NRL Expansion. Ideas and opinions.

[Stallion]

I saw in another thread on a different forum site a pretty good idea which could work in terms of splitting the teams up into groups and conferences.

For the argument's sake there needs to be 20 NRL teams so for example Wellington, Perth, Brisbane 2 and Central Coast are added to the comp.

Then all the teams are divided up geographically into 5 groups: East, North, South, West and Distant.
East: Central Coast, Sea Eagles, Rabbitohs, Roosters
North: Broncos, Titans, Knights, Brisbane 2
South: Raiders, Sharks, Storm, Dragons
West: Bulldogs, Eels, Panthers, Tigers
Distant: Warriors, Cowboys, Wellington, Perth

Then 1 team from each group is used to form conferences. This ensures that teams in the same geographic area don't play each other twice which allows for increased travel equity. For example:
C1: Cowboys, Central Coast, Broncos, Raiders, Tigers
C2: Warriors, Roosters, Brisbane 2, Dragons, Eels
C3: Perth, Rabbitohs, Titans, Sharks, Panthers
C4: Wellington, Sea Eagles, Knights, Storm, Bulldogs
Notice that each conference has only 3 NSW teams (I know Canberra isn't technically NSW but I'm counting it).

So, each team verses the other teams in their conference twice and each team from the other conferences once. Adding up to 23 games. Plus there could be an extra round added so teams can verse a rival from another conference a second time, such as Dragons v Rabbitohs or Panthers v Eels. Thus adding up to 24 rounds.

I think this method greatly reduces the unfairness of travel. While it can still be unfair for teams like Perth and New Zealand I don't think there is any other way to make it more fair.

Plus, I think there is definitely enough talent for 20 teams. Take players from Super League, ISP, ISC, countries like PNG, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, discarded American football players and even discarded union players.

Progressive and proactive ideas! Well done. Eventually a good mix will hopefully be achieved. re Adding the clubs to the league is positive. I still prefer the Sydney based metropolitan conference with an out of Sydney metropolitan conference having more relevance. Though over time this may change and such an option as you put forward could be good as well.

 

[Diesel]

We’vehad 16 teams increased to 20 then 22 teams at one stage, the game was semi-professional compared to now. Now players are professionals and full time, their skills now are overall much better than 20 years ago. We’ve got rooms for Perth, Brisbane 2, NZ2 and whoever else

 

[ash the bash]

My 2030 NRL...

1 Brisbane Broncos 12 Bris
2 Canberra Raiders 12 Canberra
3 Sydney Roosters 10 Syd, 2 Cntry ~10 SFS
4 South Sydney Rabbitohs 10 Syd, 2 Cntry ~ 10 ANZ
5 Canterbury Bulldogs 10 Syd, 2 Cntry ~ 10 ANZ
6 Melbourne Storm 12 Melb
7 Penrith Panthers 11 Syd, 1 Cntry ~ 2 WSS, 9 PS
8 Manly Sea Eagles 10 Syd, 2 Cntry ~ 6 B, 4 SFS
9 Newcastle Knights 12 Newc
10 Parramatta Eels 11 Syd, 1 Cntry ~ 11 WSS
11 NQ Cowboys 12 Townsville
12 Cronulla Sharks 11 Syd, 1 Cntry ~ 11 SP
13 St G Ill Dragons 6 WIN, 6 Kogarah
14 Wests Tigers 11 Syd, 1 Cntry ~ 5 WSS, 3 L, 3 C
15 Gold Coast Titans 10 GC, 2 Qld Cntry
16 NZ Warriors 11 Ackl, 1 Nz Cntry
17 West Coast ? 12 Perth
18 Brisbane 2 ? 10 Bris, 2 Qld Cntry
19 Central Coast Bears ? CC 8, NS 3, Cntry 1
20 Adelaide Rams ? 12 Adelaide

 

[The Great Dane]

My 2030 NRL...

