Expansion won't happen anytime soon

[Perth Red]

Again this is where we disagree, if we are talking around $30mill for two new clubs and if the sale of a ninh game is worth a decent whack of money, and ifexpansion of the NRL is strategically important to the commission then the NRL should be planning now for an introduction around 2019 or 2020 otherwise we could and probably will be having this same argument in 2020 when talks of new tv deals for 2023 start.

The NRL has tried a couple of different suggestions to clubs to get itself out of a position of having to bail clubs out or take over ownership including different grant amounts and sinking fund out of club grants but the self interested clubs aren't interested. Unfortunately the NRL doesn't have the balls to throw it back at them and say fine, here is your $12/13mill but you stand on your own and if you fall over then we will either relocate you or take your license away to fulfill our expansion strategy, no more bail outs unless we deem it strategically important to provide extra funding.

I also the think the $100mill of grassroots is hopefully part of the expansion strategy anyway. I'll be very surprised if the vast majority of this funding doesn't go to the nsw and qland cup,revamp making them a truly national and international NRL second tier and forming part of the structure for WA, Wellington and even the PI's.

All the stats produced by the NRL suggest that grassroots is growing not diminishing so I am unclear of this sudden desperate need to quadruple funding? Of course more can always be spent on grassroots but as I have said before the two biggest grassroots participation sports in Australia receive no funding from the top tier body so not sure funding is necessarily a reflection of participation.

 

[Teddyboy]

I wonder how the NRL would look now if that awful Super League shit didn't happen.

 

[Perth Red]

Hard to say, of then4 new clubs brought in 1995 they all struggled financially but impossible to say how much was related to the effect of SL and how much of the financial strife would,have happened anyway. There was also a number of Sydney clubs in trouble,,even without SL it is probable then comp,would have looked different by 2000 than it did in 1995.

 

[alien]

I wonder how the NRL would look now if that awful Super League shit didn't happen.

It would still be the ARL, instead of NRL, and it would have been better.

 

[alien]

If we can get to a 20 team comp, we can end up having 19 rounds (play every team once). I believe 9 Sydney clubs are too many, so I have made 2 relocations in this 20 team comp. The top 8 Finals system should be kept.

South Sydney Rabbitohs
Manly - Central Coast Sea Eagles
St George Illawarra Dragons
Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs
Wests Tigers
Penrith Panthers
Parramatta Eels
Newcastle Knights
Canberra Raiders
Melbourne Storm
Adelaide Sharks
Perth Roosters
Redcliffe Dolphins
Ipswich Jets
Brisbane Broncos
Gold Coast Titans
North Queensland Cowboys
Auckland Warriors
Wellington Cyclones
Christchurch Bears

 

[Teddyboy]

Hard to say, of then4 new clubs brought in 1995 they all struggled financially but impossible to say how much was related to the effect of SL and how much of the financial strife would,have happened anyway. There was also a number of Sydney clubs in trouble,,even without SL it is probable then comp,would have looked different by 2000 than it did in 1995.

Auckland Warriors should of made a profit as crowds were solid in 1995 as was North Queensland crowds ?.
And as you said a number of Sydney clubs having troubles but I bet the game would of thrived.

 

[taipan]

I wonder how the NRL would look now if that awful Super League shit didn't happen.

I'd venture to say Teddy, we would be a national code ,and have money in the Bank.And when Tv negotiations were due, one party would not have a a financial involvement(ownership) with the other.Thus putting downward pressure on the value.

Rugby league was going gangbusters ATT, hence the reason Murdoch wanted his finger in the pie.

Rugby league would be getting true value for its TV money, and we wouldn't have had disasters like Moffatt and Gallop to help hogtie the game.South Sydney would never have been flicked.

And I might add, the Swans wouldn't have received the giant leg up they secured from 1995 onwards.

 

[Teddyboy]

I'd venture to say Teddy, we would be a national code ,and have money in the Bank.And when Tv negotiations were due, one party would not have a a financial involvement(ownership) with the other.Thus putting downward pressure on the value.

Rugby league was going gangbusters ATT, hence the reason Murdoch wanted his finger in the pie.

Rugby league would be getting true value for its TV money, and we wouldn't have had disasters like Moffatt and Gallop to help hogtie the game.South Sydney would never have been flicked.

