There's a bit of grumbling going around in League circles of late. There's a distinct divide in League circles. One side thinks that League is strong and there's nothing wrong, the other side say there is a problem, how do we fix it?
Rusty and that perennial working class chip carrier Roy Masters have claimed that League is strong and that because they get better ratings than AFL on Fox, then that means it's more popular. What Rusty and Roy over looked was that AFL is mostly free to air. Fox get the 4 crap games every week. Most people in AFL states just watch footy on the TV.
On the other side of town, Ray Warren and Phil Gould acknowledge the ARL are broke and in a precarious position and want to brainstorm ways to fix it. Whilst this rift makes no difference to the plight of League, it does make for interesting topic.
Mark Gasnier just left League for French Rugby Union. Some cried greed, but that is not the issue here.
So what is the problem? Gas left and other senior players cried "We're not getting paid enough! Our top players are earning half what top AFL players are earning. It's unfair!" The fact is, footy players get paid a slice of their code's pie. AFL players are just as good athletes as EPL players but the cold hard facts are the EPL generates vastly more amounts of cash. That's why Kewell gets $130k a week and Judd gets $20k a week. League again doesn't generate the same amount of cash as AFL, so it's no wonder why they aren't getting paid as much.
But guess what? League players n the UK and union players across Europe are getting paid a lot more. The ARL is the world's premier League comp. For now. How long until enough players go searching for their true market value before the ARL is usurped by the English League? Players going to union will fastrack this.
How will the ARL stop them? They are broke. They can't pay them any more, partly due to the fact that chain smoking, binge drinking, gambling addicts were the financial backbone of the League Clubs and now you can't smoke in clubs, pokies bring in less profit and as a result multiple Rugby League Clubs are on the brink of collapse from reduced contributions from the social clubs.
The AFL is expanding into the Gold Coast by 2011 and West Sydney by 2012, which is almost like stabbing rugby league in the heart to further add to League's problems, the war between AFL and ARL is well and truly over, ARL is on its knees and the only question that remains is:
How long will League survive?
Rusty and that perennial working class chip carrier Roy Masters have claimed that League is strong and that because they get better ratings than AFL on Fox, then that means it's more popular. What Rusty and Roy over looked was that AFL is mostly free to air. Fox get the 4 crap games every week. Most people in AFL states just watch footy on the TV.
On the other side of town, Ray Warren and Phil Gould acknowledge the ARL are broke and in a precarious position and want to brainstorm ways to fix it. Whilst this rift makes no difference to the plight of League, it does make for interesting topic.
Mark Gasnier just left League for French Rugby Union. Some cried greed, but that is not the issue here.
So what is the problem? Gas left and other senior players cried "We're not getting paid enough! Our top players are earning half what top AFL players are earning. It's unfair!" The fact is, footy players get paid a slice of their code's pie. AFL players are just as good athletes as EPL players but the cold hard facts are the EPL generates vastly more amounts of cash. That's why Kewell gets $130k a week and Judd gets $20k a week. League again doesn't generate the same amount of cash as AFL, so it's no wonder why they aren't getting paid as much.
But guess what? League players n the UK and union players across Europe are getting paid a lot more. The ARL is the world's premier League comp. For now. How long until enough players go searching for their true market value before the ARL is usurped by the English League? Players going to union will fastrack this.
How will the ARL stop them? They are broke. They can't pay them any more, partly due to the fact that chain smoking, binge drinking, gambling addicts were the financial backbone of the League Clubs and now you can't smoke in clubs, pokies bring in less profit and as a result multiple Rugby League Clubs are on the brink of collapse from reduced contributions from the social clubs.
The AFL is expanding into the Gold Coast by 2011 and West Sydney by 2012, which is almost like stabbing rugby league in the heart to further add to League's problems, the war between AFL and ARL is well and truly over, ARL is on its knees and the only question that remains is:
How long will League survive?