Adam SutcliffeNRL and Channel 9 Make Wrong Choices on Rugby League Games
July 9th 2008 12:48
Another good round of football is awaiting football fans this weekend. Some of the fans may attend a game or two over the weekend, but some of the fans will be at home tuning into their television sets to watch the game. Many football fans may not be able to attend games due to a lot of reasons. The elderly for example are many who cannot get to the games but still love their rugby league, and their only option is television.
Not everyone has pay TV leaving the only option of free to air television. Channel 9 and the NRL has again denied fans who only have free to air to watch poorly chosen games .To show teams on free to air TV placed lower down the competition ladder, rather then choosing to showcase the competition leader and the team placed third, these teams being Manly and Cronulla, which will be a great battle for supremacy, as the race to be minor premiers and eventually premiers begins this weekend.
The NRL and Channel 9 for years now have always chosen to view the wrong games. For some unknown reason they pick the games up to six weeks in advance. Over the period of six weeks the course of the competition will change as teams may be on a winning or losing streak. Take St George Illawarra and South Sydney for example, both of these teams starting off poorly, but some how have been able to turn their season around, and in particular St George Illawarra winning their last seven games in row which no other team have been able to achieve so far this year.
Manly verses Cronulla who are placed first and third on the ladder, only separated by points difference, with the winner either being outright leader or having a share of the competition lead, depending on the result of the Sydney Roosters verses the Gold Coast Titans clash, the Manly v/s Cronulla game is shaping up to be a great battle and should have been the number one choice to be shown on Channel 9. NRL Results generally dictate which teams will face off the next week.
With the form that South Sydney Rabbits are displaying at the moment, and the Parramatta Eels not living up to expectations, this would have been the third choice game to be viewed on free to air. South Sydney are currently placed 14th on the ladder sitting on 12 points, they must keep winning to stay in touch with the bottom half of the top eight. The Parramatta Eels are currently placed ninth and sitting on 18 points. A win is a must for them as they in a sandwich between the Panthers and the Knights.
There would be a lot pressure on the Eels, as the clash between the Newcastle Knights and the Penrith Panthers looms to be a danger for the Eels. The Panthers are one point in front of the Eels ,a win by the Knights , a loss to the Eels will see the Knights on equal points with them.
Therefore the clash between Newcastle and Penrith as the game that should have been the second choice game to be shown on free to air on Friday, which for a change Channel 9 and the NRL has already done. They have made a correct choice, the only down side is that we have to listen to their commentary, but at least we get to see the game(although the second in QLD).
Living in QLD we get to see all the QLD teams played first on Friday night. A spokesperson at channel 9 informed me that they have to please the QLD viewers. It's the NRL not QRL! There is a lot of interstate people living in QLD now, and would like the NRL to pick the teams deserving to play games on Friday night not just QLD teams.
For years Channel 9 and the NRL have also shown lot of the Broncos on a Friday night TV game. That's an advantage to the Broncos, because some of the opponents play on a Saturday night or a Sunday afternoon. The Broncos would then have at least a few days advantage over their next opponents, having day or two to recover, while the next team they are facing are still preparing for the weekends clash.
Both Manly and Melbourne, grand finalists from last year, have not had the exposure the Broncos have had on Friday night football on Channel 9.
Both the NRL and Channel 9 both have to have a good long look at scheduling games that rewards the better performing teams and think of the fans who only have free to air TV.
Hate Qld
John
| 61 |
| Vote |
