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YKTR and Cheese have Taken a Step Forward for NRL Players, and the Establishment Should Be Worried

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YKTR and Cheese Have Taken a Step Forward for NRL Players, and the Establishment Should Be Worried

DYOR Dave

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This week, YKTR, the brand started by Isaac John, Corey Norman, and James Segeyaro, announced they had signed Storm star Brandon Smith as a content creator and brand ambassador. While it’s not unheard of for a player to put his face to a brand, his association with the media arm of YKTR will be causing a few headaches for Fox Sports and Nine, who must now face the reality that NRL media is moving beyond their monopolistic ownership.

You would think that on a slow news day, where transfer rumours are the hottest gossip going around, that this story deserved to be reported on by Fox or Nine. After all, they had almost hourly coverage of Brandon Smith following his recent controversy, and he was a favourite content machine of theirs during the season. Yet nothing has been reported from either news outlet, instead opting for their usual formulaic rollout of bland content that requires little effort to put together.

It’s almost like the ‘journalists’ prefer writing stories showing players in a negative light, rather than a positive light that isn’t shining out of their own rear ends. In fact, since their inception in 2017, YKTR have only been mentioned on the Fox website 3 times, two of which were in articles about Segeyaro and Norman’s misbehaviour. They even went so far as to quote Cameron Munster on YKTR’s The Scope podcast, but refer to it as “former NRL player Justin Horo’s podcast.”

Cheese flavoured vape's are a gap in the market

Cheese flavoured vape's are a gap in the market

 

Under brands owned by fellow players and peers, players will be able to conduct their personal life in a manner that better resembles a rugby league throbber, rather than having to conform to the ethics of an 1850’s priest in order to keep sponsorship deals and media contracts intact. It has become clear that players who don’t conform to the structures and traditions of old media will be at best ignored and at worst denigrated by the establishment of NRL media. In recent years, Nine and Fox have enjoyed an endless stream of ex-players lining up to work for them, while having exclusive and unlimited access to the current crop. Brandon Smith is the first of hopefully many who will branch out to help smaller media companies grow, and dilute the dominating influence of Fox and Nine.

The attitude of these companies is in direct opposition to the positive work done by the NRL that has resulted in more self-determination for the players. Over the last decade or so, the NRL has invested in and emphasised the importance of education, so that players will be better prepared for life outside of football. Partnerships like this that give players more autonomy over their careers and financials have been assisted by the

This isn’t me being some fanboy of YKTR, or a crypto nerd stoked about a player getting paid in Etherium. I’m a simple man. I like my tokens Fungible and my currency tangible. But the self-determination of players in an industry that is dominated by big organisations should be celebrated by the average dribbler, whether or not you think it’s a smart business decision.

 

Fancy yourself as a bit of a writer? Got some unqualified opinion and unwavering bias you’d like to share with the world? Send it through to dyor@hellosport.com.au to be featured on the site

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How Do We Fix the Failing Experiment of Melbourne Bred Players?

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How Do We Fix the Failing Experiment of Melbourne Bred Players?

DYOR Dave

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The Melbourne Storm sit on the precipice of one of the greatest seasons of all time, with only three losses and a preliminary final berth, but I’m still not satisfied. After so many years of consistent success, one becomes critical and begins nitpicking tiny imperfections that hide behind the throbbing successful exterior. With that in mind, I’ve recently been troubled by the unfortunate performances of Dean Ieremia, and the fact that he’s the fourth Melbournian outside centre to debut for the club with disappointing results.

In 2012 Mahe Fonua became the first born-and-bred Melbournian to debut for the Storm, and was touted as an exciting prospect having been selected in the under 20’s team of the year in the previous season. While he had some impressive moments and was a solid fill-in, he never gained a permanent starting spot in the team, and ultimately resigned himself to a life chasing the Man of Steel, along with a brief stint at the DMC Tigers.