1 Brisbane Broncos 12 Bris
2 Canberra Raiders 12 Canberra
3 Sydney Roosters 10 Syd, 2 Cntry ~10 SFS
4 South Sydney Rabbitohs 10 Syd, 2 Cntry ~ 10 ANZ
5 Canterbury Bulldogs 10 Syd, 2 Cntry ~ 10 ANZ
6 Melbourne Storm 12 Melb
7 Penrith Panthers 11 Syd, 1 Cntry ~ 2 WSS, 9 PS
8 Manly Sea Eagles 10 Syd, 2 Cntry ~ 6 B, 4 SFS
9 Newcastle Knights 12 Newc
10 Parramatta Eels 11 Syd, 1 Cntry ~ 11 WSS
11 NQ Cowboys 12 Townsville
12 Cronulla Sharks 11 Syd, 1 Cntry ~ 11 SP
13 St G Ill Dragons 6 WIN, 6 Kogarah
14 Wests Tigers 11 Syd, 1 Cntry ~ 5 WSS, 3 L, 3 C
15 Gold Coast Titans 10 GC, 2 Qld Cntry
16 NZ Warriors 11 Ackl, 1 Nz Cntry
17 West Coast ? 12 Perth
18 Brisbane 2 ? 10 Bris, 2 Qld Cntry
19 Central Coast Bears ? CC 8, NS 3, Cntry 1
20 Adelaide Rams ? 12 Adelaide

Way too Sydney/NSW centric, and not enough growth into growth areas like NZ...

CC is a total non-starter BTW.

 

[ash the bash]

Way too Sydney/NSW centric, and not enough growth into growth areas like NZ...

CC is a total non-starter BTW.

Hi Dane,

I just don't see how NZ 2 would happen, based on metrics you could argue the best place for NZ 2 would in Auckland. A game each weekend in a city of 1.75 mil odd. Fortunate to be able to travel to South Island a bit; I just can't see the economy/population to support a club there. I think Christchurch maybe a better option than Wellington in saying that.

 

[The Great Dane]

Hi Dane,

I just don't see how NZ 2 would happen, based on metrics you could argue the best place for NZ 2 would in Auckland. A game each weekend in a city of 1.75 mil odd. Fortunate to be able to travel to South Island a bit; I just can't see the economy/population to support a club there. I think Christchurch maybe a better option than Wellington in saying that.

Revert the Warriors to the Auckland Warriors then give the new team the NZ moniker, base them in any of Wellington, Hamilton or Christchurch but play games across NZ in a similar manner to how the Warriors do at the moment (though obviously they'd play more games on the road than the Warriors currently do at the moment), and sell them as NZ's team instead of any particular city/region's team and play up the Auckland vs the rest rivalry that NZ has going on over there.
Bundle that with an NRL funded development plan (heaps of development officers, school programs, media liaisons where necessary, etc) across their major regions (cause the NZRL is broke and frankly useless) and then give it time to develop, it's not going to be a huge success overnight but with the right backing and if properly supported by the NRL they'll be sustainable and will have the potential to grow into something big.

If the Warriors can't support themselves based on local support in Auckland by now then they don't deserve to exist anyway, and it has the added benefit of blocking the Auckland RL off from being able to monopolise RL in NZ as a feeder system for the Warriors and acting as a gatekeeper to prevent local competition from arising (as they are currently attempting to do).

Anyhow, if every suburb in Sydney can support a team in a "national" competition then with the right preparation and structure NZ can support 2 or 3 at least (more if we move to a truly multi-tiered structure, but that is neither here nor there).

 

[greenBV4]

My Idea for an expansion/development of the state leagues to go alongside an expanded, truly national, 20 or 18 team NRL

The idea is aimed towards strengthening the 2nd division comp not only in NSW and QLD but also the other states

At the moment there is no real big incentive for kids in these states, its a foreign game to the state, and the chance of making it through the state comp and into the NRL is unlikely, I wanted to try and change this so that striving to make the NRL isn't needed to make it to a national competition, while also improving the chances for these leagues to develop to one day provide NRL-grade players

I'm open to criticism and ideas, even I keep rethinking certain things

---

NSWRL & QRL

• 2-tiered system copied from Super League
• Top 2 2nd tier teams play off bottom 2 1st division for promotion/relegation
• NO promotion/relegation to/from the NRL*
• Merge the CRL into the NSWRL comp, so its less of a Sydney only competition

VRL & WARL (Maybe NZRL)

