The Silver Fern

@mariner4life

fuck yeah
imagine if all those SH pro players on NH contracts were still playing in SH domestic comps, which is just how it was in olden times
seeing a player that went to the same school i did, running out for the BI lions in a test match . . . hmmm

@mariner4life

yes, international rugby is absolutely on a four year cycle now
the lions are a bit of an outlyer from the cycle (or maybe not) because they are also on a four year cycle, which is just about right i'd think

@sparky

an even bigger problem is that SR will be cast in the very low rating early morning euro time (the main reason it was good having SA in the comp - SA games being in a perfect time slot for west euro)
no euro caster is ever guna pay much for that

note that recently Optus in Aus actually paid Stan to take the EPL soccer rights off them, live EPL is in a piss poor time slot in this part of the world (not to bad in West Aus tho)
if that's what is happening to EPL rights here, SR has little chance of ever getting much euro revenue

@antipodean

wasn't guna say it, but now that you've brought up
i'd be ecstatic if Collingwood suddenly disappeared of the face of the earth haha
unfortunately, never guna happen

@booboo

almost 100% manufactured
but this is where the commercial imperiatives take over, whether we like that or not
the VFL started that ball rolling themselves when they expanded out of Victoria

the West Coast Eagles and Adelaide Crows joining the VFL virtually destroyed the WAFL and SANFL, leagues and clubs with lots of tribalism

several of the Melbourne clubs have done well to survive in the big league

@taniwharugby

@mariner4life

Haha

I enjoy Carlton at the mo

just looked at the table

if it wasn't for the sorry ass Eagles, seven Melbourne clubs would be holding up the ladder!

@mariner4life

Yes
People seem to like when leagues add more teams.
But they forget the negative side; with more teams you are going to get more loser teams too.

With Tassie in in 28; I think the interstate balance will be just about right.
The issue will be too many clubs in Victoria, but try and tell them that! Haha

In 28 there will be nine interstate teams, 9 in Melbourne, plus Geelong
This is close to a seismic change in Australian football. If all the interstate teams stick together, control of the league could possibly move out of Victoria for the first time.

At one time the VFL (now AFL) didn’t even control all football in Victoria. Now it controls all Australian football worldwide.
The VFL expanded interstate because all the Melbourne VFL clubs were in trouble and the new license fees (Eagles first) bailed them out.
When you consider the amount of money they’re spending to expand (interstate) now, the thought of the old license fee system is almost laughable.

Eventually only one Melbourne club (Fitzroy) actually disappeared.
It’d be good for the league as a whole if another Melbourne club were to go, soon.

@hikastags

For 2025 I count:
14 SR players
1 Eng prem
1 pro italy
2 US MLR
the rest club

You'd think they should be able to organise a few wins

A lot in Perth were talking up Pasitoa
But he has been injured, and barely played the past two seasons, the reason he was released I assume.
I think I have seen a team with him in it play, but I dont recall him, which is not a good sign!
If he shows some form in the NPC, I can see him possibly being back at the Force

@taniwharugby

I hear you on coaches; some of them have been quality, but they move on pretty quickly.
Fuck, I can just remember the end of Ted Griffin, and I took this from Google AI Overview

Ted Griffin was a legendary and highly successful coach of North Auckland rugby, known for his tactical prowess, blunt style, and ability to inspire his teams, including famous players like Sid Going. He coached North Auckland for 21 years, achieving significant victories and capturing the public's imagination with exciting rugby.

Key aspects of Ted Griffin's North Auckland coaching career:
Longevity and Success:
Griffin coached North Auckland for 21 years, a remarkable tenure in rugby. During his time, the team won 127 of 213 matches, scoring 3219 points and conceding 2215.
Antagonism towards Auckland:
Griffin was known for his deep-seated antagonism towards the Auckland rugby team, and North Auckland achieved notable successes against their rivals under his leadership.
Tactical Acumen:
He was a skilled tactician and thinker of the game, with his teams well-prepared and known for pushing the tactical envelope, leading to memorable spectacles.
Memorable Victories:
His teams defeated touring sides like France, Fiji, Australia, New South Wales, and Tonga, and came very close to beating the Springboks and the British Lions.
Impact on Players:
Griffin played a significant role in the careers of notable players like Sid Going, whose attacking style he supported and allowed to flourish.
Legacy.
His legacy is cemented by his success and the excitement his teams generated, with packed crowds at both Rugby Park and Okara Park becoming common during his coaching tenure.

