Massive NRL News Day

Has there ever been a day where a Coach getting sacked is hardly talked about? I didnt think I would see it but here we are.

The new NRL Television deal was announced today and from a fans point of view I think they have come up a bit short. They have paid a billion dollars for virtually the same deal they used to pay half for. The Fox Sports coverage will be improved so some of the money spent is justified in that respect.

Delayed matches was the biggest issue from the punters point of view. In a day where Social Media (Twitter, Facebook) will tell you the result rather than sit through all the commercials, surely this would effect Channel Nine's ratings. There are those idiots who still tweet NRL clubs saying 'dont give away the results, we want to watch the game on replay'. My answer to those clowns is to get off social media sites, clubs have a duty to keep their fans informed and give them updates as they come to hand.

David Gyngell argued at the announcement that they lose money with live games so they need advertising hence they delayed telecast of friday night and sunday arvo games. I understand where he is coming from, afterall he is paying to have the games aired on his network. But this is 2012 and I would have thought there would be a way to have all games live. In the future we could possibly look at how the AFL run their coverage and even sports from the United States.

It really seems appropriate that Ben Hornby announced his retirement 2 weeks before he will play his last game. For the past 12 years he has been the games quiet achiever and when you mention St George-Illawarra, Ben Horby's name is associated with the red V instantly. He has played every season there except their inaugral campaign in 1999. Represented NSW and Australia, captained the Dragons to their first Premiership as a joint venture and is now the most capped St George player of all time. Its an outstanding resume.

Laurie Daley was also appointed coach of NSW for the next two years. For me this is a bit of a gamble. Daley has had success coaching Country Origin and the Indigenous All Stars. Daley also captained NSW and thrived on the big stage of State of Origin. He has huge boots to fill after Ricky Stuart has turned NSW into a team capable of winning a series.

We must also remember Daley was a selector from 2002-2010 where he and Bob McCarthy were heavily criticised after losing five straight series for not 'picking and sticking'. You can also argue that NSW didnt have the cattle available during that time to defeat QLD but I think this is irrelevent. Players are held responsible for their performances, they are given a chance to perform and show what they can do. These guys are professionals, they should be able to perform night in, night out. If the Mail man missed half of his mail run he would get the sack. You get where I am going with this. Selectors shouldn't be held accountable for players performances.

If surrounded by the right team of Coaches and staff, I think Daley can succeed in his new job.

And Brian McLennan was sacked this morning from the Warriors Head Coaching role. Fair enough too, how can a team go from Grand Finallists and future 'powerhouse' of the game to a side that gives up leads and gets flogged most weeks. Its not all his fault but the buck does stop with him.

Will hiring Steven Kearney get the Warriors going again? You would have to say no, he won nine games with Parramatta over 2 seasons and got the sack. Im worried they are going backwards.