• Competitions exist, they just aren’t that good (compared to NSW & QLD), create a reason for them to become better
• Single Tiered
• Sell off the rights for the games to be televised in the home state, even if they are basically given away at first (Fox or 9 GEM hopefully, but anything would do at first)
• Televised games will make the comp appear more appealing for juniors, something to strive towards
• TV will bring in more exposure, which will bring more sponsors , which will provide more money, which will enable better facilities and player salaries
• SARL and other state teams could join one of these existing comps, or eventually create their own

INTERSTATE CUP

• State competitions are shortened with no finals
• Top 3 teams from 1st tier NSW and QLD & top 2 from VRL and WARL play off in an interstate cup/finals series
• Obviously at first the NSW and QLD teams will dominate, but the experience of playing these teams will strengthen the Vic and WA comps, plus there is always the chance for an upset

----

• I believed a developed state system would be/end up the same quality as the Super League, with the NRL left as the premier competition world wide

• IF Sydney NRL teams were to be rationalised, the dropped teams would still exist in an exciting competition

• * After expansion teams have been added/relocated in the NRL, If an NRL team where to fold/go broke/etc. they would have the choice to drop to the respective state league, the following Interstate cup would then become a battle for promotion to the NRL (however the winning team would still need to meet certain criteria)

• NRL will no longer provide any extra financial support to struggling teams, expansion teams would have access to financial support for X amount of years as they will need the extra funds to develop the game in the expansion area, after X years, if they fail, they are dropped

 

[Stallion]

My Idea for an expansion/development of the state leagues to go alongside an expanded, truly national, 20 or 18 team NRL

The idea is aimed towards strengthening the 2nd division comp not only in NSW and QLD but also the other states

At the moment there is no real big incentive for kids in these states, its a foreign game to the state, and the chance of making it through the state comp and into the NRL is unlikely, I wanted to try and change this so that striving to make the NRL isn't needed to make it to a national competition, while also improving the chances for these leagues to develop to one day provide NRL-grade players

I'm open to criticism and ideas, even I keep rethinking certain things

---

NSWRL & QRL

• 2-tiered system copied from Super League
• Top 2 2nd tier teams play off bottom 2 1st division for promotion/relegation
• NO promotion/relegation to/from the NRL*
• Merge the CRL into the NSWRL comp, so its less of a Sydney only competition

VRL & WARL (Maybe NZRL)

• Competitions exist, they just aren’t that good (compared to NSW & QLD), create a reason for them to become better
• Single Tiered
• Sell off the rights for the games to be televised in the home state, even if they are basically given away at first (Fox or 9 GEM hopefully, but anything would do at first)
• Televised games will make the comp appear more appealing for juniors, something to strive towards
• TV will bring in more exposure, which will bring more sponsors , which will provide more money, which will enable better facilities and player salaries
• SARL and other state teams could join one of these existing comps, or eventually create their own

INTERSTATE CUP

• State competitions are shortened with no finals
• Top 3 teams from 1st tier NSW and QLD & top 2 from VRL and WARL play off in an interstate cup/finals series
• Obviously at first the NSW and QLD teams will dominate, but the experience of playing these teams will strengthen the Vic and WA comps, plus there is always the chance for an upset

----

• I believed a developed state system would be/end up the same quality as the Super League, with the NRL left as the premier competition world wide

• IF Sydney NRL teams were to be rationalised, the dropped teams would still exist in an exciting competition

• * After expansion teams have been added/relocated in the NRL, If an NRL team where to fold/go broke/etc. they would have the choice to drop to the respective state league, the following Interstate cup would then become a battle for promotion to the NRL (however the winning team would still need to meet certain criteria)

• NRL will no longer provide any extra financial support to struggling teams, expansion teams would have access to financial support for X amount of years as they will need the extra funds to develop the game in the expansion area, after X years, if they fail, they are dropped

Televised games with poor crowds does not do the code any good. This is what a lower division status brings. It would be nice if the NRL put a stop to the overpriced tickets at most games throughout the NRL. It's hurting the code big time!

 

[greenBV4]

Televised games with poor crowds does not do the code any good.