Richie Kennar and Young Tonumaipea were both born in Apia, Samoa before moving to Melbourne at a young age and debuting for the Storm. Their debuts were not as high profile as Fonua’s and the results followed suit. Kennar is now toiling away at the helpless Broncos, while Tonumaipea took a stint away from the game to complete a mission for the Mormon church. It would seem he found the opposite of enlightenment as he has now defected over to Rugby Union to play for the Rebels.

 

Another similarity shared between these players is their relatively short stature, an unfortunate trait at the best of times (I would know), but even worse in a state dominated by AFL, a sport that consists of about 50% trying to mount and jump above someone and 50% trying not to get mounted. Instead of the Storm investing in players who weren’t fit for AFL, they should be poaching young throbbers before the evil allure of the southern sport corrupts them.

It’s understandable that the Storm are facing an uphill battle in a state that barely pays attention to the sport, but as they grow into a dominant force as a club and a business, it’s time to upgrade the tactics. When I used to be a glassie at the Beach Road Hotel, I would scour the venue after closing time for leftover redbulls that had been lost by rowdy dribblers. As a young, poor scallywag, it was a great system and helped me through my formative years. But now as I’m older and slightly less poor, I’ve graduated to being able to satisfy my urge at the source, rather than settle for someone else’s leftovers.

Let me just say that I’m still a fan of Dean, Mahe, Richie and Young, but if Melbourne want to rule the development game as much as they rule the football game, they need to go bigger. Perhaps the weight of being the sole representative for your state playing in a team full of outsiders takes a mental toll that restricts the chemistry between players. In a team full of Queenslanders and Kiwis, the Victorians could feel ignored and excluded. If Victoria are serious about developing the game in their state, its time to start playing with the big boys, and converting AFL juniors.

 

 

Fancy yourself as a bit of a writer? Got some unqualified opinion and unwavering bias you’d like to share with the world? Send it through to dyor@hellosport.com.au to be featured on the site

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Does Craig Bellamy Even Care About the Minor Premiership?

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Does Craig Bellamy Even Care About the Minor Premiership?

DYOR Dave

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Craig Bellamy has just won his fourth minor premiership in six years, and his eighth with the Storm. He’s used to walking past the JJ Giltinan shield on his way to brekkie, and kissing it goodnight before he goes to sleep, but this season has seen a breakdown in the coaches relationship with the shield, as Craig seemed to do everything in his power to try not win the minor premiership.

Before we get into last night’s game, let’s go back to round 23, where the Storm were looking to equal the 1975 Roosters win streak of 19 games. Instead of putting forward a full-strength lineup, Craig decided to rest arguably his two best players, Jahrome Hughes and Brandon Smith. A week later, when the storm looked to break the record and secure the minor premiership, Craig again decides to experiment, giving Isaac Lumelume his first match in over a year, and starting Harry Grant for his first 80-minute performance since the infamous Origin I.

Perhaps Craig wanted the pressure and attention off his club coming into the final, or maybe he enjoys the podcast so much he would feel bad about facing Manly in week one and thrashing them, but when the minor premiership was again on the line last night, Craig decided to hold back his best weapons. Cameron Munster, Josh Ado-Carr and Christian Welch were all left out of last night’s squad, and with their season on the line, many were tipping a Sharks upset.

What is abundantly clear here is that it’s harder for Craig Bellamy to lose a game than it is to win a game. He managed to secure a shock loss to the Eels by reportedly spending half time playing a solo acoustic guitar version of AC/DC’s thunderstruck that he had been practicing only since the start of the weekend. The players were understandably confused and distracted, leading to the uncharacteristically poor second half. Unfortunately for Craig, he had planned for Scott Morrison to attend the Sharks game last night and give the halftime speech, but was canceled on at the last minute, resulting in a second-half blitz and a Storm victory.

 

Bellamy’s ambivalence towards the shield was visible in the presentation, as everyone except him and co-captain Dale Finucane remained in the sheds, barely celebrating and already looking towards next week. He couldn’t even be bothered getting both his co-captains out to life the shield, and from the looks of it, barely cracked a smile beneath his mask.