AI is F’n good, couldn’t have summed him up any better.

He was actually around for 25 seasons (he spent four years in the national setup).
Just shows what you can do if you get the time.

I’m thinking that currently the off-field culture is good, the issues are on-field
Like you say, the acceptance of mediocrity.
Taranaki in particular being something of indictment of Northland, with what must be similar resources, they have much more success.

I think the NRU has done well to put some half decent looking squads together in the last few seasons
But i'm thinking they've underachieved
That's got to be disappointing to the NRU
What do other Taniwha supporters think?

I'm not close to the squad; but i'm thinking the team culture might be "to good"
If you know what i mean . . .

Not saying that this squad could win the comp; but if I was in it, I wouldn't be happy if we didn't go at least 50/50

@mariner4life

Watched Scott Sattler’s show on Saturday morning, and he had a segment on SOR eligibility
Making a few adjustments is a bit of a no brainer I think, should have already been done
Be a double whammy – it’d make both SOR and international league stronger

ALL NSW and Qld juniors qualifying for SOR, no matter who they play for internationally
i.e. Victor Radley (NSW junior) for NSW and England yes; Sam Burgess (England junior) nah
The other example he brought up was reece walsh (qld junior) playing for NZ (by descent)
A player like Frank Pritchard (NSW junior) would have been SOR eligible; I think the only time Frank was ever in NZ was when the Kiwis had a game there

Sattler then had a sook; whining that all the other international teams will be stronger, making at harder for Aus to win; “I just want Aus to win”; F’n pussy!

i absolutely love it when the aussies start whining, bitching, sooking, crying
that's when you know you've got them, usually sooooo cocky assed
schadenfreude bigtime!
but very typical way for a big rugby game to finish up

Just watched Dockers v Eagles
i'm thinking the Dockers are showing more starch this season than anytime since they joined the comp
not saying they're guna win the flag, but they are starting to become a tough nut to crack
still cant kick straight tho, 18 behinds!
more starch and grit, that's what the NRL warriiors need

having had a read of the collective agreement thread, i'd be happy to give SR to the players
they threatened to go their own way, so give it to them and see we they can do
i.e. SANZAR SR being completely separated out and left to operate independently

a lot/most? sports have their pro branch separated out from the national sports associations

just so long as NZR doesn't grant them any money, let the comp survive or die on its own
the only NZR involvement would be the loan to SR of their AB contracted players, which is sort of what happens now
NZR would be responsible for the black teams, and grass roots/development

@African-Monkey

yeah the italian would be the most competitive of the big five west euro leagues

the efl championship is also a competitive league, and if they took the parachute money out, it would be even more so

the brazilian league is more competitive than the the west euro leagues
yeah i follow the brazilian league as well
both the finalists in the fifa world club championship were beaten by Rio clubs in that competition

@mariner4life

if you've got zero chance of ever being first - now that's a bullshit competition

if spurs and manu didn't get relegated last season they are never getting relegated

i can remember when manu were in the second division - but that aint ever happening again

kinda liked Norwich's realistic attitude the last couple of times they got promoted
didn't change their team much
gave the players who won the championship the reward of playing the big league PL teams
gave the fans a nice fixture list for a season
then fucked off back to the championship with a boat load of money
nice work

the way the system (FFP and all that) operates now, that's the responsible approach for the all the promoted teams

@sparky

the fracas at the end was probably more of a surprise than the actual result

couldn't really understand it, the game didn't appear to be that niggly and the result was pretty much decided in the first half

woulda thought you'd just cop the loss and get the f**k outta there

the in-your-face tactics of chelsea (which were perfect) was probably a bit annoying tho

@sparky

i'll tell you what a mickey mouse trophy is

the bundesliga (a one team league)
the french league (a one team league)
the spanish league (a two team league)
the italian league (not much better)
the epl (a litte bit better than that)

bournemouth v burnley - who f'n cares!

@MajorRage

i think it ranks pretty high
there were about 20 top class programs (and they were all trying) in the comp which is a lot better than any national league
of the big Euro leagues, the EPL is the only one that is even remotely competitive
the only comparable comp is the Euro Champions League, with about the same number of top class teams
roll on the Euro Super League!
haha

what would I rather watch: chelsea v flamengo, or liverpool at stoke on a rainy afternoon in the middle of an english winter - no contest