As an aside, from memory looking at Aussie sports teams a few years ago ticket sales were about one third of revenue, TV deal another third and sponsorship the rest. In the NRL at least the TV revenue has gone through the roof and so would be a bigger slice, but if you want to understand the economics of sports, its very important not to over-emphasise the importance of ticket revenue.



RU has a much bigger overall TV deal (including internationals), more ticket revenue from internationals, and far bigger sponsors (internationals and from what I can see clubs also) than SL. Even if SL clubs filled their grounds every week we'd be way behind RU clubs in total revenue - as is reflected in the salary caps of the two codes.

You haven't proven anything, as per usual you've stuck your fingers in your ears and gone "lah lah lah I'm not listening". Where's this well planned, well marketed dream world you live in that suddenly RL would be able to do an amazing job marketing of mid season internationals in today's world (not the early 90's). You can say that tri nations isn't the template but I fancy the organisation would look much more like that event than it would the World Cup.

it's certainly convenient for your argument for you to believe that we would have to do a terrible job and the things we did before we cannot do again because of vague nondescript differences between the 90s and now that haven't effected any other sports.

Don't think I ever said it's all about me or "people like me"



In my opinion you can have your mid season well planned well organised match against Scotland, Wales or Ireland and the quality won't shine through as there is no quality to be seen. It's a meaningless game with no stakes and always will be in the Northern Hemesphere at least

What I meant was that not everything is to be sold to you, the hard-core fan. That you wouldn't be interested doesn't tell us a lot.



Firstly I haven't suggested those are the only teams we could play. We don't play them this year. Secondly NZ v Scotland was a great game last year, England v Scotland was a decent game too.

Quite hypocritical of you to say it's convenient for me to say we'll do a bad job. Your whole argument is based on marketing and organising 'we'll just do it well' as if it's that simple. If RL in this country did marketing, organising and planning really well then the VT wouldn't be full of constant threads slagging them off for nearly everything they do with yourself being one of the chief culprits, note your criticism of the Johnny Vegas ad.....if only you were in the room to tell the marketers to "do it well".



The difference with your games from the 90's is that they're against Australia....never said we'd struggle to get good crowds for that but as I pointed out early in the thread you can't just play them over and over. You've cut and shut two different things together in a World Cup game vs Ireland and a mid season game vs Australia to try and construct some flimsy evidence that therefore Ireland mid season would do great numbers.



We haven't even gotten on to the very tricky subject of NRL teams releasing players not just for us but the ones who help make up the other home nations sides. I suppose in your world it'll just be as simple as saying "we'll make them".

:3ir1y3jbif you think that is hypocrisy, I can only assume you don't know what the word means.



that you think because of previous struggles in those areas we shouldn't expect improvement seems, well, sad to me. It doesn't seem like the outlook of a happy, optimistic, successful person.



Yeah, they would never do that. We definitely won't see it happen. definitely.

No it just means I'm realistic and don't have my head in the clouds like yourself.







You really haven't no matter how many times you want to tell yourself otherwise.

















The f**king irony of you of all people writing the above. That above quote could be your f**king epitaph.

Every sad sack cynic will tell you they are a realist



Yes I have. I have conclusively shown that non australia games can get good crowds and that mid season games can get good crowds. you even admitted so in your last post.





I think I broke him. Brilliant. it's like watching a cat try and fight himself in the mirror.



I have to say though, I do like the near constant frequency with which you think people are telling you things ironically (though I fear, like hypocrisy, irony is a word you use which you do not understand)

Seen as my argument was England playing northern hemisphere teams in mid season let's look at the most recent example, which Smokey is convientely not mentioning in favour of non comparable games....



2010 - England vs France

60-6

Att - 7,951



Wonder why he isn't using the most recent like for like comparison

Here you are again. Contorting to find and argument you can win rather than addressing the arguments that were made.



The argument was that central contracts would allow leverage for more internationals to be played. As you have dug and scrapped and twisted and turned, bent and stretched to find and point you think you can score on, you have now redefined the argument to your strawman of only England playing only northern hemisphere sides mid-season and the only comparable example is the poorly planned, poorly marketed friendly game against France in a northern backwater in 2010.



Of course England could only play northern hemisphere sides. Try could never play southern hemisphere sides, could only play in England, could never get the NRL to release players, and wouldn't bother with midseason games anyway. We definitely definitely won't see anything that breaks ThePrinter's obvious, well thought out and clearly true and correct rhetorical parameters. Nope, never. Not theses days. it's 2017 and not 1990

We have to enhance the international scene. It's a no-brainer. And while I think a great many of the reasons given as to why Smokey's proposed games wouldn't be well received are valid, I do think we have to make a start and we have to stick with it and make it work. Even if that takes 20 years. Internationals are probably the one thing which the national media is currently willing to make a bit of an effort where the game's concerned. We need to exploit that, and the sponsorship opportunities that will arise along the way.