18th club, whose next?

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

But....

A) we already have a Gold Coast team in the NRL

B) Burleigh isn’t bidding to enter the NRL

C) Splitting home games between the Gold Coast & Central Coast is even more insane than the Northern Eagles, St George-Illawarra Dragons & Wests Tigers splitting games between venues, and totally devalues any concept of a season ticket.

And your follow-on scenario about giving the Titans licence to this illogical Frankenstein's Monster of a club is even more bonkers.

On the scale of "brain-fart" to "brain-crap-the-bed-then-roll-about-in-it", the whole thing (Joint venture, splitting games evenly across state borders, buying out the Titans licence) is certainly closer to the latter than the former.

[Edited for clarity]

I said it would be a replacement for the Titans in the advent the club is still struggling in 2034. It's obvious that Gold Coast cannot support a team on its own.

Besides, it makes more sense than advocating for unwanted teams from Adelaide and Perth. No one from Adelaide has put their hand up to bid for a licence, yet you're always talking as if it's a fait accompli to get one of the next three licences?

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

Sorry I’m not laughing at your suggestion just the notion of the Burleigh Bears in a relationship with anybody.

I know it won't happen, but it would be best for the game if it did. Titans have been a disaster.

A few years ago Burleigh threatened to sue North Sydney for trying to buy the Titans' licence with the intent of playing as the Gold Coast Bears. I thought it was a bit hypocritical to threaten legal action considering Burleigh uses the North Sydney logo.

 

[Centy Coast]

I know it won't happen, but it would be best for the game if it did. Titans have been a disaster.

A few years ago Burleigh threatened to sue North Sydney for trying to buy the Titans' licence with the intent of playing as the Gold Coast Bears. I thought it was a bit hypocritical to threaten legal action considering Burleigh uses the North Sydney logo.

I replied this same response about the Gold Coast situation but deleted it lol.
In the end the Bears didn’t even bother putting a proposal together for the license.

 

[Vee]

Poor old donkey being mugged by reality. This was worth taking him off ignore

Nothing's worth that.

 

[flippikat]

I said it would be a replacement for the Titans in the advent the club is still struggling in 2034. It's obvious that Gold Coast cannot support a team on its own.

Besides, it makes more sense than advocating for unwanted teams from Adelaide and Perth. No one from Adelaide has put their hand up to bid for a licence, yet you're always talking as if it's a fait accompli to get one of the next three licences?

Fait Accompli to get one of the next 3 sppts?

I haven't said anything of the sort - just that if the NRL wants to be a true national league that IMO the next 3 teams should include Perth & Adelaide. - preferably those 2 with NZ 2

I realise Adelaide is far less likely than Perth for the next 3 spots, and probably in teams 21 & 22 territory,...BUT if we want reach into all Australian metro markets (as MANY other sports leagues do) it's one piece of that puzzle that's conspicuously been ignored for too long.

 

[Canard]

The aim with PNG would be the make the product valuable to International TV providers.

Are you stoned? PNG is worth less then ZERO to any TV rights.

 

[AlwaysGreen]

Looking forward to more angry bears, tiktok boy and the usual lunatics again this morning.

 

[Iamback]

Are you stoned? PNG is worth less then ZERO to any TV rights

Point me to where I put a figure on what PNG bring in?

I just said what the aim is from bringing them in

 

[Iamback]

Fait Accompli to get one of the next 3 sppts?

I haven't said anything of the sort - just that if the NRL wants to be a true national league that IMO the next 3 teams should include Perth & Adelaide. - preferably those 2 with NZ 2

I realise Adelaide is far less likely than Perth for the next 3 spots, and probably in teams 21 & 22 territory,...BUT if we want reach into all Australian metro markets (as MANY other sports leagues do) it's one piece of that puzzle that's conspicuously been ignored for too long.

The talk from the NRL has been biggest sport in the Pacific, Adelaide doesn't need to be there for that. NZ 2 is needed though.

 

[flippikat]

The talk from the NRL has been biggest sport in the Pacific, Adelaide doesn't need to be there for that. NZ 2 is needed though.

Sure.. and while that's an admirable goal, the fact remains that a city of 1 million plus population can't be ignored forever - regardless of whether they're strongly AFL-leaning, moderately soccer-leaning, or somewhat netball-leaning.

After Perth is in the competition, no other place in Australia/NZ/Pacific Islands has that population base in one city without an NRL team, and ignoring it leaves a conspicuous hole in the competition's profile - especially when every other market of that size is catered-to.

 

[NRLMad]

You just keep growing - there is no need to stop at 20. Once PNG, Perth bears, New Zealand2/pacific are in you can look at Bris3, Fiji, Adelaide for another 2 sides

 

[Canard]

Point me to where I put a figure on what PNG bring in?

I just said what the aim is from bringing them in

How would that be even no9999 on the list of reasons to bring them in?

What value to any broadcaster would one of the poorest nations on earth bring?

