THE NRL AND ITS NEED TO GROW
OCTOBER 12, 2015
When the NSWRL became the ARL in 1995, expansion was the goal. Previously uncharted areas opened in North Queensland (Cowboys), Perth (Western Reds) and Auckland (Warriors) with a second Brisbane team (South Queensland Crushers) to hopefully challenge the powerful Broncos. Further expansion included AFL-centric Adelaide (Rams) and Melbourne (Storm).
Twenty years later, the national comp hasn’t eventuated. The Reds, Rams and Crushers are gone and the only further expansion has been the Gold Coast (Titans). Nine of the 16 NRL teams are based in Sydney (not counting Newcastle) and there are no teams west of the QLD and NSW.
You could argue the AFL is still heavily Victorian, but their scope is larger, with teams everywhere except Tasmania and Northern Territory. Four of the eighteen teams are based in “non-traditional” areas QLD, NSW and ACT (Brisbane Lions, Gold Coast Suns, Sydney Swans, GWS Giants).
If the NRL is to become a genuine national competition, then expansion is a must. Queensland’s dominance in Origin, the first ever all-Queensland grand final and Northern Pride and Ipswich Jets winning both State Championships shows the traditional Sydney base is fading away.
Expansion areas are obvious: a second Brisbane team is a must (the Brisbane Bombers are ready to go), Perth – unfairly dumped after the Super League war – are worth another shot, another New Zealand team and a Central Queensland team. The Central Coast Bears have been making a case since the Northern Eagles died but they would add to the traffic of NSW teams.
What about Sydney? When the NRL dumped Souths in the early 2000s, the Rabbitohs fans protested until they were let back in. The Sydney teams – with decades of tradition and support – won’t go away quietly.
Western Sydney has Parramatta and Penrith, Eastern Sydney has the Sydney Roosters and Souths, the Sharks and St. George-Illawarra have a strong rivalry in the shire. Canterbury enjoys a loyal and multicultural following while Manly have been successful and love playing at Brooky.
The weakest candidates are Cronulla and the Wests Tigers. The Sharks were a basket case this time last year, torn apart by ASADA. To their credit, they’ve picked themselves up and made the finals, they deserve to keep going. The Tigers are one of the most frustrating teams. On paper they look dangerous, but have won just one premiership in 15 years. The Balmain and Wests partnership is an unhappy marriage, favourite son Robbie Farah has all but been forced out, they have multiple home grounds and their various jerseys are a mess. While Gus Gould loves Sunday footy at Leichhardt or Campbelltown, it may be a while before the Tigers are strong again.
The first ARL premiership had 20 teams and there were a combined 22 teams in the 1997 Super League and ARL comps. The NRL doesn’t want a bloated competition. The AFL has 18 teams, so let’s work with that number.
Drop the Wests Tigers (sorry Tigers fans, but you still have a NSW Cup team) and include the Brisbane Bombers, Perth and a second New Zealand team (Wellington).
Suddenly the spread is looking better: eight Sydney teams (Roosters, Bulldogs, Sharks, Rabbitohs, Dragons, Sea Eagles, Panthers, Eels), four Queensland teams (Broncos, Cowboys, Titans, Bombers), two New Zealand teams (Warriors, Wellington), Newcastle, Canberra, Melbourne and Perth. Less than half the teams are Sydney-based, with a quarter in Queensland and teams in NZ, Victoria and WA.
What about the competition structure?
Divide the comp into five pools: Roosters, Rabbitohs, Bulldogs, Sea Eagles in Pool A; Sharks, Dragons, Panthers and Eels in Pool B; the four Queenslanders in Pool C; Newcastle, Warriors and Wellington in Pool D and Raiders, Storm and Perth in Pool E. Each team would play 17 “round robin” games and play their pool sides twice for a grand total of 20 games (pools D and E would crossover for an extra game). Throw in three complete byes for Origin and you’ve got 23 weeks of footy before the top eight finals. The final three rounds will be mostly derbies, perfect for the much-hyped run to the finals. Imagine a Broncos v Bombers derby at a capacity Lang Park, or a Warriors v Wellington derby to close the regular season?
With nine games a round, how would scheduling work?
Channel Nine would start with Thursday and Friday night football. There would be three Saturday games: the 3pm and 5:30pm games on Fox and a 7:30pm game on Nine. There’d be at least three Sunday games to finish the round: two during the day (Fox at 2pm, Nine at 4pm) and a Sunday night game on Fox. No need for Monday night footy – nobody likes it and it would stretch the round to five days. Perth and the two Kiwi teams create options for the last game; if the Warriors or Wellington play on Sunday the game will air on Fox at midday (Australian time) for a Sunday triple header. If Perth have a home night game, the 9:30pm LIVE start in Eastern Australia is perfect for a Thursday, Friday or Saturday night double-header on Nine.
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