For so long, classic games have enamoured me. So much rugby league history occurred before I began watching, so watching classic games has stood out as a way to improve my database using game film. So why do Fox Sports insist on making me watch a 2011 match between Eels and Roosters sides both missing Origin stars?

Classic games should be just that - classic. Fox Sports have done a great job at securing full rights to all NRL content past and present, as seen on their shows such as The Fan. So why, from this amazing database containing thousands of games ranging from 0-0 draws to 74-4 blowouts, do they pick the most obscure games featuring teams no one remembers except rugby league tragics?

Classic matches are ones which are unforgettable. Think the Storm-Sharks Grand Final rematch, or those Broncos-Cowboys and Rabbitohs-Roosters games which always seemed to be decided in the final five minutes. The Battle of Brookvale, whilst rightfully censored by the NRL media, is one which sticks in the minds of everyone who witnessed Adam Blair and Glenn Stewart bash each other's brains out. Those are classic games.

On top of this, why does Fox seemingly restrict a majority of their games to those occurring past 2010? What if I want to watch Darren Lockyer, Andrew Johns and Brett Kimmorley wow teams throughout the 2000s? How about the dominant Broncos, Sea Eagles and Raiders teams of the 1990s? Or the Eels and Bulldogs of the 1980s, arguably the two greatest sides of all time? Those are all better than watching the 2014 Titans play a 14-10 upset win against the eventual premiers, South Sydney.

One thing Fox has done fantastically is Grand Final Week. They show every televised Grand Final, exposing us to classics such as those in 1997, 2015 and 2016. But as much as I love watching the Storm get absolutely embarrassed by the Sea Eagles in 2008, I would also want to watch the classic 18-15 match between the Warriors and Storm three weeks prior, or the 16-14 thriller between Melbourne and Brisbane a week later.

So why don't Fox Sports do this? I think it comes down to the audience. Even though NRL legends have played throughout all eras, most of Fox's current demographic grew up watching 2010s football. But what about the rest of us? YouTube is an option, but it's unreliable. There are no videos of the Raiders' 72-12 demolition of Penrith in 2008, at least not from what I could find. Consistent highlights on YouTube only began in around 2014, so for any match, before this, you would have to run the online gauntlet to even have a hope of watching.

So Fox Sports, fix your classic matches. And upload the best matches to YouTube. For our sake. Please.

Follow @rhyssullivansportstalk on Instagram for more NRL content, among other sports.

6 COMMENTS

  2. 100% agree. We need more older games on TV so the youngens can see the difference in style and how rule changes have shaped the game. Show them how the game was played under the 5 metre rule. Maybe not as open but certainly tough.

  3. I want to see all the classic games where Slammin Sam came in as the third man tough guy hitting the guy who wasn’t looking or had his hands held,

    There were plenty of those games.

  5. Don’t know what you were watching but in the last few months of the off season prior to this season, Fox was playing non stop classic matches with most of them being from the 80’s, 90’s and 00’s.
    I got to relive all of Parra’s grand final wins and also saw an Eels game from the earl 90’s where i spotted my self and my mates in the crowd.

  6. If there classic games and you do not see them on Fox, perhaps you may get to see it on youtube💪🎱👍

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