Is it just me that finds the reaction and panic to this slightly depressing?
The thought of no football after a depressing summer of fires , smoke , and stupid cricket scheduling, really takes the cake.
Wish everyone and their family good health
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Obviously Covid-19 is a serious event but it is exacerbated by the accompanying media circus. For example an ABC news report the other day was talking about a testing centre set up NEXT TO THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT in a Melbourne hospital. Surely it would have been sufficient to say it was located at the hospital. Milking it for all that it is worth. Shame ABC.
How bad is our game financially if the game will not survive with no footy?
The mind boggles as to the accounting of our game, What happened to our “warchest” for elite players, is that still a thing?
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this what you mean bird man?
source nine news
“confusion and crowds at Sydney Airport as life saving self isolation begins”
“Sydney airport is jammed with frustrated passengers who landed hours
after Australia’s tough new corona virus travel measures were rolled out”
“There is frustration but, everybody wants to make sure they can do what
they have to do to ensure everybody’s health”
Maybe they shldn’t have gone overseas in the first bloody place !!!
There was a recommendation made to the ARLC to put money away yearly to save for a situation such as this. Sadly that fund was ‘raided’ in 2016 to “help alleviate short-term cashflow issues and pay for a big investment in a new digital media business”.
I’m only speculating here, but they must have scoffed at such a “emergency” would ever be on the horizon. Interesting that this happened in 2016, the first year of current CEO Todd Greenberg, it’s quite fitting that this year will probably be his last as CEO.
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UPDATE 16 MARCH
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NRL will state that Round Two games will be played in front of empty stadiums. Spectators are advised to stay at home and watch the games on television and refrain from going to the stadium to ‘show support’.
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Fans who have already bought tickets to games in Round Two or are Season ticket holders will receive information this week regarding their tickets.
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The New Zealand Warriors have decided to stay in Australia to play this weeks fixture against the Canberra Raiders. Venue is yet to be announced.
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With ‘2 week self quarantine’ measures in place in both Australia in New Zealand, the NRL season may have to be suspended or cancelled if the Warriors decide to return home next week. No official indication of this from the NRL, but a possibility.
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The NRL has stressed that if the season is to be suspended or cancelled, it may put the entire league in a difficult position. The NRL have asked for the Australian government to contribute $200m (speculated) of which the government has since rejected with the PM stating “The NRL are not high on our priority list”
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Round 3 options are being discussed by the NRL. Options such as single venue camps, and Magic Month, as well as a suggestion to move the games North to take advantage of the virus’ poor performance in warmer regions.
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Thanks Steve and i had to endure Gould on 9 this morning whining about the financial woes of the NRL and questioning why it was in such a dire position
Wasn’t he GM and a key member who saw and had input into he NRL financials?
The guy makes me sick and now is trying to take some moral high ground
He couldn’t manage our salary cap while taking a Million a year is salary and wants to hold himself out as some virtuous saviour…PLEASE don’t tell me he is positioning for Greenbergs gig?
Anyways if what what Vlandys said about the financial state of the game we do have major problems and to use a Gould term, if the NRL is “on tilt” look out for someone with deep pockets coming along and owning the game
Imagine if someone like Twiggy Forrest turns up with pockets of cash to save the NRL for control of the game?
Might be a good thing if he could get rid of the dummies running clubs like fiefdoms and blokes like Gould getting airtime.
Go Twiggy!!!
Wouldn’t or shouldn’t there be lots of questions about this
“The existing NRL deal between Nine and Foxtel, valued at over $2bn, runs until the end of 2022,”
That was a 5 year deal which was to commence in 2018
Lets say $400m a year…so where does that go or where has that gone?
If they are saying it costs the NRL $400m a year to run…give me $1m a year and i will fix it
I think a lot of noses are in the trough…might be time to take some of those pigs out and cut them loose.
It has been reported that the AFL will reduce its season to 17 games, where each team plays each other once. I’m assuming that will also include a 6 week delay to the start of the season. There is supposed to be an official announcement tomorrow.
I wonder if the NRL will look to suspend the competition, before shortening the season too?
Sadly the NRL do not have a $120 million dollar warchest put away like the AFL.