While Craig may be solely focused on the goal of winning the grand final, maybe added incentives would help turn the minor premiership from an unwanted burden, to a coveted title. Currently, the prize money for a minor premiership is $100,000 or, around 200 speaker systems sold on eBay. The NRL should at the very least increase this amount, to properly reward the best team over 25 tough weeks of Rugby League Football.

Alternatively, the 8th immortal has suggested a different reward for the minor premiers. In true Joey style, he reckons the top 30 squad should receive a free trip to Las Vegas as a prize for winning the minor premiership. Not only would this be an adequate reward for months of hard work, and a massive attraction for players to work towards, but it would provide days worth of scandals and Rugby League content that is sure to satisfy the Punter and Dribbler for the entire offseason.

Bellamy’s attitude reflects the feelings of many Storm fans who have lived through this dynasty of unparalleled success. The truth is many of us have become numb to the feeling of success. After a premiership victory last year, and 19 wins in a row this year, it takes more to get a storm fan aroused than it does an average dribbler. Throughout the season, close victories have seen storm fans finish games with more worries than joys, and a win by less than 30 points has become a disappointment for the club. The minor premiership isn’t even worth getting out of bed for anymore, call me when the grand final comes.

 

Fancy yourself as a bit of a writer? Got some unqualified opinion and unwavering bias you’d like to share with the world? Send it through to dyor@hellosport.com.au to be featured on the site

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What Makes a Player worth $1 Million?

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What Makes a Player worth $1 Million?

by Intern Brayden

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The Salary Cap. One of the most controversial and complex topics in league, but one that brings with it many a yarn. How can the Roosters possibly be under the cap? Has DYOR Dave overcome the 2007/09 cheating scandal that rocked the Storm? Did the Cowboys accidentally add a zero to Townsend’s contract? All questions that get raised in pubs all over the country as dribblers morph into accountants and economists after consuming a few Blokes. The intricacies of ‘The Cap’ like back-ended deals, third party agreements etc. are too complex for me, but I do want to discuss one idea. What makes a player worth $1 million per year?

Compared to other sports around the world, $1 million is peanuts. However, in our little world of Rugba Leeg, it is reserved for the top of the heap (or it should be). To put this into context, here are some stats.

The current players on $1M per year are DCE, Ben Hunt, James Tedesco, Tom Trbojevic, David Fifita, Shaun Johnson, Cameron Munster and Kalyn Ponga. Honourable mentions must go to a few who fall just shy including Ash Taylor (960K), Moses Mbye ($950K), Mitch Moses ($920K) and Anthony Milford ($940K).

There are 30 players in a team’s squad. The Cap for each team is $9.9 million. So, a $1 million player takes up just over 10% of the teams cap. If DYOR and his communist friends had their way and each player was paid equally, they would all be earning $330,000. The minimum salary for top-26 players is $115,000 and $77,500 for players 27-30. This means that a player on $1 million is earning 13 times more than their lowest paid teammate and should therefore be 13 times more valuable to the organisation.  A $1 million player needs to be somebody you can build a club around, who is able to do things that others simply cannot. This can be split into what they bring both on and off the field.

Clutch Personified: DCE has kicked 23 field goals in his career
Clutch Personified: DCE has kicked 23 field goals in his career

 

On the Field

If you make the top-30 of an NRL squad, you know how to play footy. I guarantee that if you put the 17 least paid players on the field, they would be able to compete against most teams, at least as much as the Bulldogs do. For someone to be worth 13 times more than someone next to them, they must have the ability to single-handedly, significantly influence the outcome of a game, consistently.

A player of this calibre can create a line break and force the defence to scramble by themselves, be it with footwork and speed, ball skills or pure strength. They’re able to do this at half-way, on the oppositions try line and both in the middle third or ‘outside the numbers’. If they are a kicker, they must be able to create space for themselves, find a repeat set and land the ball on a dime to create scoring chances and avoid conceding penalties or 7 tackle sets. They must have the ability to land a game winning field goal or conversion under pressure. Finally, they influence a play without even touching the ball as the defence recognises a threat and overcompensates, leaving plenty of space for their teammates.

