General Can the NRL help out?

[wizards rage]

Like they really give a shite?

Good business 101.

I boo’ed your comment but I know you are right

 

[mrblonde]

And it would just encourage the NZRL and ARL to sit back on their behinds and not do everything they could do.

The NRL treating the Salary Cap and 3rd Party Agreements 100% seriously would be enough for me. It still grates that while the Storm lost their two Premierships (like anyone really cares, okay, maybe personally embarrassing but it doesn't affect the team going forward) over their quite deliberately planned Salary Cap breaches (the Warriors' breach was self-reported and basically happened because the club were stupid IIRC), there weren't any contracts of some of Melbourne's name - or at least nearly-name - players declared null-and-void. That team really should have been smashed in two.

 

[The Falcon]

What the NRL should be doing to assist the game in NZ:

- get former greats touring NZ regularly to promote the sport - Cam Smith, Thurston, Johns, etc
- get the commentators to be positive about the Warriors
- even better fund NZ commentators assisting the regulars for Warriors games
- get the NRL shows to give equal coverage to NZ (I know they are catering to their market but this is to grow the sport and create a bigger market)
- get former coaches running school age coaching camps. There are always plenty out of a job or between jobs (Brown, Green, Maninga, etc)
- have the NRL running several school competitions in NZ every year where several nrl players come as VIP’s
- play several reprentitive games in NZ every year all stars, Maori vs Aborigine; a SOO game, Australia/ NZ test matches annually, etc
- encouraging all teams to take 1 or 2 home games to growth areas (including around NZ). That’s about 20-30 games per year growing new markets. Get the Sydney teams doing a greater share. Similar to a game in Perth every year but supersized.

The NRL has used us as a cash cow as the game dies in NZ. Grow the game and we get more talent recruited into all the teams, build up to a second NZ team and the tv rights grow.

Some great points. They essentially need to go full immersion into the NZ game and by doing so being front of mind for participation.
That means stumping up a lot of cash.
A quality schools version of Harold Mathew’s Cup and as rightly suggested invest in developing coaching and league infrastructure.
The pulling power of Rugby in NZ will always be the obstacle.