And I might add, the Swans wouldn't have received the giant leg up they secured from 1995 onwards.

Also Rugby Union went officially pro which didn't help.
The game in Australia looked upward's and onwards from 1989-1995 but the crowds for the Sydney clubs had dropped from a good 1994 to a ordinary 1995 and I wonder if the talk of SL in 1994/early 1995 did the damage ?

 

[johnny plath]

If we can get to a 20 team comp, we can end up having 19 rounds (play every team once). I believe 9 Sydney clubs are too many, so I have made 2 relocations in this 20 team comp. The top 8 Finals system should be kept.

South Sydney Rabbitohs
Manly - Central Coast Sea Eagles
St George Illawarra Dragons
Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs
Wests Tigers
Penrith Panthers
Parramatta Eels
Newcastle Knights
Canberra Raiders
Melbourne Storm
Adelaide Sharks
Perth Roosters
Redcliffe Dolphins
Ipswich Jets
Brisbane Broncos
Gold Coast Titans
North Queensland Cowboys
Auckland Warriors
Wellington Cyclones
Christchurch Bears

I like the idea of a bigger comp and think the players will be there as pathways are created. If we're going this way i think 21 teams would be better so you get 10 home and 10 away games. Unless we go 20 teams and 9 home 9 away and one neutral country round, similar to what the QRL does in ISC with a country round during the season. But If were going crazy, why not have an NT team with linkages and pathways from PNG as team 21.

 

[taipan]

Also Rugby Union went officially pro which didn't help.
The game in Australia looked upward's and onwards from 1989-1995 but the crowds for the Sydney clubs had dropped from a good 1994 to a ordinary 1995 and I wonder if the talk of SL in 1994/early 1995 did the damage ?

Union went openly pro then, because the Super league was just as much threat to them, losing players to that dreaded "mungo "code.The Panthers and Sharks ended up with a couple of Bok players, and the Crushers of course with some of the biggest union numpties, who would be rejected by John West.
They could see SL as the executioner if they remained "amateur" , and not pay their players decent money.Admitting behind the scenes of course, being amateur in the 90s was a practical as the horse and cart.

 

[T-Boon]

The most unforgivable thing News has done to League is it has used the $$$$ it has made off of the game to pay AFL massive overs and help it on its merry way.

 

[Perth Red]

Well Murdoch does prefer afl lol

 

[taipan]

Well Murdoch does prefer afl lol

You can't get away without mentioning AFL. They must have given you a Docker's scarf.

 

[alien]

I like the idea of a bigger comp and think the players will be there as pathways are created. If we're going this way i think 21 teams would be better so you get 10 home and 10 away games. Unless we go 20 teams and 9 home 9 away and one neutral country round, similar to what the QRL does in ISC with a country round during the season. But If were going crazy, why not have an NT team with linkages and pathways from PNG as team 21.

If it's 20 teams and 19 Rounds, if you get 10 home games the first year, you would only have 9 home games the next year, and so on.

 

[flippikat]

If it's 20 teams and 19 Rounds, if you get 10 home games the first year, you would only have 9 home games the next year, and so on.

How about 20 teams, 20 rounds - every team plays each other once (19 rounds), with 20th round being a special rivalry round?

 

[BuffaloRules]

Was just looking at the Roar site and there is talk about the new A-League TV deal and that the broadcasters won't fund any expansion....?

Anyone got any facts around this?

 

[Perth Red]

Are you surprised with gallop running the show?

Afl expanded then demanded more cash, gallop and subsequent nrl CEO's ask tv if they'll pay for it. Now why do you think afl has expanded to the capital,city coverage it has I wonder?

 

[BuffaloRules]

Gallop talks it up more over there than he ever did at the NRL..

If those flogs can't expand then there are issues with only 10 teams and 2 each in Sydney & Melb with major population bases and more "diverse" groups...

But at this stage I'm just looking for the facts...

 

[Perth Red]

Nothing about expansion mentioned in any news release

They've sold 5 games to fox for 6 years and kept one of them for sale for simulcast with a fta. They may have also written in the potential to sell a future 6th game during the deal I suppose. They seem desperate to expand and can't see them waiting six years to do so.

 

[BuffaloRules]

Couldn't they just sell the 6th game to fund the the extra teams?

That's the argument we use right, and I assume this would be easier building off a smaller base/ number of teams..