For example, in 2021 Tom Trbojevic averages 2.62 Line Break Assists per game and Nathan Cleary averages 1.07 Try Assists per game. Comparing this to other well-respected players in their position, Will Kennedy averages 0.82 LBA per game and Luke Brooks averages 0.73 TA per game.

Once touted as a million dollar man, Ben Barba's off field form let him down
Once touted as a million dollar man, Ben Barba’s off field form let him down

Off the Field

While being hot automatically increases wages by 20%, clubs still must weigh up how much of a good bloke he is. The ability to influence the outcome of a game on the field is necessary, yet what happens if they were to get injured, or even suspended? It’s hard to ignore these factors when negotiating contracts and as such, a player must be able to influence their team’s performance from the sidelines.

A player worth $1 million must bring the best out of his teammates, explicitly or implicitly. Leadership is an unquantifiable quality, however, it is one I believe must be seen in all million-dollar men. The 1%ers on and off the field that create good habits, the managing of relationships in the team and being the segue between coach and player all inspire teammates to buy into their mission and achieve what they are capable of.

Knowing the qualities of this type of player and the impact he can have on an organisation makes other players want to play alongside them and do so for less money in the hope of improving as a player and a person. Suddenly, this player has individually changed his team’s identity even before lacing the boots. This is what we see happening at the Storm and Roosters and is clearly the formula for long term success.

With all this in mind I believe teams are handing out big contract’s willy nilly, and they need to reel it in. Million-dollar contracts should be reserved for somebody who displays not just some of these characteristics, but all of them. The short list of players I believe deserve this kind of money right now are Turbo, Cleary, Teddy, and Munster. That’s it. Roast me in the comments and change my mind or agree with me. I want to hear your thoughts on what justifies a $1 million pay packet.

Fancy yourself as a bit of a writer? Got some unqualified opinion and unwavering bias you’d like to share with the world? Send it through to dyor@hellosport.com.au to be featured on the site

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Who Needs Porn When You’ve got Storm Fullbacks

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DYOR Dave: “Who Needs Porn When You’ve got Storm Fullbacks”

DYOR Dave

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I hate to write another article jacking off to the insane success of the Melbourne Storm… wait, no I don’t. It’s not my fault that there are so many astounding achievements and statistical anomalies, that it has become my journalistic duty to investigate what is making the club so successful on behalf of the Punter and Dribbler. If it happens to be in the form of masturbatory dribbler, that’s just an added bonus.

One of the biggest stories to come out of the club this year is the rise of replacement fullback Nicho Hynes, who is currently second for try assists and line-break assists, despite playing only 11 games. Many pundits would have guessed that the Storm would struggle without Ryan Papenhuyzen, but a look back into Melbourne’s recent history proves they’ve been a treasure trove of fullbacks for years.

When Billy Slater debuted in 2003, no one knew at the time that he would change the way fullbacks play the game, and help usher in a period of dominance for the club. In 2005, a young throbber named Greg Inglis joined the club, who despite only playing a handful games at fullback during his time, went on to be one of the greats of our modern game.

As Slater’s career went on and his form only improved, a pale Englishman started making his way through the ranks at the storm, after scoring two tries and kicking the winning goal at fullback in the under 20’s grand final. No one could deny the young lad had talent, but with Slater standing ahead of him, there was no way he would get a run at fullback in the purple jersey.

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2010 saw the salary cap scandal hit the Melbourne Storm like nothing had ever hit them before, forcing Craig Bellamy to restructure his side and blood some young talent. So, Bellamy used his magical coaching powers to turn Gareth Widdop from a fullback into an elite, premiership winning half, and it wouldn’t be the last time he’ll pull this trick.

