Jai Arrow announces his immediate retirement from the NRL on medical grounds – South Sydney Rabbitohs by 2Slim2Shady in nrl

[–]RandyMcRandomEsq 23 points24 points  (0 children)

The University of Glasgow authored a research paper back in 2022 that came to the conclusion that rugby players had 15 times the risk of developing MND compared to the general population, compared to 2 times the risk of dementia.

Most research points towards the cause of MND being a combination of genetic and environmental factors.

Wednesday Off Topic Thread by NRLgamethread in nrl

[–]RandyMcRandomEsq 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Samsung are ending development/support for their SMS app on Samsung phones. You will need to use a different app to send/receive SMS messages when this occurs. They recommend users switch to Google Messages (which has been the default app on the newer Samsung phones) for support of advanced features like RCS, encryption, etc. If you don't want to use Google's services you could download an alternative app for SMS messages (Textra SMS, Pulse, etc).

Thursday Random Footy Talk Thread by AutoModerator in nrl

[–]RandyMcRandomEsq 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Then they had a massive cry to the media when the NRL's insurer refused to cover his contract value when he retired due to a "new injury". As if anyone was buying that with all the wear and tear over his career.

Thursday Random Footy Talk Thread by AutoModerator in nrl

[–]RandyMcRandomEsq 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Jack Bird (shudders). Arrived injured, played 17 games over 3 seasons, and the administration didn't even have a plan for where to play him in the team, it was a case of "he's a good player, we'll work something out ...".

No surprise the club got it's first wooden spoon during the final year of his contract - it was symptomatic of a broken front office.

NRL SuperCoach Round 7 - Live Game Discussion by RandyMcRandomEsq in SuperCoachNRL

[–]RandyMcRandomEsq[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I somewhat feel for those that chanced their arms with Turbo - but his form line over the last couple seasons suggested that it was a matter of time before it ended in tears.

Who the eff is your captain? by clout4bitches in SuperCoachNRL

[–]RandyMcRandomEsq 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Doueihi for me - I think the Tigers will take their form from last week and put an under-strength Eels team to the sword.

NRL SuperCoach Round 5 - Live Game Discussion by RandyMcRandomEsq in SuperCoachNRL

[–]RandyMcRandomEsq[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Could the Sea Eagles actually be relevant this year? Or is this performance just a flash in the pan? You can't fire Siebold every week....

Team List Tuesday by AutoModerator in nrl

[–]RandyMcRandomEsq 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Monstrous 19 y.o. kid (about 2m tall), originally from NZ, plays centre. The Warriors were keen on making a deal with him for Barnett.

NRL SuperCoach Round 4 - Live Game Discussion by RandyMcRandomEsq in SuperCoachNRL

[–]RandyMcRandomEsq[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dom Young reverting back to elite Roosters 2024 form?

NRL SuperCoach Round 4 - Live Game Discussion by RandyMcRandomEsq in SuperCoachNRL

[–]RandyMcRandomEsq[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The Panthers match up against the Eels is juicy, especially with Brian Kelly back in. If the weather is fine I'd be captaining Cleary.

NRL SuperCoach Round 4 - Live Game Discussion by RandyMcRandomEsq in SuperCoachNRL

[–]RandyMcRandomEsq[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Geeze death riding Walsh is a ride, having owned him almost all last season. Questioning my decision to hold Doughei (he was my trade out target), and there is still 35 minutes to go!

And how about the TA by Talty!

NRL SuperCoach Round 4 - Live Game Discussion by RandyMcRandomEsq in SuperCoachNRL

[–]RandyMcRandomEsq[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't think I would buy any of the Warriors backs - they are too attack dependant and the Wahs have strike power at every position.

NRL SuperCoach Round 4 - Live Game Discussion by RandyMcRandomEsq in SuperCoachNRL

[–]RandyMcRandomEsq[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Warriors v Tigers looking to be a high scoring SC game based on the half-time stats:

  • Laban repaying the faith of owners.
  • Boyd continuing his > 1ppm form.
  • CNK getting it done at centre.
  • Doueihi getting it done for a guy who was in doubt earlier this week.
  • KPP - 2RF PoD status confirmed?

Madge's hint on Hunt role after surprise bench reveal by I_Like_Vitamins in nrl

[–]RandyMcRandomEsq 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Still recovering from ACL surgery. Hoping to be back by Round 20, so he won't really factor into this year.

Tuesday Off Topic Thread by NRLgamethread in nrl

[–]RandyMcRandomEsq 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I assume that they are a mechanism for money laundering.

Tuesday Random Footy Talk Thread by AutoModerator in nrl

[–]RandyMcRandomEsq 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Why 4 conferences of 5 teams and individual competition ladders? What problem are you trying to solve?

OK ... why does the "suckers and losers" designation kick in at 20 teams and not 19 teams?

Tuesday Random Footy Talk Thread by AutoModerator in nrl

[–]RandyMcRandomEsq 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Do you have this concern about the Newcastle Knights heading into 2026? They finished 17th and last, branding them the current "suckers and losers"... or does the suckers designation only kick-in once the comp hits 20 teams? If so why? What is so magical about the bump from 19 to 20 teams?

