I have a theory about all this.
I am guessing that most people who are disenfranchised about the game are of a certain age group, normally born before ~1990 (such as myself). These folks remember golden eras of rugby league (perhaps not so golden if you actually go back and watch the matches) and ideas of "simpler times" when men were men and the players did the talking on-field etc etc.
Now I'm not for one minute saying anyone is ignorant or misinformed, just that the NRL has undergone a massive transformation the past few years and not all of the older supporters are happily going along with it.
I liken it to Star Wars. The original Star Wars was something special and the more the years pass, the more "special" and cherished it is to folks who grew up watching Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. It transformed people's expectations of cinema, pop-culture, toys and gaming, storytelling, special effects etc.
If you look at the prequel trilogies and now the new JJ Abrams movies, do the old Star Wars fans have the same passion for the new movies? The answer is totally NO. Most fans, at best, tolerate the prequels. Many fans thought Force Awakens was alright, sometimes good, and about half the fans absolutely hated hated hated The Last Jedi.
What do the fans say now? They say Disney has ruined Star Wars, but even the bearded wonder who created the whole thing, he kind of ruined it as well with his prequels. He tried to add too much CGI, tried to appeal too much to the new generation of kids. Disney now create movies to cater to social media, online review websites, gaming and bluray considerations etc. etc. "It's not how it used to be".
And in my opinion the NRL is exactly the same. There are folks who feel like they've "lost the passion" because the product has changed and they don't think they like the new product. Perhaps it's too political, or too slick, or the difference between rich and poor clubs is too great. Or perhaps ongoing lack of success.
All fair and genuine feelings - I'm not going to tell anyone how to feel about footy. What I will say however is that it is normal and common for populations of fans to turn away from products over the course of their lifetime. Not just the Star Wars -type effects of a changed mass product, but also the obvious stuff like cultural pressures (climate change, right-wing democracy, social media etc. etc.) and local home pressures like raising kids, divorce, money etc.
No the NRL isn't the same product any more. Society obviously has changed and football has to change with it. Not everyone likes that, not everyone maintains the passion. But, nobody retains all passion for all things all their life anyway. NRL's really big focus, to be frank, is not us heavier supporters but the casual supporter - the person who sometimes flits the TV on to NRL. NRL's focus is the kids who will be supporting for the next 6-7 decades and the new female supporters who are increasingly important every year. Jersey sales and memberships are great, but the real money comes from TV viewership - pure total numbers.
Also, ending my rant, as this topic is at the forefront of my mind, I also challenge folks to consider whether their current feelings about the NRL aren't in fact cyclical. I listen to a great League podcast called "The Rugby League Digest" and they spend significant time every year looking back at old rugby league stories / tales / media. What surprises (or perhaps does not surprise) is all these comments about rugby league have been around since 1908 and come and go - administration is out of touch, product is no good, rich clubs have too much success, refs have no idea etc. etc. It's the same stuff in 1920, 1940, 1960, 1980, 2019\.
Personally I love the footy and year on year I lose my passion actually for the off-field stuff. Not fussed about interviews or predictions or fantasy or the like. Just tell me who is in the team, when we play and then who can I talk to about what I saw in the play. The rest of it be damned - and it retains my passion for actual football, not the off-field nonsense that seems to be a bigger and bigger part of the game now.