In 2014, Billy Slater suffered a season ending shoulder injury, forcing the storm to once again dig into their fullback stocks. 20 year old Rockhampton boy Cameron Munster was waiting in the wings, and stepped up to play two seasons at fullback and prove himself to be one to watch for the next generation. When Slater heroically returned from consecutive shoulder surgeries, Bellamy once again waived his magic wand and Munster turned into not just any half, but one of the competitions best.

When Slater finally retired at the end of 2018, Bellamy knew it wouldn’t be an easy task to fill his shoes, and he searched far and wide for a suitable replacement. The two favourites were Scott Drinkwater and Jahrome Hughes with far outsiders Nicho Hynes and Ryan Papenhuyzen barely known by even most storm fans.

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An unfortunate injury to Scott Drinkwater led to Hughes getting the nod for the start of the season, but after Papenhuyzen’s blistering start to his career made it impossible to leave him out of the 17, Bellamy once again waved his magic wand and turned fullback into halfback. Since shifting to halfback, Jahrome Hughes has grown his game to now challenge Nathan Cleary for the status of premier half in the game.

The Storm have taken their game to another level with Papenhuyzen and Hughes in the spine, and amazingly have continued that momentum with Hynes filling in. Already Nicho has lifted the premiership trophy and origin shield, without playing a minute in either game. Imagine how good he’ll be when he does get a run. Just like so many before him, Hynes is tipped to hang up the number one jersey to try a stint in the halves, and if history is any indicator, it’ll be just another to add to the long list.

 

Fancy yourself as a bit of a writer? Got some unqualified opinion and unwavering bias you’d like to share with the world? Send it through to dyor@hellosport.com.au to be featured on the site

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Christian Welch: Rugby League’s First Genius?

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Christian Welch: Rugby League’s First Genius?

DYOR Dave

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Rugby League players are known for a lot of things, but unfortunately, brains are not one of them. In a sport where many fans are literally campaigning to have less restrictions on how high and hard you can hit a blokes head, it’s not too surprising that the NRL is yet to produce a Nobel prize winner or Mensa affiliate, that is, until now.

On first glance, Christian Welch would strike most as the average rugby league player: strong, tall, tough, with the added bonus of being follically gifted and rather handsome. But it’s what resides underneath that cheeky smile and glorious mane that sets Welch apart from the average player.

How many NRL players can boast that they’re Harvard educated? Welchy can, after completing a professional development program in negotiation skills. These skills no doubt assist him in his duties as Director of the Rugby League Players Association, an impressive position to hold for a 26 year old prop.

It only takes a small snippet of his interviews to realise that his on-field abilities are almost equalled by his intelligence and knowledge, which is saying something considering he’s a premiership, origin and world club champion.

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One of Welch’s most recent forays into the media saw him take aim at Ronald Reagan and Herbert Hoover, as he ripped into the idea of trickle down economics, stating “It’s all a lie.” While this topic of conversation may be foreign to the average ‘full credit to the boys’ player, Welch seems at home discussing the intricacies of economic policy, as he’s currently studying a Masters of Business administration

Welch is articulate and imaginative in his responses to journalists, yet not afraid to tell it like it is, and he shows a keen interest in matters adjacent to Rugby League, tweeting about the state of rugby union: “My local Union club in Bris is overflowing with numbers, the grassroots in Syd/Bris are pumping. Just total disconnect with pro game/general public..tough one to claw back in crowded Aus sports market.”

In one sentence he has already shown more critical thinking, concern and passion than the entire board of Rugby Australia, and he doesn’t even play the sport.

With the abundance of knowledge and intelligence Welch possesses, he could be excused for spending most of his time in the library researching and developing cures for covid, paths to world peace and improving the game of rugby league. However Welch is truly a man of the people, and uses his abilities to improve the lives of others, championing programs such as Voice Against Violence and State of Mind, as well as enough charitable work to balance out much of the uncharitable acts committed by other players.

