DAVE Smith wants Channel 9 to dump its delayed Sunday TV broadcasts to provide fans with an extra free-to-air game live each weekend.

The plan is to introduce a later 4pm kick-off time to allow the network to show live footy into its news bulletin and hopefully lift sluggish NRL ratings.

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The NRL chief executive also wants to get Israel Folau back playing rugby league, regular 30,000 attendances at games, better stadiums and an annual round devoted to supporting seriously injured players.

On Friday night I attended the Souths-Manly semi-final with the banker-turned-league boss to get his thoughts on the game after the second year in the job.

media_camera NRL chief executive Dave Smith. Picture: Peter Wallis

THE ARRIVAL

This is a similar theme to a column two weeks ago when I watched Hawthorn v Collingwood at the MCG with Gill McLachlan and Eddie McGuire.

I’m a little on edge because of a recent column in which I was highly critical of Smith for leaving the country for a promotion in Samoa in the week of the ASADA penalties. We meet in the foyer of NRL headquarters, then walk across to the ground. No drama.

Smith shouts a beer at the new bar outside the ground at the northern end.

Unlike McLachlan who came to the footy one-out, Smith brings his media minder, Sandy Olsen. He chats and mingles with the fans before we head to the corporate box.

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THE SUITE

It wouldn’t be a rugby league night out without the politics.

We walk in and find the Manly directors — three on one side of the room and the other three, who don’t talk to them, on the other.

These guys are as dysfunctional as their footy team.

I tell Smith how much money part-owner Rick Penn is worth and that he owns a three-bedroom apartment on The World cruise ship, next door to Gina Rinehart.

We bump into commission chairman Steve Menzies, Mario Fenech and Mick Crocker are among all the sponsors.

media_camera Julie Burgess, mother of the Burgess brothers, in the crowd. Picture: Mark Evans

THE TEST

Like McLachlan in Melbourne, I find out how well Smith knows his enemies from the rival football codes.

Buzz: Can you name me three Sydney Swans players?

Smith: Okay, um, Goodes. Adam Goodes and Buddy Franklin. That’s as far as I can go. The Swans are the only team I’ve watched on TV. Rugby league is my sport. I haven’t got a lot of time for anything else.

Buzz: Okay, who coaches the Waratahs in the rugby?

Smith: He’s had a great year. What’s his name. Um, um … I know, Cheika. He’s a very good coach, he’s a bit controversial but he’s done a good job.

Buzz: You’re on fire. How about an A-League question? How long have the Wanderers been in the competition?

Smith: Not very long, can’t say ­exactly, but they’ve done a fantastic job and I particularly like what they’ve done around membership.

TV COVERAGE

For years your columnist has been campaigning for live Sunday ­afternoon football on Channel 9 instead of the dull, drawn-out and ­advertisement-filled replays.

Most fans already know the score and don’t watch. It’s one of the reasons television ratings have slumped so badly this year.

Smith is all over it and wants to do something about it, even if it means tinkering with the five-year television contract.

“I agree with you: the more live free-to-air coverage we can get the better it is for the fans,” he says.

“We will talk to the broadcasters. David Gyngell is a good bloke and very reasonable.

“Often when you talk about these things, your ambitions can align.

“You’re 100 per cent right, though. Next year we’ve got to try to maybe start the Sunday game a bit later and show it live.

“We are going to talk to them and at the same time we need to make sure all our broadcast partners are okay with it. Ultimately, live sport is better than delayed sport.”

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media_camera Dave Smith wants Israel Folau back in the NRL.

ISRAEL FOLAU

Smith wants the Wallabies and Waratahs star back playing rugby league.

“I think he’s got rugby league in his soul,” he says. “Fingers crossed, he will come back to the game.”

The NRL boss often bumps into Folau in the Moore Park area.

“Izzy and I have a chat every time I see him in the cafe here,” he says.

“I always comment on how well he has played. He’s a leaguey through and through and we’ll do everything we can to create an environment where he might want to come back.

“He’s a fantastic young man, a great rugby league player and I’ve seen him in the Origin sheds.”

THE SUPERSTARS

We talk about how disappointing it is to be losing Sam Burgess and Sonny Bill Williams at the end of the season.

Like Folau, Smith sounds determined to get both of them back.

“I hope so, they are both wonderful players,” he says, “They’ve both got great leadership qualities. Fans love them. They are young men with ambition and you can’t fault anyone for having ambition.

