Hypothetical Question for NRL Collectors.

[Matt26]

Was having a chat with a couple of long time collectors (and a few new ones) recently and the discussion was around the state of the local Trading card market at present, in particular NRL and AFL markets.

One of the discussion points was around current releases and what they would look like if they were done by another company?

Say for example if TLA/TGI didnt have the NRL licence and Select still had it and were producing the same sets for NRL that they currently do for the AFL.

Sets like Footy Stars/Prestige/Brilliance/Brownlow and Supremacy etc.

Now compare that to the sets TLA/TGI put out now - Traders/Rivalry/Best and Less and Elite etc.

If you had a choice to pick a manufacturer to produce NRL cards, which way would you go? What sets would you prefer?

Are you happy with the current TLA/TGI releases or would you rather be collecting sets like Select currently makes?

Would love to see which way collectors would go on this?

Cheers
Matt

 

[Brendan_B]

I prefer Traders over Footy Stars and Prestige and Elite are comparable but the NRL desperately needs one ultra high end product at the very least every second year.

You could use this product to add extensions onto the Centenary/ Glory sets as HOF / Immortals are inducted.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

Either way, I’m not fussed by producer. I think both do some nice cards.

But for NRL - there need to be more commons per team. Traders 12, combined with expansion in Rivalry 3, Best & Less 3. That’s 18 cards.

Then Elite could be Dally M, SOO, Magic Round, All Stars, International.

 

[troy titans douglas]

TLA have come along way, not the full package yet but had you asked pre 2017 I’d probably say Select. Now it’s probably in TLA favour but agree a bi-annual premium set would be great

 

[ElijahCraigHyde]

Personally I prefer it if tla did not start producing ultr high end releases equivalent to select afl supremacy slash brilliance etc

Reason being as an afl collector as well as nrl, latest supremacy release by select for afl not to mention thr latest brownlow extra high end edition has really made previous afl high ends worth peanuts in some cases.

Point being I don't want that to happen with nrl tla. Reason being I love the mojo parallels which makes tla unique imo and would hate to see bd and emerald sets plummet

Bottom linecis if tla do decide to make an ultra high end release equivalent to afl 135pt releases I do hope they won't do any 1/1 cards or anything shorter print than /25 which select have assured afl collectors such pledge

 

[Lazlow]

I'm personally not a fan of how Select handles distribution (not sure if TLA is the same).

Aside from Footy Stars, it feels 95% of stock is bought direct from Select, through public sale and/or through the early priority sale for Select Collector Club members. A club that is only open to join for a small window at the start of the season, and you have to apply for like its a job. Hard luck if you're a new collector or returnee who comes back mid-season.

And never mind their checkout process is prone to bots, yet they will flat out cancel genuine orders because they deem them suspicious. And you will still see plenty of boxes being flipped on ebay, some listed before the product launches.

The whole thing feels driven by FOMO. People have to sit at their computer waiting for the second the next set is available online and rush through their order. They promote mega cards of sought after players, but pulling a Gold Coast or GWS sig is certain death for your ROI on the $350+ box of cards you just bought (although, this increased focus on financial value is a whole other conversation I could have)

The Brownlow set tanked, and I've seen plenty of disappointed responses on here to Supremacy. People even suspect Select of directing the big hits to the "usual suspects".

If you were to skim the AFL section it would seem like Select are doing a terrible job.

Yes they are producing some nice high end cards that collector's have been desiring, but it feels like there's a massive divide between Footy Stars and everything else, with a lot of obstacles making them unobtainable.

Don't find it all that enjoyable tbh.

 

[shane_sharks]

still have nightmares over select

 

[ozsportscardcollector]

I replied to this last week. Very longwinded. Must not have hit the post reply button. Just as well.

Both companies are excellent but I think Elite is the best of all the products produced. I dislike the Select high end product Supremacy with its chunky base cards and the big fat RC symbol. RPA's are fine in thick stock but a base card or numbered card in thick stock is gimmicky imo. They have two of the these cards in Upper Deck's most expensive product "The Cup" and it effectively turns a 6 card box into a 4 card box.

I like the Select product that has the Draft pick autos in them.

I wish TLA would get more autograph content in their products but Elite is a great product and would not want to see that superseded by Supremacy if Select had the NRL licence

Still longwinded and off the mark. In short I like things the way they are.

 

[Avonc]

Can't compare the both as no idea about AFL cards. NRL, would like to see more players in
common base sets. So many season long starting players not getting a common card is
not good. More autos, past greats would be very cool. I know there are issues regarding
the licensing of uncontracted past players.
DallyM sigs, that way you get the best of the best autos and more higher profile clubs with
more signed cards. DallyM predictor cards, a lot of money spent on a chance.
Get rid of mojo checklist cards and put another player in.
Rivalry could be a rookie card centric release.

Well that's my bit, I see Rebel is selling some new release out in November too- interesting.

 

[MJD]

Being in NZ and not an AFL fan, I'm not familiar with what Select does now, but well aware of how they handled NRL in the past. In short, I thought the 2000-2005 sets were pretty decent, and then it went sideways fast.

If I was to overhaul TLA, I would take my inspiration from US sport cards in the 1990s. Game images on the front with simple, clean designs, loads of stats on the backs, with large base sets. Maybe Traders series 1 and 2, so each team gets 18 base cards, and not every insert set would need to be 16/32 cards to represent every club. They would showcase the best players, and if only a 9 card set, I might consider trying to complete it. There's no way I'm chasing 16 sigs to complete a set, particularly when half the players aren't "sensations" or "future stars". (The Dynamic 94 Top Ten set remains one of my fav insert sets, and it was simply the best 10 players of the year. Not a Panther among them, and prob 5 bloody Raiders, but sweet as, that's who the best players were).

Elite would be the prestige third set of the year, still clean designs but with a bit of foil and extra love, and feature Origin inserts. And I would do away with all the shitty cheap sets like Rivalry and Best&Less that just cheapen the brand. Want to do something strictly for kids, a digital card app would prob have greater appeal.

I haven't busted a box of cards or collected a base set in over a decade. What would get me to change that, and not just cherry pick Panthers cards, is way better base designs, full squads, and season/career stats on the back of cards to assist with my Supercoach.