Other sources have reported seeing Welch helping old people cross the street, holding doors for hours to let crowds through, carrying people’s luggage at airports, and once adopting every animal from a rescue shelter that was being closed down.

Welch in Uganda 2019
Welch in Uganda 2019

With the best years of his career still to come, fans everywhere can sit back and enjoy watching his smart and hard style of footy, before his retirement will assumably usher in a new era of NRL management spearheaded by Welch, in which he finally unites fans, journalists and administrators to come together and once and for all make Rugby League perfect.

Some dribblers may protest that Tom Trbojevic could be considered the smartest player, as he is currently studying a double Bachelors of economics and applied finance and achieved an impressive ATAR of 94.3. However the obvious disparity between him and Welch lies in their career decisions, as Welch had the foresight to join and stay a club that averages two grand final wins per decade, while Trbojevic remains loyal to a team that only averages 1 per decade.

Special mention also to Justin Olam who holds a Bachelor of applied physics and reportedly spends his weeks calculating gravitational algorithms to maximise his ability to crush opponents in tackles and barrage his way through defensive lines.

 

Fancy yourself as a bit of a writer? Got some unqualified opinion and unwavering bias you’d like to share with the world? Send it through to dyor@hellosport.com.au to be featured on the site

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So it Turns out the Big 3 were Holding the Storm Back All Along

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So it Turns out the Big 3 were Holding the Storm Back All Along

DYOR Dave

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It was only three years ago that the Melbourne Storm boasted not just the top three players in the game, but 3 men who had already been touted as future immortals before their career was over.

The dynasty created by Billy Slater, Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk was unrivalled in its superiority, and the success achieved by these three seemed unmatchable by any team in the near future.

Yet here we are in 2021, 16 rounds into the competition and witnessing a record-breaking season the likes of which haven’t been seen by any club in NRL history.

It seems that among the glory of the days of the Big 3, no one realised that their retirement wouldn’t spell the end of the Storm’s legacy, but instead usher in a newer, better and more successful era.

Some may put this down to new rules suiting their style of play, others see Bellamy’s coaching skills ageing like a fine wine as a reason for this improvement, and while these factors may have played a contributing role, one dramatic shift over the last 3 years has been ignored by the Rugby League masses.

Our team was basically being run by 40-year-olds.

Yes, despite all their skills, knowledge and expertise, there is no denying that at the back end of their careers, the Big 3 were closer to walking sticks than they were to dummies.

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Enter the youthful exuberance of Munster, Hughes, Pap, Hynes, Grant, Cheese, Welch, Fox, Olam, the list goes on and on.

Remarkably, out of the Storm’s preferred starting 17, Jesse Bromwich is the only player over the age of 30.

This new team of young throbbers has already surpassed the success of 2017’s premiership season, with one more win by round 16, and ridiculously, have already scored 9 more 40+ point victories than their previous counterparts.

The fact that this could be achieved while our first-choice fullback and hooker have played less than half the season should scare even the most one-eyed NRL fans.

While the unparalleled footy IQ of the big 3 will be remembered for years to come, the new look Storm is putting their predecessors at risk of being forgotten, as their successful reign is not just being matched by the new generation, but being improved upon as well.

This new school of thought in Melbourne Storm critical theory forces fans to reframe their perspectives of the club’s history. We must honour and recognise the Big 3 for their achievements, but also for paving the way to greater success achieved after the sun had set on their careers.

So as the years roll on, we hope that the exploits of Smith, Slater and Cronk will still be remembered, although it would not come as a surprise if future NRL fans view the Big 3 as merely a precursor to the sheer dominance that followed.

One thing is for sure, if you breathed a sigh of relief as the last of the Big 3 settled into retirement, you were sorely mistaken. The best was yet to come, and it seems like there’s no escape from the Storm’s supremacy, at least for the next 5 years or so.

 

Fancy yourself as a bit of a writer? Got some unqualified opinion and unwavering bias you’d like to share with the world? Send it through to dyor@hellosport.com.au to be featured on the site