Magic Round Recap: Cowboys vs. Roosters

Hello to all Scrumpy Sports readers wherever you are! Here in Virginia, we are experiencing some drought-like conditions. Most farmers in eastern Virginia have been replanting corn since even the center pivot irrigation could not help the seeds planted back in April. Corn was planted here at my family’s farm this past week, so we are praying that the rest of the growing season will have more favorable conditions on Burnley Farms! On a much smaller scale, the weather has not helped the two cucumber plants and one tomato that I am growing on our back deck. All three are still alive, but could be doing much better. My sister is definitely the better gardener as all of her plants are doing well. Her two children love the strawberries, especially!

Ok, on to rugby league. I want to start off by saying that I have really enjoyed getting to know the rugby league community online, everyone has been very kind and helpful explaining the parts of the game that I do not understand that well. Usually, sports fans online can be harsh, but thankfully that has not been my experience so far. One example is when I commented on the North Queensland Cowboys post on X about the upcoming Magic Round game against the Sydney Roosters, asking them to briefly explain what Magic Round is for my American audience. Instead of getting made fun of, I had two separate responses (neither from the Cowboys) which both explained Magic Round, one even asked what about it would most excite an American audience. Thanks to both X users who responded so kindly!

For those that are unfamiliar with Magic Round, it is where each team plays in the exact same location over a weekend. It evidently has a great, family-friendly atmosphere. Our American sports culture is definitely event-driven. Just think about the most popular times of the year for various American sports: the Indianapolis 500 for Indycars, the Daytona 500 for NASCAR, March Madness for college basketball, the Super Bowl for the NFL, I could go on and on. The highest ratings for TV and in-person attendance for each of these leagues are these big events. Of course, the dedicated fan will watch every week, but even casual fans tune in for the big events. I think that the idea of a big event in rugby league is definitely of interest to an American audience, especially the novelty of it not necessarily being an in-season tournament.

Speaking of growing an American audience for the NRL, I had an idea today that I think would really help it grow by great lengths here. The Premier League shows one game a week on NBC, always on a Saturday at noon. That allows more people to watch in the US as it is both on broadcast television, and at a time that most people are home. The NRL should look at doing something similar, just with a few modifications given the larger time difference. It would be great if they could get a contract with a broadcast TV channel, and play a game at 11:30 AM on a Saturday in Australia (Townsville/Sydney time). That would be 9:30 PM on the US East Coast, and 6:30 PM on the US West Coast, both on a Friday night. That could be some great primetime television for us here in the states! Also, consider the fact that the NRL is roughly taking place during the NFL offseason. For the past several years, various spring football leagues have tried to fill in the gap and give the American audience its football fix. Currently, the largest spring league is the UFL. However, I feel like the NRL and rugby league in general could have a bigger draw for NFL fans. The sport is easier to understand than rugby union for the average American football fan who has a base knowledge of the rules. Plus, rugby league players have a grit and relatable quality that I feel would really resonate with an American audience. KFC already sponsors Fried Night Footy, maybe they could have a US version (it is “Kentucky” Fried Chicken, after all). Alright, enough with my ramblings, let’s get to the game recap!

The North Queensland Cowboys took on the Sydney Roosters for Magic Round weekend. At 9:07, Cody Ramsey scored a try for Sydney set up by the Roosters really moving the ball well. They first sent a grubber kick which set up a short pass to Ramsey. This was followed by a Sam Walker conversion (remember, NFL fans, think of this as a the kick following a touchdown). Braidon Burns responded at 22:15 by scoring the opening try for North Queensland. Soon afterwards, Scott Drinkwater outmaneuvered two Roosters and caught a ball from a beautiful high kick, giving North Queensland another try. Braidon Burns later scored the third try in a row for North Queensland! Jake Clifford scored a conversion making the score 6–18 in North Queensland’s favor.

At the 54 minute mark, Hugo Savala scored a try for Sydney, which was followed by a conversion by Sam Walker. This brought the score up to 12–18. At the 64th minute, Sam McIntyre attempted to break through the Cowboys defense and score a short yardage try, but North Queensland managed to bring him down just in time! The Cowboys tried to lengthen their lead with a Scott Drinkwater try, but it was disqualified. The good news is that five minutes later, North Queensland’s win was sealed with a final score of 12–18!

Talk soon, Austin