one million each.