The Fans Have Spoken

[Guest]

Page 3 SMH Sports section this morning Saturday.
A well written piece by Brad Walters finally giving voice to the beleagured and largely ignored paying customers of thr NRL, regarding the quality,or lack of it, during the origin series.
Its about time we gotta look in.

[ism22]

So you agree with:
http://m.smh.com.au/rugby-union/unio...603-1fkt4.html

[ism22]

REECE SIMMONDS is set to play his first game for St George Illawarra in more than five years next Friday night after being signed to cover for the loss of up to 15 players due to Origin duties and injuries.

With the Dragons expected to again have at least seven players, and possibly eight, in the NSW side to be named tomorrow afternoon and Darius Boyd in the Queensland team, the premiers have been forced to draw on players from the local Illawarra competition just to field a side.

The next Friday night, the club's representative stars will be expected to back up from Origin II against the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium in a match that might have as many as 15 of the code's best players playing a second game within 48 hours.
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The toll on the game's biggest stars has sparked debate about scheduling for future seasons, but it's not just the players who are suffering. The fans are, too.

Bob Culbert (St George Illawarra), Lyn Martin (Brisbane), Chris Hicks (Melbourne) and James Spiropoulos (Sydney Roosters) are among more than 170,000 members of NRL clubs who pay about $400 for season tickets to watch their teams play 12 home matches.
Yet for nine weeks, between round 10, when the teams for Origin I are named, and round 19, which is the week after Origin III - the NRL competition is devalued by being in the shadow of the annual interstate series.

''State of Origin is so big, the club games just get put in the background and without the best players, or with players backing up a lot, a lot of games are pretty substandard,'' Culbert said. ''How anyone could have scheduled that game [between the Dragons and Titans] for next Friday night is beyond me. That is the best example of why there has to be stand-alone Origin.
''And to ask the players to back up after State of Origin in Sydney and play on the Friday night in Brisbane is unfair on both teams. I would usually go to that match if it was during another time in the season but I won't be next week. I just hope it doesn't destroy a team's chances at the end of the season.''

Martin, a spokesman for the Broncos supporters club, said the members of most clubs felt the same way. ''This year we have got a coach [Anthony Griffin] who has decided he wants to stand players down after State of Origin,'' Martin said. ''Whether it works we will have to wait and see but I know Sam Thaiday has got an injury that means he can only play one game a week, so we have to do something to preserve players' careers.
''As a true believer you go into every game thinking your team can win but if the players aren't stood down or injured after Origin, they are fatigued.

''I was at the double-header in Brisbane last Friday night and that was some of the most boring football you would ever see in your life.
''I'm a big advocate of stand-alone State of Origin on Saturday nights over a three-week period. That way State of Origin could be put on the pedestal it deserves and the club competition wouldn't be devalued like it is now.''
The Storm are also heavily affected by Origin commitments and will miss Cameron Smith, Billy Slater, Cooper Cronk and Dane Nielsen when they host the Roosters on Monday week.
''I've got friends who are AFL supporters and would go to watch the Storm on a Monday night but don't want to go when the stars are missing,'' Hicks said.


Spiropoulos said: ''As a Roosters supporter I am relishing that game because I think we are a good chance of winning, but the scheduling is a disgrace … I said a couple of weeks ago that we just had the worst round of football I'd ever seen.''

[ism22]

Can't say I really care this year granted we will have Todd Carney + a bunch of kiwi internationals (when in form) when we play against the Storm minus Cameron Smith, Billy Slater, Cooper Cronk and Dane Nielsen.

It will look pretty bad when we lose regardless...

It has always been the case that you lose your Origin players during the season for a few weeks and I reckon that's part of the fun. As a fan of a losing team, I'll buy tickets to see us beat a team that's usually stronger when its stars are there. Consequently I think the ticketing works both ways... half of the teams will not make the 8, we need a reason to bother watching them play teams like the Storm/Dragons/Broncos...etc.

[Johnny Tobin]

No mention of Crowe.

Are you sure it really is Brad Walter?

[Guest]

c

No mention of Crowe.

Are you sure it really is Brad Walter?

Nice.

[Guest]

When I saw the headline of this post, I was hoping it was about anasta finally being punted.

[Guest]

When I saw the headline of this post, I was hoping it was about anasta finally being punted.

Don't tease Fred, it's not nice.


Btw - Chris Hicks (Melbourne) - I thought he was at Parra.