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https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/leagu...ague-want-semi-pro-league-as-well-as-warriors
Auckland Rugby League sees starting up a new semi-professional tournament as an integral part of their bid for the Warriors.
In their ambitious proposal to take control of New Zealand's only NRL team, Auckland Rugby League want to have the Warriors at the top of a pyramid with a newly formed Bartercard Cup type league underneath it.
ARL chairman Cameron McGregor told Stuff the reason why they want to take ownership of the NRL club they sold in 1999 was to rejuvenate the game in the city.
"At the moment, we've put in a bid and we're waiting for a response and we're going through a negotiation period," McGregor said.
"One of the issues we've got at Auckland Rugby League is that for the last few years there have been over 500 players leave Auckland for Australia," McGregor said.
"We believe part of the problem with the Warriors is that we're not able to give them enough support. There is nothing in Auckland between the amateur side of the game and the professional level.
"There isn't a semi-professional competition and one of the problems I'm sure everyone is aware of with the Warriors is that they don't have players who are able to play at NRL level.
"There are no pathways in Auckland, so all of the kids are going overseas.
"Part of the reason why we want to do this is because we want to be able to take some of the Warriors' money and not only will that be good for Auckland Rugby League, but also extremely beneficial for the Warriors, in that if we have a competition underneath them at a sufficient level.
"So instead of having one halfback and stand off running around in the reserve grade, they'd have possibly 10 halfbacks and stand offs running around in a competition below them."
When Jason Taumalolo left New Zealand at the age of 14, he did so knowing even then that his chances of making it into the NRL were greater if he lived in Australia.
Club league in New Zealand is amateur, so if players miss out on the NRL, they can try their luck with a NSW Cup or Queensland Cup team in Australia and then hope to make the step up from there.
Having a semi professional competition in this country would give those players more incentive to stay on this side of the Tasman.
"Because we're losing all of these players, there is no depth here in Auckland for the Warriors," McGregor said.
"They should be a player development club, that's what they were set up for and we know we've got the talent in New Zealand.
"If we could harness that talent in the proper way, then surely we'd be in the top four every year.
"The other thing that's being missed at the moment is that Auckland Rugby League, via the Carlaw Park Trust, is in a much stronger position now than it was even five years ago.
"We got rid of the Warriors because we were scared that we were going to have to sell Carlaw Park to put money into the Warriors.
"We're a much different beast now, but it would be treated as an investment, like any other investment, except we'd be investing back into our game and what could be better than that?"
The ARL vision of setting up a strong competition underneath the Warriors is a compelling one.
The Bartercard Cup and its predecessor the Lion Red Cup ran from 1994 to 2008, before being replaced by a shorter national zonal competition.
Now called the National Competition, it is played over just four weekends at the end of the club season and struggles to attract media and public attention.
McGregor believes returning to the old model would be more beneficial.
"We'd like a Lion Red/Bartercard Cup type competition going here in Auckland," he said.
"We might elevate the Fox Memorial to that level, but we need to get the standard up and show these guys that are leaving that there is a pathway where they can stay in Auckland.
"The problem is that a lot of the young kids are leaving because they don't believe there are pathways in Auckland, but only four per cent, of them ever make it.
"When they don't make it, they don't seem to ever come back to us, so we've lost them to the game forever."
McGregor says he hopes to know in the next couple of weeks whether they'll be able to regain ownership of the Warriors.
"We're continuing to meet with the Warriors," he said.
"We'll see if we can come up with something that is acceptable to both parties."
Auckland Rugby League sees starting up a new semi-professional tournament as an integral part of their bid for the Warriors.
In their ambitious proposal to take control of New Zealand's only NRL team, Auckland Rugby League want to have the Warriors at the top of a pyramid with a newly formed Bartercard Cup type league underneath it.
ARL chairman Cameron McGregor told Stuff the reason why they want to take ownership of the NRL club they sold in 1999 was to rejuvenate the game in the city.
"At the moment, we've put in a bid and we're waiting for a response and we're going through a negotiation period," McGregor said.
"One of the issues we've got at Auckland Rugby League is that for the last few years there have been over 500 players leave Auckland for Australia," McGregor said.
"We believe part of the problem with the Warriors is that we're not able to give them enough support. There is nothing in Auckland between the amateur side of the game and the professional level.
"There isn't a semi-professional competition and one of the problems I'm sure everyone is aware of with the Warriors is that they don't have players who are able to play at NRL level.
"There are no pathways in Auckland, so all of the kids are going overseas.
"Part of the reason why we want to do this is because we want to be able to take some of the Warriors' money and not only will that be good for Auckland Rugby League, but also extremely beneficial for the Warriors, in that if we have a competition underneath them at a sufficient level.
"So instead of having one halfback and stand off running around in the reserve grade, they'd have possibly 10 halfbacks and stand offs running around in a competition below them."
When Jason Taumalolo left New Zealand at the age of 14, he did so knowing even then that his chances of making it into the NRL were greater if he lived in Australia.
Club league in New Zealand is amateur, so if players miss out on the NRL, they can try their luck with a NSW Cup or Queensland Cup team in Australia and then hope to make the step up from there.
Having a semi professional competition in this country would give those players more incentive to stay on this side of the Tasman.
"Because we're losing all of these players, there is no depth here in Auckland for the Warriors," McGregor said.
"They should be a player development club, that's what they were set up for and we know we've got the talent in New Zealand.
"If we could harness that talent in the proper way, then surely we'd be in the top four every year.
"The other thing that's being missed at the moment is that Auckland Rugby League, via the Carlaw Park Trust, is in a much stronger position now than it was even five years ago.
"We got rid of the Warriors because we were scared that we were going to have to sell Carlaw Park to put money into the Warriors.
"We're a much different beast now, but it would be treated as an investment, like any other investment, except we'd be investing back into our game and what could be better than that?"
The ARL vision of setting up a strong competition underneath the Warriors is a compelling one.
The Bartercard Cup and its predecessor the Lion Red Cup ran from 1994 to 2008, before being replaced by a shorter national zonal competition.
Now called the National Competition, it is played over just four weekends at the end of the club season and struggles to attract media and public attention.
McGregor believes returning to the old model would be more beneficial.
"We'd like a Lion Red/Bartercard Cup type competition going here in Auckland," he said.
"We might elevate the Fox Memorial to that level, but we need to get the standard up and show these guys that are leaving that there is a pathway where they can stay in Auckland.
"The problem is that a lot of the young kids are leaving because they don't believe there are pathways in Auckland, but only four per cent, of them ever make it.
"When they don't make it, they don't seem to ever come back to us, so we've lost them to the game forever."
McGregor says he hopes to know in the next couple of weeks whether they'll be able to regain ownership of the Warriors.
"We're continuing to meet with the Warriors," he said.
"We'll see if we can come up with something that is acceptable to both parties."