“What I hope is that when they’ve done what they want to do, whether that’s Olympics or World Cups, that they are going to come back to this great game.

“They both love rugby league and they’ll be welcome back.”

media_camera Greg Inglis speaks to Dave Smith on the phone.

THE PLAYERS

Smith is sure doing well for a man who didn’t know Cameron Smith was Australia’s Test captain when he started in this job less than two years ago.

Many of the highest-profile players in the game now have his mobile phone number and a direct line to the CEO.

Last week Greg Inglis rang to get permission to bring a Starlight Foundation child to the Dally M awards. They got talking and now 10 children from the foundation will be attending.

We sat together for the entire game. He knew most of the players, the tactics and intricacies of the game.

There was only one slip up when Cheyse Blair scored for Manly in the corner and the referee went upstairs. Smith thought they were checking for a forward pass, not knowing they weren’t allowed to.

SYDNEY CLUBS

I ask if he thinks nine traditional old teams can survive long term.

“Sydney is one of the most competitive sporting markets in the world,” he said.

“Nine teams have been there a long time.

“So far they’ve competed well but in the 21st century it’s a different experience and we’ve got to make sure our clubs are sustainable and that they are doing the right thing by their fans. As long as they do that, yes, they can.”

media_camera Dave Smith is a fan of suburban grounds like Leichhardt Oval. Picture: Phil Hillyard

THE STADIUM POLICY

Smith has been to all the suburban grounds. He loves them but at the same time wants to outgrow them.

“Shark Park, Leichhardt, Brookvale and Penrith — I love all of them,” he says. “They are a fantastic experience but the truth is we don’t want 16,000 people to watch a game — we want 30,000 or 40,000.

“I believe if we get a decent stadium footprint, the right size for our crowds and the right entertainment and experience, we’ll be able to recreate that atmosphere in better facilities.

“We want to do the suburban grounds experience on a bigger scale. The fans of tomorrow want a second screen, wi-fi and great facilities.

“They want to use their mobile phones and not wait three hours to get home to get their text messages.”

THE BOSS

It’s hard to believe the rumours and reports of Smith being difficult and hot-tempered inside NRL headquarters.

I find him great company. A really decent bloke, relaxed, and anything but the toffy banker I first feared the game was getting.

His knowledge of rugby league has improved enormously.

“This year I’m loving it — last year I was learning and I still am,” he says.

“I’m now really clear in the direction the game should be taking.”

We sit there and he really gets into it.

“C’mon Georgie,” as one of the Burgess boys goes on a rampage, or, “Oh Lote, what a magnificent try” when the veteran winger leaps and scores in the corner.

He talks of his concern for injured Manly hooker Jayden Hodges at half-time and checks with his staff to ensure the youngster is okay.

In the end it was a disappointing game because it was so lopsided as the Rabbitohs raced to a 40-nil lead.

Still, it was a great night out with a smart guy who has truly settled into his role.

Our game is in good hands.

media_camera Jayden Hodges down injured. Picture: Mark Evans

HIGHLIGHT I

It’s remarkable that Jamie Soward got his chance at Penrith only because Todd Carney knocked them back. What a player. What a comeback. He’s the buy-of-the-year by the length of a footy field. While he was carving up the Roosters on Saturday night, Carney was on the drink at Cronulla RSL.

HIGHLIGHT II

Getting to know more about NRL boss Dave Smith at the footy on Friday night. Good man, good operator and good plans.

LOWLIGHT

All the empty light blue seats at the NRL semi-finals at Allianz. We had four Sydney clubs on show and the stadium should have been at near capacity on Friday and Saturday night.

JUDICIARY TIGHTROPE

The NRL match-review committee is under enormous pressure this morning in dealing with the Anthony Watmough and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves tackles. Surely their actions were not serious enough to warrant suspension from sudden-death semi-finals.

STERLING EFFORT

South Sydney halfback Adam Reynolds is starting to remind me of Peter Sterling in his heyday. His vision and game-management are absolutely first class. Surely he has edged ahead of Daly Cherry Evans as the back-up half-back to Cooper Cronk in the Four Nations.

MANLY MAYHEM

No Glenn Stewart. No Anthony Watmough. No Jason King. No decent front-rowers. The Manly Sea Eagles appear to be facing a lean few years and a major rebuild.

■ The NRL provided my ticket to the executive hirer’s suite. I drank three of their Crown Lagers and ate six party pies. Parking was provided by the Sydney Cricket Ground Trust.