TRF_melon
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The dawn of a new era of NRL is upon us.
We have a new TV deal, an increased salary cap and a new CEO. This has brought promises of expansion and prosperity, however it has also brought about a drugs scandal which is yet to be of substance and the same old dickheads wrecking the rugby league's image.
The new TV deal struck with Nine and Fox is worth approx. $1.025 billion over five (5) years, which has gone some way to allow the Rugby League Player's Association (RLPA) bargain with the Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) to see an increase of each NRL club's salary cap to $5.85 million per year which will increase to $6.3 million in 2014, $6.55 million in 2015, $6.8 million in 2016 and $7 million in 2017.
With a tightening of the purse strings by some clubs as a result of dwindling poker machine revenues, many are fearing some of the less financially stable clubs may over extend themselves with the extra money they have the potential to spend despite the fact their grants from the NRL will also increase. The positives do outweigh the negatives of course, however it is very easy to fall by the way side.
There has been doubt about the new CEO, David Smith with him forgetting Cameron Smith's name as well as mixing up Benji Marshall and Ben Barba, however that is to be expected when you're new to such a huge organisation. Forgetting the Australian captain was rather embarrassing though... He brings a wealth of experience in leadership to the NRL after coming from Lloyds Banks where he was the chief executive and has served in the British Army and counter-terrorism unit. He is certainly no slouch. I've heard plenty of comments from media personalities such as "Would you let Steve 'Blocker' Roach run a bank?", but that is sheer ignorance. You could argue that previous NRL CEO David Gallop was a lawyer, however that would be completely ludicrous.
Currently there is a dark cloud hovering over all professional sports, namely Rugby League and AFL as a result of a damning report 'drugs in sport' report as announced in February by the Australian Crime Commission (ACC) in conjunction with Minister for Sport, Kate Lundy. When this was announced, it was supposed to signify the darkest day of Australia's proud sporting history, however so far all we've seen is a couple of key names and clubs, a lot of hype and conjecture. It will be interesting how this pans out during the year and how it will affect our sporting codes.
Now to the footy itself!
The season kicks of tomorrow night with the Roosters playing at home against the Rabbitohs. Both teams have named strong line-ups but I feel Greg Inglis being at fullback will make the difference which is backed up by sportingbet which has placed South Sydney at $1.70 favourites. Sonny Bill Williams has been named on the bench - I can't wait to see him unleashed despite the fact I have a feeling he will perform well for 5 minutes and then go down with an injury. Admittedly it would be great to see him smacked around a bit too. A surprising change for South Sydney has seen coach Michael Maguire drop team captain Michael Crocker to the bench, with Maguire mentioning Crocker will need to lift his level of performance if he is to force his way back in to the starting line-up. This game also sees the return of former Cowboys, NSW and Australian representative Luke O'Donnell after his stint in the Super Duper League.
Out of sixteen teams, the Cronulla Sharks have no doubt recruited the best. They now have depth and quality in key positions as well as game breakers all over the park. With Luke Lewis and Paul Gallen leading their forward pack and Todd Carney steering a solid back line, I have no doubt they'll make the top eight, however an injury to a key play or two will dictate their year which is also the case for the likes of the Brisbane Broncos.
Brisbane have a good strong young team, who are likely to scrape in to the eight. They have recruited well by snagging Scott Prince for a bargain price - hopefully a new club will give him fresh legs and a renewed hunger for success. Sam Thaiday needs to lift and Justin Hodges needs to stay injury free.
The Bulldogs will be strong once again but will miss Ben Barba whilst he continues his "self imposed" exile (funnily enough he was actually indefinitely suspended) to address his alcohol and gambling issues. I was on his side until I became aware of his unprovoked aggressive exchange with Josh Hannay in QLD, and his foolish decision to join Cronulla based Epic Bender Crew which was confirmed by the tattoo adorning his abdomen. He is a deadset ****wit. Hopefully he sorts out his addictions and matures a little too.
St George Illawarra Dragons.....hmmmmm.....I'm not going to waste any time talking about them....
I'll put Gold Coast's ***ans in the same boat as Wests Tigers. They've got some bloody good plays but god only knows if they'll fire or not. Whilst Benji led lasts years line break assist statistic (I think?) he didn't do much else and needs to bring a bit of that flair back. On the other hand, the ***ans have two huge superstars in Dave Taylor and Jamaaaaaal Idris who have the potential to physically dominate any team. The only question is of Idris' fitness and their positioning on the field.
Melbourne are once again favourites despite the fact they have once again lost four or five terrific players, however you quite simply cannot go past the magical Coach/Hooker/Half/Fullback combination of Bellamy, Smith, Cronk and Slater. They are magical.
The North Queensland Cowboys have retained their big players for this season but it seems the question of next year may distract some. Put simply, they do not have enough money to retain Scott, Tamou and Thurston together. I mentioned in last year's write up that Thurston will be targeted by the Broncos and I stand by that, but Penrith have also put their hands up with a huge offer, rumoured to be atleast $700 000 per year.
Aaaaaand now for the Parramatta Eels. Bloody hell. They have been a joke for two seasons and will continue that trend this year. The discontent is still there. The laziness is still there. Chris Sandow is still there. Their only hope is Jarryd Hayne - I would love to see him play with a quality team week in week out. It would do wonders for him.
Unfortunately Canberra Raiders find themselves without stars Josh Dugan and Jarrod Croker but against Penrith this weekend, perhaps they won't be required.
