League’s billions don’t buy silence and they don’t excuse bad governance
The money doesn’t buy immunity
The National Rugby League’s $5.3 billion, seven-year broadcast deal is a triumph, not a licence to muzzle coverage. Financially, the game is better than ever; I think the danger is sacrificing the right decisions for popular ones.
Broadcasters were told to pull their horns in during negotiations. Criticism came down, positive coverage went up, and the broadcasters rolled over. Protecting an investment is legitimate. Surrendering editorial independence isn’t.
The media cop’s operation remains unknown. That doesn’t erase the pressure already being applied. Ticket-sales publicity belongs in public relations, not dressed up as independent news.
Journalism’s shrinking finances make that pressure easier to exert. Classified advertising has gone elsewhere; the newsroom has less muscle. League should not exploit that weakness.
Peter V’landys gets things done, including referring a recent request for advice before it was resolved within 24 hours. But efficiency doesn’t settle the governance question. Andrew Abdo is gone, and V’landys himself acknowledged needing restraint. I think concentrating power is dangerous, however impressive the revenue.
Jai deserves respect, not camouflage
Jai Arrow’s courage deserves celebration without becoming cover for the NRL’s failed entertainment planning. His story matters, the game has supported him, and sharing that journey could help others confronting life-determining illness.
I accept the argument that he wouldn’t participate unless comfortable. My criticism isn’t of Jai. It’s of an organisation that couldn’t organise its grand final entertainment, then rushed towards someone everybody loves. A $100,000 entertainment budget doesn’t excuse that scramble.
Celebrate the man. Scrutinise the decision. Those things aren’t enemies.
Cody’s return to rugby league is another genuinely uplifting story, without needing a manufactured sales pitch around it.
Illness changes your perspective. My scan a little over a week ago came back clear, although my taste still hasn’t properly returned. I’ve enjoyed being involved in league again, and I hope to return next season. Loving the game means caring about its people before its presentation.
Protect players, stop wasting everyone’s time
Hip-drops have to be suspended out of rugby league, even when the player facing punishment is someone as valuable as Phoenix Crossland. He cleans up Newcastle’s tackles, does the dirty work and handled the judiciary outcome well. None of that makes the tackle safe.
Penrith accept the incident was accidental. Intent matters, but so do the long injuries, and under-16s are already copying the technique. I think penalties must hurt enough that coaches find another way to bring a runner down. Matching a suspension to the victim’s recovery isn’t the answer.
The bunker needs the opposite treatment: removal. It hasn’t eliminated howlers, but it has delivered delays, repeated replays and sponsor transitions.
I wanted the captain’s challenge introduced. I’d remove it now because it takes too long. Changing your mind after watching something fail is better than defending it forever.
Harry Grant’s concern about fatigue and touch-football tendencies deserves attention too. Rugby league is a six-tackle game, not an endless rules experiment.
Talent beats the nursery excuse
Newcastle’s recruitment deserves applause because the expensive centrepiece isn’t the whole story. Dylan Brown cost plenty, but young forwards and less celebrated bench players are delivering, while Sandon Smith would be the bargain of the year if Newcastle win the premiership.
Kalyn Ponga’s surge has been outstanding. Jermaine McEwen and his fellow back-rower deserve recognition alongside him. Coby Black has only one Canberra start, but maintaining that performance would make him special; Casey McLean and Hamish Stewart have enormous representative futures.
Jack Bostock has announced himself after an ACL injury. I reckon he has a big chance of Australian selection.
Penrith’s 11-person recruitment committee works because its people recognise footballers and consult coaches throughout the grades. The Dolphins still got under their guard with Katoa. That was smart recruitment, not proof the system was useless.
The junior-nursery excuse is rubbish. St George Illawarra have produced talent playing elsewhere; Wests Tigers lost Tedesco, Brooks and Moses. Identify players. Develop them. Keep them. Stop counting them.
Brisbane can’t blame the bloke who changed them
Michael Maguire deserves accountability, but Brisbane’s players don’t get to dump theirs on him. He made them fitter and tougher, they won the competition, then they didn’t want to sustain the change.
The injuries were bad. Payne Haas leaving matters enormously. Ben Te’o walked out early. Maguire needs a fast start, but I think parts of that dressing room became too rockstar-ish after winning.
Wayne Bennett remains an exceptional man-manager with seven premierships. South Sydney have a window with Haas arriving; Bennett’s ability to create a need for himself is another skill altogether.
Melbourne face a changing guard, with Grant’s future significant and Munster’s beyond next year unclear. Parramatta’s window has been shut since their grand final. Canterbury still haven’t settled their key-position formula; Freddy Lussick should help, but I can’t see the window reopening without substantial change. Canberra have young promise, the Dragons’ recruitment demands improvement, and I don’t think North Queensland improve while losing Drinkwater.
Billy Slater’s exit shows the pressure of State of Origin. I’ve heard concerns about camp buy-in; I think he feared further erosion. Nathan Cleary, meanwhile, answered his biggest Origin criticism.
Expansion must build something real
The 20th team must grow rugby league’s audience, not shuffle existing supporters. Queensland has the talent and a strong defensive argument against Australian Football League expansion. New Zealand deserves consideration; Adelaide shouldn’t disappear merely because it complicates the presentation.
Destroying rugby union isn’t a business plan. League already recruits its players, and not every convert succeeds.
I think V’landys deserves support for the Super League ambition. England must become somewhere players go to improve, producing quality locals rather than relying on players who can’t make the NRL. France could follow, but that is a long battle. I’ll accept the English feedback favouring summer; I don’t know the scheduling answer.
Papua New Guinea already deserve credit for shaking the player market, while Perth are looking towards 2028. I think November 1 will bring heavy activity and million-dollar contracts, although the future cap remains unclear.
Sam Walker has every right to examine that market. Players exercising contractual rights aren’t villains.
Growth needs scrutiny. League’s warring tribes help provide it. Silence is not strength.
