This season has highlighted a problem in the game of NRL that can have a long lasting negative effect if it is allowed to continue. The problem is not drugs though. Even though clubs, players and fans will say the media this has attracted has cost the game sponsors and turnstile dollars, it is a problem that is being addressed and the game can easily recover from.
Over the course of the season is is very apparent the NRL has an agenda for the season and many more to come. Watch any game this season and ask fans from the losing side if they feel the referee controlled the game in a fair & even light. Whilst many sides play poorly and deserve to be at the bottom of the ladder, there are also many games where it is too obvious that one side is being favoured by the referee. The NRL is going back to the historic days and thinks it is the NSWRL.
Too many games are playing out like they have been scripted for the referee and when things do not go to plan you then see some of the strangest and softest penalties or a video referee decision that has everyone wondering if he was actually watching the game. And most games this would be acceptable if it was the same for both sides but unfortunately it is not. Consistency has been lacking all season.
It is not just consistency on the field that has been lacking in the NRL, but also in the match review & judiciary system of the game too. The consistency both on the field and off the field can either be put down incompetence or intentional. With such a strong push in the marketing & media to have a grand final featuring Rabbitohs vs Roosters or Inglis vs SBW, it appears it is intentional.
What the NRL needs to be aware of though is that such blatant bias towards certain Sydney & NSW clubs can have a detrimental affect to the game. The game may have recently signed a very lucrative TV rights deal but that will come to nothing if sponsors learn that people are no longer watching games on TV or going to the stadiums.
Who wants to pay $100+ to take their family to watch a game, spend another $50-100 on food not to mention travel costs for those in regional areas, to watch a game that you can be certain will be decided by poor decisions by officials. Stadiums sell out when fans know their team has a chance to win. Stadiums will start running empty as fans stopped wasting money watching games that are pre-determined.
The NRL may be getting what they want this year with a all Sydney final but it will come at a greater cost. Admittedly the Broncos, Cowboys & Titans have not had great seasons, but there are many games this year where the referee was beyond questionable and changed the course of the game. It is like the NRL is happy to have the Queensland clubs in the game for the cash cows that they are but as long as they don't feature at the pointy end of the season. What the NRL needs to be aware of though is the cash cow will run dry as sponsors and marketing companies realise that the market outreach is turning away from the game.
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