Televised NRL games with poor crowds doesn't do the code any good

These games are second division, large crowds wouldn't be expected, plus they wouldn't be in prime time slots, they'd be daytime games on secondary channels, or filler games for daytime coverage on fox league

Question for anyone who knows - are the championship and league 1 games televised in England? and if so what are the crowds like at those compared to the super league? that system is basically what I based my idea around, just without relegation/promotion for the top tier (NRL) and seperate state leagues

 

[TheFrog]

My feeling is that with players demanding higher and higher salaries, and the limited options in sourcing new players of the required standard, plus the likely difficulty in procuring higher and higher TV deals, the optimal number of teams in the NRL has already been reached. If we're to bring in Perth and Brisbane 2, let alone any others, there are going to have to be further amalgamations of Sydney clubs. You cannot just wipe clubs off the face of the earth without serious backlash in terms of revenue as disgruntled fans move elsewhere. You need to try to retain them, like the fans of St George, Illawarra, Wests and Balmain were in the main retained following amalgamations.

The obvious starting point is the Rabbitohs and Roosters. In a strong wind you could spit from the heartland of one into the other. I know they hate each other, but the alternative is one of them goes, and we all know who that would be. It was tried before and they wouldn't mess it up this time.

The other amalgamation, I would accept Parra-Penrith. Provided it was called the Panthers (the Eels is an abysmal brand) and retained the Panthers status as a development club. 6 games at Penrith and 6 at Parra seem fine. The Bathurst game might not survive. Managed in accordance with the way Penrith is currently run by the people who currently run Penrith. All that is needed from Parra is its supporter base. The club would be an absolute powerhouse in the NRL so they would return in quick order.

There would need to be sweeteners, possibly in the form of salary cap perks for the merged clubs as well as the new clubs.

You'd have to think Manly are on thin ice as well, but I'm not sure anyone would amalgamate with them given the Bears. Bulldogs perhaps. Dragons and Cronulla would be another possibility, same issues as the first one, they are just going to have to learn to get on in order to ensure the future viability of the competition.

 

[Perth Red]

Manly to nsw Cup
Roosters to Gosford
Cronulla to Adelaide
Souths to take over central Sydney playing at new allianz
Dragons to take over whole south nsw coast
Panthers to Nsw Cup
Western Sydney eels playing out of WSS
Bring in WC Pirates and Brisbane 2

Comp sorted

 

[TheFrog]

Panthers to Nsw Cup

Panthers would take over the GWS Giants and rename them the Panthers, and play out of a remodelled Panthers Stadium if this happened. Great result for Rugby League.

 

[The Great Dane]

Manly to nsw Cup
Roosters to Gosford
Cronulla to Adelaide
Souths to take over central Sydney playing at new allianz
Dragons to take over whole south nsw coast
Panthers to Nsw Cup
Western Sydney eels playing out of WSS
Bring in WC Pirates and Brisbane 2

Comp sorted

Unless the club is getting payed stupid money from a government somewhere or whatever relocations, and especially forced ones, never work as intended and frankly are a waste of the clubs and their resources, and removing the only presence the comp has from NS is stupid.

We don't really have all the info necessary to be passing judgements on this, so keeping that in mind what I'd do would be something similar to this-

Buy Manly back from the Penn family and completely reform the whole organisation from a small time parochial suburban club into the beginnings of a club that can represent all of NS, then once they are where we want them to be sell them to the highest bidder.
Roosters to new national second tier comp.
Cronulla to new national second tier comp.
Leave the Dragons in the NRL as the "South Sydney" team, but work with them to split them from Woolongong and reintroduce an independent Woolongong/South Coast club to the new national second tier comp.
Tigers to new national second tier comp.
Reform the Panthers into a club for all of Western Sydney.

After that it gets hard cause the natural progression would be to relegate one of either the Eels or Dogs to the second tier and leave the other to represent the "Inner West", but neither of the clubs is naturally bigger and better placed to take over the other, so that wouldn't be so straight forward...

But yeah that'd leave you 4 spots to fill in the NRL (probably Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, and NZ), fill the rest of the second tier out with the best placed NSWcup and Qcup clubs and potentially some of the bids that missed out on the NRL or even some clubs that bid to be part of this new second tier comp, and then you'd have two national competitions with significant fan-bases and rating power to sell to broadcasters, from that point there's all sorts of potential.

Panthers would take over the GWS Giants and rename them the Panthers, and play out of a remodelled Panthers Stadium if this happened. Great result for Rugby League.

And this is the biggest problem with rationalisation!