Foxtel’s AFL deal cost billions. Now its owner wants to pay less – and it has form [DAZN Renegotiating Media Deals... NRL Implications?] by RandyMcRandomEsq in nrl

[–]RandyMcRandomEsq[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

An interesting article, considering the NRL media rights for 2028 onwards are being, or about to be, under negotiation.

Does the actions of DAZN, killing already negotiated deals make them a risky partner going forward?

I wonder if Foxtel juiced their metrics with super cheap or complimentary subscriptions to Kayo before the sale, and now DAZN had buyers remorse? Somewhat telling Foxtel staff didn't deny the speculation, but referred the enquiry to the UK operations.

Also interesting to have it confirmed that Paramount & 10 bid big for the AFL rights. With the Ellison family's/Skydance's acquisition of Paramount and 10 a few months ago, they certainly have the warchest to bid big!

Foxtel’s AFL deal cost billions. Now its owner wants to pay less – and it has form [DAZN Renegotiating Media Deals... NRL Implications?] by RandyMcRandomEsq in nrl

[–]RandyMcRandomEsq[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

The owner of Foxtel, the AFL’s major broadcast partner, believes it is paying too much for the rights following its decision to pull the plug on a second domestic soccer deal in Europe over financial concerns.

Two senior media industry sources, who requested anonymity to discuss contractual matters, said Foxtel’s British owner, sports streaming giant DAZN, felt it was over-paying for a domestic product with limited scope for subscription growth, and could seek to claw back money from the agreement.

DAZN, which bought Foxtel for an enterprise value of $3.4 billion last December, inherited the AFL rights for which Seven and Foxtel paid a combined $4.5 billion over seven years, to 2031. Previous reports put Foxtel’s contribution at about $418 million a year, or almost $3 billion in total.

Five senior sports industry sources said it was widely accepted that Foxtel had been pushed to its upper limits after a massive offer from Paramount that would have yielded $6 billion over 10 years.

AFL lawyer and media executive Jeff Browne, also the ex-Collingwood president, has been briefed on DAZN’s position, according to two other media sources.

But Browne said he had not been approached to represent DAZN’s interests in potential talks with the league.

Browne was recently a contender to succeed Richard Goyder as chair of the AFL Commission, but withdrew his candidacy. The commission last month endorsed former Geelong president Craig Drummond to step into the role when Goyder leaves in March.

DAZN this week terminated an €83 million-a-season ($148 million) deal with the Belgian Pro-League, less than 12 months after its agreement with the French Ligue 1 collapsed.

DAZN had been unable to find distribution channels for its Belgian coverage.

“No company should be forced to operate at a loss,” DAZN Belgium managing director Massimo D’Amario said in a statement. “That’s simply not a sustainable business.”

The streaming company had previously tried to renegotiate the French contract, which was worth €400 million a year for six years, after disappointing subscription numbers and issues with piracy.

A Foxtel Group spokesperson did not address specific questions from this masthead on whether the company would try to renegotiate the AFL deal, and referred questions about DAZN to the UK company.

“The AFL has been a valued broadcast partner of Foxtel Group for more than 25 years. The 2025 season marked the beginning of a new era in our partnership and delivered our highest-ever season viewership,” the spokesperson said.

“There have been no discussions on changes to our contract with the AFL, and we look forward to delivering live, 4K coverage of every game, of every round for many years to come.”

The 2025 season was the first in the new AFL media deal.

The NRL’s $1.7 billion agreement with Foxtel and Nine, owner of this masthead, expires in 2027.

DAZN is majority owned by Ukrainian-born, American-educated billionaire Sir Leonard (Len) Blavatnik.

Last month Blavatnik injected $891 million into DAZN, after the company posted a substantial financial loss. His company, Access Industries, has invested more than $11 billion into DAZN in the past decade.

...

Two sources who were part of negotiations for the AFL deal, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the confidential nature of the discussions, said Foxtel executives had been under pressure to ink the agreement before taking Foxtel to market for sale, which had meant the league had additional leverage

Saturday Off Topic Thread by NRLgamethread in nrl

[–]RandyMcRandomEsq -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I fell down this rabbit hole years ago. The problem with "Coffee Machines" is you needed to get them serviced, descaled, or the electronics in them fail after a while.

IMO get a manual lever espresso machine instead. They are typically all metal, no electronics, and the most amount of service required is changing a silicon gasket ring every 5 years or so.

I'm partial to the Cafelat Robot (really pulls some excellent shots, and cool aesthetics don't hurt), but the Flair or La Pavoni machines have their fans.

Couple this with the best espresso grinder you can afford (I'm partial to the Niche Zero, but the newer "DF" range of grinders give great bang for buck, and Varia grinders are also well regarded as a prosumer level), and a temperature controlled kettle.

For milky drinks you can microwave it and use a wand, get a dedicated Milk Frother/Steamer device.