 

[Canard]

The talk from the NRL has been biggest sport in the Pacific, Adelaide doesn't need to be there for that. NZ 2 is needed though.

We are so far off being that it's not funny.

And it's a shockingly unambitious target as it is, the Pacific is a tiny population of culturally disparate island nations with a GDP the size of Yass.

Union has ruled this area for 100 years and that has amounted to very little for them.

We should be aiming to be the biggest sport in Australia first and foremost.

 

[Iamback]

How would that be even no9999 on the list of reasons to bring them in?

What value to any broadcaster would one of the poorest nations on earth bring?

I am not the one who is selling it to clubs and TV.

I am sure all the CEO's got all the required info when they were briefed at Magic Round.

There is so much self interest in RL that if there is nothing in it for 1 club that we hear about it

 

[Iamback]

We are so far off being that it's not funny.

And it's a shockingly unambitious target as it is, the Pacific is a tiny population of culturally disparate island nations with a GDP the size of Yass.

Union has ruled this area for 100 years and that has amounted to very little for them.

We should be aiming to be the biggest sport in Australia first and foremost.

So the game shouldn't have ambition then?

 

[Iamback]

Sure.. and while that's an admirable goal, the fact remains that a city of 1 million plus population can't be ignored forever - regardless of whether they're strongly AFL-leaning, moderately soccer-leaning, or somewhat netball-leaning.

After Perth is in the competition, no other place in Australia/NZ/Pacific Islands has that population base in one city without an NRL team, and ignoring it leaves a conspicuous hole in the competition's profile - especially when every other market of that size is catered-to.

I have no doubt it will come. Atleast the game is going into new markets that is a positive

 

[flippikat]

I have no doubt it will come. Atleast the game is going into new markets that is a positive

For sure, and I think one of the things the game needs to do is put regular games there to sow the seeds.

Even just a game or two per year can be valuable in getting interest in NRL to take-off there, something similar to what Perth has been getting in recent years - just to fill that gap until an Adelaide team becomes a real prospect.

 

[mongoose]

Why are you bringing up Shark Park and Dolphin Oval?

It's totally irrelevant to the conversation I was having with your mate.

I was responding to your mate's claim that Perth will have a super rich team from the get go. You need a big stadium with classy facilities and a large fanbase to generate strong game day revenue. Especially when you're a rugby league team isolated in a parochial fumbleball market.

You've seen the annual reports.

Clubs with the highest attendances and members draw the most revenue from game day. Broncos and Cowboys are number one and two for revenue generated from football operations. Dolphins are right up there because they have one of the game's richest sponsorship deals and play the bulk of their games at Lang Park in front of 32k fans.

Sharks are one of the poorer clubs due to playing out of an outdated venue with limited capacity.

How do you expect Perth to be like the Broncos and Cowboys when its ground is not much better than Shark Park?

I became a Phinatic on Sunday, FWIW. That's another member to add to their impressive tally. I'm now a member of the Cowboys and Dolphins.

Are you a member of any club?

Brisbane Tigers have the best bid in the country, FYI.

Brisbane Tigers

• Assets $135m
• Lang Park 52k
• Strong catchment from Bulimba in east-north-east Brisbane to Yarrabilba in southeast Logan with a proven record of producing Origin and Test stars
• Strong Leagues club at Coorparoo that's larger than Broncos Leagues.
• Support from Phil Gould, Paul Gallen, Peter Psaltis, Simon Fordham, Ben Ikin and QRL.

What does Perth have?

• No support from the broadcasters.
• No support from the QRL and NSWRL.
• A dilapidated dump of a ground with a capacity of 20.5k and poor corporate facilities.
• About 8k people across Perth who regularly watch NRL games on 9Gem.
• 4k lousy players who cannot compete with the big boys from Queensland and NSW.
• A bid led by an old pawnbroker who was the Western Reds' main sponsor when the club went tits up and ran to Murdoch for a bail out.

That's some bid you've got there!

Why do you think V'landys keeps telling Perth to talk with the Bears?

no one in the media is talking about Brisbane Tigers... It's all PNG and Perth Bears.

 

[Iamback]

For sure, and I think one of the things the game needs to do is put regular games there to sow the seeds.

Even just a game or two per year can be valuable in getting interest in NRL to take-off there, something similar to what Perth has been getting in recent years - just to fill that gap until an Adelaide team becomes a real prospect.

Well when Perth has a team, the double headers make no sense there. So moving them to Adelaide with a look for 2040 or whenever expansion is next up makes sense.

Particularly if Vegas and PNG aren't flops and the game continues the growth then expansion will be on the cards

 

[Bukowski]

Well when Perth has a team, the double headers make no sense there. So moving them to Adelaide with a look for 2040 or whenever expansion is next up makes sense.

Particularly if Vegas and PNG aren't flops and the game continues the growth then expansion will be on the cards

Maybe a super Saturday in Adelade