Round 2:Bluebags vs Easts
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- Roger Kenworthy
- Laurie Daley
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- Joined: January 7, 2005, 10:18 pm
- Favourite Player: Ruben Wiki, J-Lo, Jordan Rapana
Round 2:Bluebags vs Easts
Making my competition debut for the Bluebags this week. Wish me luck .
- Roger Kenworthy
- Laurie Daley
- Posts: 11505
- Joined: January 7, 2005, 10:18 pm
- Favourite Player: Ruben Wiki, J-Lo, Jordan Rapana
The commercialisation of State of Origin
Over recent decades the professional rugby league community in Australia has undergone huge changes. The game has been changed forever, becoming more business like in everything it does. The battle for the corporate supporter base continues to rage between the NRL, ARU and AFL. This part of the fan base is seen as the big money market, fans that will pay extra to sit under cover and purchase plenty of NRL related products. How has the targeting of this market changed rugby leagues most glorious showcase, the State of Origin?
Flash back to 1982; State of Origin is the newest concept in town. Players will now play interstate football for their original residence instead of being enticed to Sydney for larger values of money. State of Origin debuts as the blue-collar game. It is an immediate impact; the game has intensity the QRL and NSWRL can only dream of. Players go out there to win the football game, but also give their opposition a bashing at the same time. Fists fly over the first five years of State of Origin. Everybody loves it; *'s a game being played for the fans in the style they desire. Gritty encounters with a dash of flair from the likes of Lewis, Meninga and Sterling.
Things began to change a bit around the 1990s. The game was speeding up over the NSWRL, as a result of attacking sides such as Brisbane and Canberra. This translated over into Origin, where new leagues of stars were beginning to reign. Daley, Langer, and Stuart were examples of the new, slicker style of game being played. Efficiency was the key, the games were still extremely physical, but it had been toned down as judiciary judgements were becoming stricter. The game was generally changing as a whole, new training methods including video review were becoming popular.
State of Origin continued on in a similar vein until the super league war. With the game split in two, there were two interstate series. The ARL continued with State of Origin, while Super League launched an independent tri-series, also involving New Zealand. Both of the series were fairly bland, with only the tri-series final capturing the imagination of the public. The game then came back together in 1998; under the State of Origin label all players were available for selection. This is where the game really became to change. Huge hype was associated with the 1998 series. The NRL of 1998 was a great competition, with sides really adopting swift and precise game plans. Gone were the days when a bit of biff was accepted, as it was now seen as a distraction to the task at hand. This would have its impact on State of Origin.
In the post 1998 period State of Origin has quickened up significantly. While the opening ten or fifteen minutes remains a softening up period, there is not the aggression there was back a few years ago. The game has been adapted around the corporate market in the modern age, with emphasis in promotion on the speed of the game and the skill of those involved. This fits in with the NRL, which has reached new heights in recent seasons with regard to speed and overall skill levels. With all this focus on speed, preciseness, skill and fitness, State of Origin has moved away from its once slower pace, and more aggressive undertone. State of Origin has adapted the *'s style of play far more in recent times than it has in the past.
State of Origin has grown in popularity in the corporate world, able to sell out stadiums that seat 100,000 people. In the meantime it has not really lost any popularity with the blue-collar workers, as they always watch to have something to give a mate a hard time about at work the next day. The only obvious change has been the style in which it is played. It has become far too much like another NRL game for the neutral fan, and I think this is where the problem lies with its current format. Neutral fans used to love to back a side, and would watch the game based on its aggressive nature, which differed it from the weekend footy on offer. It has lost this to a degree as their target market has changed. State of Origin will likely never return to its old style of play, the neutral fans can only dream.
Over recent decades the professional rugby league community in Australia has undergone huge changes. The game has been changed forever, becoming more business like in everything it does. The battle for the corporate supporter base continues to rage between the NRL, ARU and AFL. This part of the fan base is seen as the big money market, fans that will pay extra to sit under cover and purchase plenty of NRL related products. How has the targeting of this market changed rugby leagues most glorious showcase, the State of Origin?
Flash back to 1982; State of Origin is the newest concept in town. Players will now play interstate football for their original residence instead of being enticed to Sydney for larger values of money. State of Origin debuts as the blue-collar game. It is an immediate impact; the game has intensity the QRL and NSWRL can only dream of. Players go out there to win the football game, but also give their opposition a bashing at the same time. Fists fly over the first five years of State of Origin. Everybody loves it; *'s a game being played for the fans in the style they desire. Gritty encounters with a dash of flair from the likes of Lewis, Meninga and Sterling.
Things began to change a bit around the 1990s. The game was speeding up over the NSWRL, as a result of attacking sides such as Brisbane and Canberra. This translated over into Origin, where new leagues of stars were beginning to reign. Daley, Langer, and Stuart were examples of the new, slicker style of game being played. Efficiency was the key, the games were still extremely physical, but it had been toned down as judiciary judgements were becoming stricter. The game was generally changing as a whole, new training methods including video review were becoming popular.
State of Origin continued on in a similar vein until the super league war. With the game split in two, there were two interstate series. The ARL continued with State of Origin, while Super League launched an independent tri-series, also involving New Zealand. Both of the series were fairly bland, with only the tri-series final capturing the imagination of the public. The game then came back together in 1998; under the State of Origin label all players were available for selection. This is where the game really became to change. Huge hype was associated with the 1998 series. The NRL of 1998 was a great competition, with sides really adopting swift and precise game plans. Gone were the days when a bit of biff was accepted, as it was now seen as a distraction to the task at hand. This would have its impact on State of Origin.
In the post 1998 period State of Origin has quickened up significantly. While the opening ten or fifteen minutes remains a softening up period, there is not the aggression there was back a few years ago. The game has been adapted around the corporate market in the modern age, with emphasis in promotion on the speed of the game and the skill of those involved. This fits in with the NRL, which has reached new heights in recent seasons with regard to speed and overall skill levels. With all this focus on speed, preciseness, skill and fitness, State of Origin has moved away from its once slower pace, and more aggressive undertone. State of Origin has adapted the *'s style of play far more in recent times than it has in the past.
State of Origin has grown in popularity in the corporate world, able to sell out stadiums that seat 100,000 people. In the meantime it has not really lost any popularity with the blue-collar workers, as they always watch to have something to give a mate a hard time about at work the next day. The only obvious change has been the style in which it is played. It has become far too much like another NRL game for the neutral fan, and I think this is where the problem lies with its current format. Neutral fans used to love to back a side, and would watch the game based on its aggressive nature, which differed it from the weekend footy on offer. It has lost this to a degree as their target market has changed. State of Origin will likely never return to its old style of play, the neutral fans can only dream.
- Roger Kenworthy
- Laurie Daley
- Posts: 11505
- Joined: January 7, 2005, 10:18 pm
- Favourite Player: Ruben Wiki, J-Lo, Jordan Rapana
- Roger Kenworthy
- Laurie Daley
- Posts: 11505
- Joined: January 7, 2005, 10:18 pm
- Favourite Player: Ruben Wiki, J-Lo, Jordan Rapana
- Roger Kenworthy
- Laurie Daley
- Posts: 11505
- Joined: January 7, 2005, 10:18 pm
- Favourite Player: Ruben Wiki, J-Lo, Jordan Rapana
- Roger Kenworthy
- Laurie Daley
- Posts: 11505
- Joined: January 7, 2005, 10:18 pm
- Favourite Player: Ruben Wiki, J-Lo, Jordan Rapana