A mate at work and I came up to a possible partial solution to NRL funding if the season was canceled:
Run the current season as a virtual comp, with games randomly selected from the last 22 years (post super league).
For example, this week we are vs the Dragons. Randomly select a Panthers v Dragons game from 1998 to 2019.
Do the same for all 8 games. Replay on tv and fox/kayo the historical matches.
No betting on games, season ladder is kept as per usual.
Have current players / coaches as well as former players as guest commentators.
Random game selection kept secret until (15?) minutes prior to kick-off.
Should the season re-commence - 16 team final series (knock out), based on the random series ladder.
Worse case scenario of course, but could be fun and create some tv interest for fans.
mate, do what I do & avoid Gould like the plague - it makes for a lot happier life my friend 
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I have been saying for years that the NRL has become the employer of far too many. It’s as if the game exists just to provide jobs for people that would not get a job doing anything else.
In these trying times, as a business the NRL needs to shed maybe 20% of the hangers on in the first instance. I’m sure they will benefit from the $ savings, and it will make not one iota of difference. Likely they will soon see they can shed a further 20% of the rest.
Even at club level there are far too many people making a living from the game. I recall a few years back at the Panthers it was reported that we had something like 52 people paid by the football club over and above the contracted players. What the hell are these people doing all week?
2020 looks likely to be the year for a lot of sorting out!!
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It’s funny, I would watch that 9 show with Gal, I like his straight talk, but I see that boof head and simply turn off…….it does make for a happier life !!
100% correct mrwalker (shit you and I must be kin lol) 2020 will be a massive year for job losses, the belt will be the tightest it has ever been, and all of those people who “just turn up” will be the first to whinge.
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UPDATE 18 MARCH
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The Federal Government has announced that bans on crowds will continue for 6 months, making the first NRL match to have a crowd September 18, approximately the first week of finals (if the NRL season reaches the finals)
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The NSWRL have suspended all NSW Leagues until May 31. This applies to Canterbury Cup NSW, Harvey Norman NSW Women’s Premiership, Jersey Flegg Cup, Ron Massey Cup, Newcastle Business Plaza Cup, Sydney Shield, UNE SG Ball Cup, Laurie Daley Cup, Harvey Norman Tarsha Gale Cup, UNE Harold Matthews Cup, Andrew Johns Cup, Women’s Country Championships and Men’s Under 23s Country Championships.
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The QRL have suspended all Leagues until June 5. This applies to all Senior (Intrust Super Cup, BHP Premiership) and Junior competition .
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The UK Super League has suspended their competition until April 3. At that time an announcement on whether the competition will resume or remain suspended.
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No indication had been made about State of Origin, but there have been word about suspending representative fixtures for 2020.
Regarding the news about the 6 month ban, I would imagine the NRL will have to consider refunding 2020 Season Tickets.
Competition status updates are now added to top of thread.
Well season ticket holders have been offered Basic Kayo for $5 for 2 months thru a voucher code. Existing Kayo subscribers like me get 2 months for the $5, instead of the $50 I would pay normally ($25 p.m.), so not all bad news
Other than that who knows what may happen - maybe footy membership rolls into 2021 season??
It appears evident to me with todays actions by the Federal and Victorian Government with NSW almost surely to follow the NRL season is now at its end and perhaps unless there is either a saviour by way of Government grant or white knight, perhaps we have witnessed the end of the NRL as we know it
I personally cannot see the Government offering the NRL a lifeline other then what is being offered to any business and what is being offered to any employee, it would set a benchmark which just wouldn’t sit well with the public
I think we will see enormous announcements from the NSW Government tonight or tomorrow at the latest basically shutting the NSW economy down except for essential services.
I will keep an eye on the site but my heart goes out to anyone who will be heavily impacted by this and even mores for anyone who is infected with this virus
If the Italy model is what we are looking at, everything as we know it will change.
No one alive has seen anything like this and where we land whether it be in 3,6 or 12 months no one knows.
Take care and keep well all posters.
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With state borders closing (Queensland have just made an announcement) it looks almost inevitable that the NRL will have to be suspended. I’m expecting an announcement either this afternoon or tomorrow. Hopefully it won’t effect our season too much.
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