When news broke that the Sydney Roosters has signed former AFL player Nick Davis to play in their 2020 NRL 9’s team my reaction was probably the exact same as yours….what a farce!
The feeling that the club was taking the first step towards turning the NRL 9’s into a celebrity, Mickey Mouse competition was hard to overcome. So too was the feeling that an NRL club would give even a second to AFL, a sport that has done everything it can to try to undermine Rugby League. The Roosters were watering down the competition. Disgraceful.
Sometimes you need to challenge your own opinions….
The NRL 9’s is a chance to try different things. I’d have no problems if we saw NRL clubs offering a chance for a Rugby Union star to turn out in the competition, so why not an AFL player.
With the 2020 NRL 9’s taking place in Perth, the opportunity to see an AFL player turning out in a Rugby League match of any kind is sure to create a little buzz among AFL fans as well as in the general AFL community. What, you’re acting like even you’re not curious to see how he goes?
The buildup to the 2020 NRL 9’s was going very slowly. As a Rugby League supporter, the competition wasn’t really on my radar all that much. After attending both days of the 2019 Rugby League World 9’s, the thought of watching the same old 16 NRL clubs playing 9’s footy just didn’t excite me at all.
By signing up one former AFL player the Roosters at least have tossed something up that we are all talking about, and that we will tune in to see.
We have seen former NRL players turn out in the NRL 9’s and so far none of them have looked too bad. They haven’t disgraces themselves. Now I do worry that Nick Davis is going to be the worst Rugby League 9’s player in the history of the sport, but hey, lets see what happens!
Any chance to bring people to our sport, any chance to generate a bit of interest for very little investment, its a good thing. We can’t grow Rugby League is we build fences all around us and reject everyone that wants to have a go. Nick Davis wasn’t to play an NRL 9’s game. Good luck to him, he has his chance to see how he goes.
If you look at it another way, imagine this. Do you think the AFL is happy to see one of their former players being involved in the NRL 9’s? You think they are pleased to see one of their own showing that you can cross that line and play Rugby League?
If you think you hate the idea, its nothing compared to what the AFL will be thinking. If you ask me, anything that pisses off the AFL is a good thing!