Most people from Sydney realise that the NRL really needs to rationalise so that it can adjust it's spread of clubs to reflect the changes to the market in Australia, and in theory they support rationalisation, until it's their club that is being talked about...

They've got the same problems with Melbourne in the AFL.

 

[taipan]

Manly to nsw Cup
Roosters to Gosford
Cronulla to Adelaide
Souths to take over central Sydney playing at new allianz
Dragons to take over whole south nsw coast
Panthers to Nsw Cup
Western Sydney eels playing out of WSS
Bring in WC Pirates and Brisbane 2

Comp sorted

AFL to enjoy the fruits of the above.And not have to spend ,money doing so.
Absolutely brilliant planning.Sydney Tv ratings down to GWS levels.
Raelene Castle come on down.We have a winner.

No mention of Canberra to a 2nd tier comp? Wonder why?

"Most people in Sydney". I wouldn't propose either ,most or a few, simply because we haven't surveyed most people and a few is hard;y a representative sample.

There are rusted on club fans, there are casual fans ,and there are bandwagon supporters.I doubt if the two former ones would be for losing a top tier club.
Bandwaggoners a different animal./

 

[Perth Red]

If nrl can’t hold its ground in its heartland with a proposed 5 clubs and 2 relocated plus a strong national second tier comp against afl’s 1.5 then we are fricked regardless.

Souths
Dragons
Eels
Bulldogs
Tigers

Roosters fans still get to follow them for 6 games in Sydney
Sharks fans same

Will never happen, nrl got no balls. Enjoy the 6.5k crowds like last night!

 

[taipan]

If nrl can’t hold its ground in its heartland with a proposed 5 clubs and 2 relocated plus a strong national second tier comp against afl’s 1.5 then we are fricked regardless.

Souths
Dragons
Eels
Bulldogs
Tigers

Roosters fans still get to follow them for 6 games in Sydney
Sharks fans same

Will never happen, nrl got no balls. Enjoy the 6.5k crowds like last night!

Well it certainly didn't hold its ground in the Northern areas of Sydney when North Sydney were turfed.And look who's taken up the slack.
Sitting there thousands of kms away and you have an idea how fans off Sydney clubs think?Your telling Sharks fans how they will react.You I thought have NFI,you just confirmed it.

And what the TV stations will do with a diluted Sydney supporter base ,in the biggest commercial market in Australia?
Where do you think the Souths fans went,when they rationalised early post SL.They didn't jump over to other clubs.
I suppose the AFL have no balls, for not jumping into Tasmania,an AFL besotted state.There Suns are a basket case,teh Lions losing money year after year-end the Gnats costing a fortune and even with fudged crowds, no one Sydney watches them on TV.You know Sydney,where teh Gnats are actually stationed.

And you are still going to get crap crowds in a rationalised comp,when you have 6pm and Thursday night scheduling.
And guess what Perth no doubt will get crappy crowds in a p*ss poor time slot, and also when it p*sses down rain.As they have already shown.
More so when you have a team like the Bulldogs that lost their best players this year to other clubs, and thus been winning few games.Thanks Raelene you did wonders with the salary cap.

And rationalisation is not going to solve Sydney's traffic infrastructure issues.

You're smoking it champ.

 

[JokerEel]

2 Conferences 9 teams per conference..

Play teams in your conference twice other conference once..Top 4 from each make the finals...

Parra
Penrith
Manly
Roosters
Souths
Tigers
Dogs
Dragons
Sharks


Storm
Broncos
Cowboys
Knights
Raiders
Warriors
Titans
Perth
Brisbane 2

 

[JokerEel]

NSW Premier League, needs to add in more Country teams...

Bathurst ,Northern Rivers and Southern Team.

 

[Perth Red]

 

[BuffaloRules]

Buy Manly back from the Penn family and completely reform the whole organisation from a small time parochial suburban club into the beginnings of a club that can represent all of NS, then once they are where we want them to be sell them to the highest bidder.
Roosters to new national second tier comp.
Cronulla to new national second tier comp.
Leave the Dragons in the NRL as the "South Sydney" team, but work with them to split them from Woolongong and reintroduce an independent Woolongong/South Coast club to the new national second tier comp.
Tigers to new national second tier comp.
Reform the Panthers into a club for all of Western Sydney.

After that it gets hard

After that it gets hard...

This is just genius level trolling...

Well done...