Get excited for another big year!
We have a new TV deal, an increased salary cap and a new CEO. This has brought promises of expansion and prosperity, however it has also brought about a drugs scandal which is yet to be of substance and the same old dickheads wrecking the rugby league's image.
The new TV deal struck with Nine and Fox is worth approx. $1.025 billion over five (5) years, which has gone some way to allow the Rugby League Player's Association (RLPA) bargain with the Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) to see an increase of each NRL club's salary cap to $5.85 million per year which will increase to $6.3 million in 2014, $6.55 million in 2015, $6.8 million in 2016 and $7 million in 2017.
With a tightening of the purse strings by some clubs as a result of dwindling poker machine revenues, many are fearing some of the less financially stable clubs may over extend themselves with the extra money they have the potential to spend despite the fact their grants from the NRL will also increase. The positives do outweigh the negatives of course, however it is very easy to fall by the way side.
There has been doubt about the new CEO, David Smith with him forgetting Cameron Smith's name as well as mixing up Benji Marshall and Ben Barba, however that is to be expected when you're new to such a huge organisation. Forgetting the Australian captain was rather embarrassing though... He brings a wealth of experience in leadership to the NRL after coming from Lloyds Banks where he was the chief executive and has served in the British Army and counter-terrorism unit. He is certainly no slouch. I've heard plenty of comments from media personalities such as "Would you let Steve 'Blocker' Roach run a bank?", but that is sheer ignorance. You could argue that previous NRL CEO David Gallop was a lawyer, however that would be completely ludicrous.
Currently there is a dark cloud hovering over all professional sports, namely Rugby League and AFL as a result of a damning report 'drugs in sport' report as announced in February by the Australian Crime Commission (ACC) in conjunction with Minister for Sport, Kate Lundy. When this was announced, it was supposed to signify the darkest day of Australia's proud sporting history, however so far all we've seen is a couple of key names and clubs, a lot of hype and conjecture. It will be interesting how this pans out during the year and how it will affect our sporting codes.
Now to the footy itself!
The season kicks of tomorrow night with the Roosters playing at home against the Rabbitohs. Both teams have named strong line-ups but I feel Greg Inglis being at fullback will make the difference which is backed up by sportingbet which has placed South Sydney at $1.70 favourites. Sonny Bill Williams has been named on the bench - I can't wait to see him unleashed despite the fact I have a feeling he will perform well for 5 minutes and then go down with an injury. Admittedly it would be great to see him smacked around a bit too. A surprising change for South Sydney has seen coach Michael Maguire drop team captain Michael Crocker to the bench, with Maguire mentioning Crocker will need to lift his level of performance if he is to force his way back in to the starting line-up. This game also sees the return of former Cowboys, NSW and Australian representative Luke O'Donnell after his stint in the Super Duper League.
Out of sixteen teams, the Cronulla Sharks have no doubt recruited the best. They now have depth and quality in key positions as well as game breakers all over the park. With Luke Lewis and Paul Gallen leading their forward pack and Todd Carney steering a solid back line, I have no doubt they'll make the top eight, however an injury to a key play or two will dictate their year which is also the case for the likes of the Brisbane Broncos.
Brisbane have a good strong young team, who are likely to scrape in to the eight. They have recruited well by snagging Scott Prince for a bargain price - hopefully a new club will give him fresh legs and a renewed hunger for success. Sam Thaiday needs to lift and Justin Hodges needs to stay injury free.
The Bulldogs will be strong once again but will miss Ben Barba whilst he continues his "self imposed" exile (funnily enough he was actually indefinitely suspended) to address his alcohol and gambling issues. I was on his side until I became aware of his unprovoked aggressive exchange with Josh Hannay in QLD, and his foolish decision to join Cronulla based Epic Bender Crew which was confirmed by the tattoo adorning his abdomen. He is a deadset ****wit. Hopefully he sorts out his addictions and matures a little too.
St George Illawarra Dragons.....hmmmmm.....I'm not going to waste any time talking about them....
I'll put Gold Coast's ***ans in the same boat as Wests Tigers. They've got some bloody good plays but god only knows if they'll fire or not. Whilst Benji led lasts years line break assist statistic (I think?) he didn't do much else and needs to bring a bit of that flair back. On the other hand, the ***ans have two huge superstars in Dave Taylor and Jamaaaaaal Idris who have the potential to physically dominate any team. The only question is of Idris' fitness and their positioning on the field.
Melbourne are once again favourites despite the fact they have once again lost four or five terrific players, however you quite simply cannot go past the magical Coach/Hooker/Half/Fullback combination of Bellamy, Smith, Cronk and Slater. They are magical.
The North Queensland Cowboys have retained their big players for this season but it seems the question of next year may distract some. Put simply, they do not have enough money to retain Scott, Tamou and Thurston together. I mentioned in last year's write up that Thurston will be targeted by the Broncos and I stand by that, but Penrith have also put their hands up with a huge offer, rumoured to be atleast $700 000 per year.
Aaaaaand now for the Parramatta Eels. Bloody hell. They have been a joke for two seasons and will continue that trend this year. The discontent is still there. The laziness is still there. Chris Sandow is still there. Their only hope is Jarryd Hayne - I would love to see him play with a quality team week in week out. It would do wonders for him.
Unfortunately Canberra Raiders find themselves without stars Josh Dugan and Jarrod Croker but against Penrith this weekend, perhaps they won't be required.
Get excited for another big year!
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