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Exile
Port Macquarie
"Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done! Now if you know what you’re worth then go out and get what you’re worth. But ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain’t you! You’re better than that!" - Rocky Balboa
Hi folks. Occasional lurker, first time TWF poster.
Hope you'll allow a newbie here to put in two cents.
I've been writing some of the WA team blogs. Went to all the Perth Spirit home games last year and was involved (along with some others) in doing some of the GAGR match reviews.
First thing I will say is that all the preview and review writers there are amateur volunteers. It's good fun trying to provide a bit of coverage for rugby, and in particular WA Rugby, but the (zero) pay is lousy.
Nowadays as only temporary visitor to Perth, this season's games are out of reach for me. So I was one of those in the discussion with Reg about reaching out to TWF to try to keep up some coverage.
Rather than seeing only competition between rugby fans, I also want to see rugby community cooperation. It's a major reason why I'm involved with the game – although there's always still room for team rivalries!
A bit cynical, but that's okay. To answer the question, part of it is the NRC.
Rugby at the best of times tends to fly under the radar and pops up only occasionally in media stories. As Force supporters, I don't even need to try and tell you guys that. And with the NRC, it's doubly hard to get any coverage.
The NRC competition is run on the smell of an oily rag. Obviously there's a bit of stuff published on Fox Sports but a big share of it is having to being done by amateur bloggers, team press releases, and non-mainstream websites like GAGR and The Roar (who are also stretched thin).
We want this NRC competition to survive and thrive. That's something that has changed.
One of the things that we are looking to change is GAGR's ability to cover the Spirit and Force. And the more parochial and passionate, the better. Where better to look than TWF?
I don't see why GAGR and TWF can't work hand in hand. We are not really in competition with each other. Force fans will always log into TWF and I would think that most of us take a look at GAGR on a regular basis to get another perspective on what's happening in rugby, whether we post or not. I joined both sites back in Dec 2009 and I got the feeling back then that there was some bad feeling between the two probably to do with 'personalities' but FFS that was over 6 years ago. Time to move on.
Perth may be an isolated city but there is no need to have isolated mind-sets. I sometimes find it cringeworthy when some posters on here put on their tin-foil hats and bemoan 'their all against us'.
Here's a fact - no-one (including us) are going to say nice things about the Force while we play a boring mind-numbing game and are the whipping boys of the competition. If we were to start playing an entertaining brand of rugby and are able to make the finals then the eastern states media and the likes of GAGR will start singing our praises, but not before.
If GAGR are holding out an olive branch then why not take it? Let's become more involved in the wider rugby community.
Perhaps Rex would like the gig. If he's not blackballed on GAGR
he was given the DCM over there quite some time ago.They didn't like the expression "deadset".
Deadset!
That'll do me. Deadset.
do I ever embellish the facts?
Last edited by brokendown gunfighter; 22-09-15 at 11:49.
I just used "deadset" over there a couple hours before you made that post!
One time only. And I'm not Rex in disguise. Honest, guv.
...Anyways, the Spirit boys get few a starts and honourable mentions in the Team of the Week as nominated by the GAGR writers.
Good to RugbyReg respectfully raise this issue on twf.
G&GR genuinely wants to see better coverage of the Western Force/Perth Spirit matches.
Matt and Reg in particular has tried to encourage new WF/PS contributors for the last couple of years.
I'm going to still be providing my ruck stats but would like to see people with better rugby heads/experience than me to write the reviews.
Some Spirited performances, not least from young Brad Lacey as below, see some recognition on G&G's TOTW.
This coming Sunday we should get another. Okay? Deadset.
11. BRAD LACEY (PERTH SPIRIT) – 1
Lacey, an Australian Under 20 winger this year, made an impact on the game early with a try saving tackle on former Wallaby Dom Shipperley. It was a massive play as were his two tries later in the first half. Lacey has many fans in the west waiting for him to get his Super Rugby chance. This match showed why. Rays speedy winger John Porch scored two tries and showed off his lightning pace in an eye catching game against the Vikings.