Redcliffe put their hand up

[Perth Red]

MORETON BAY Regional Council will back moves for the city to enter a team in the National Rugby League.

Mayor Allan Sutherland has held confidential discussions with Australian Rugby League chairman Peter Beattie and other officials.

He said he told Mr Beattie Sydney had too many teams and Queensland too few.

Cr Sutherland said a new team would grow organically out of the Redcliffe Dolphins, a rugby league powerhouse formed in 1947. It now has four senior teams and more than 52 junior teams.

Redcliffe chairman Bob Jones welcomed Cr Sutherland’s support, and Mr Beattie’s comments that the NRL had to expand or die.

Jones, who played alongside league legend Arthur Beetson at the Dolphins, said the club had produced State of Origin and Australian stars such as Beetson, Petro Civoniceva, Brent Tate, Michael Crocker, Dane Carlaw, Chris Close, Bryan Niebling, John Robot, Greg Consecu and Greg Oliphant.

Cr Sutherland said there were 990,000 people in northern Brisbane suburbs, Moreton Bay and the Sunshine Coast unrepresented in the NRL.

His council has spent tens of millions of dollars on sports.

“Sport builds community pride and helps keep children out of trouble,” he said.

The council supported the Dolphins expand its grandstands, build a pool, gym, and hydrotherapy centre.

Cr Sutherland was quick to point out that Australian football hadn’t been neglected.

The council funded a $17m AFL precinct at Burpengary and a $9m AFL precinct at South Pine sports complex in Brendale.

Cr Sutherland said council would pay $6 million to relocate the Redcliffe Tigers AFL club from flood-prone grounds to a site near Newport.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport...s/news-story/7da8fb9b6d1c558b35cff54ca43d4775

 

[Jatz Crackers]

John Robot.....lol.

 

[herbert henry1908]

My concern is if it’s a QLD cup side it’ll limit the support.

Is that how its be viewed in Brisbane?

 

[Perth Red]

May e short term but not sure your avg u de 21 year old will care.

Of more concern would be does having a geographically identifying name limit potential fanbase and corporate interest? if I dont love in the Redcliffe region am I going to associate with the club and want to follow it?

I suppose they could keep the Dolphins part and make the first part more generic, SQ Dolphins?

 

[ash the bash]

Moreton Bay Dolphins -

8 games @ 21,000 stadium Dolphin Oval
4 "event" games at Suncorp Stadium

 

[RL The greatest game]

Its absolutely ridiculous that Queensland only has 3 NRL sides.
Its absolutely ridiculous that Brisbane doesn't have a 2nd NRL side

 

[parrawentyfan]

I think Redcliffe would do a great job. As good as numerous existing Sydney sides.

The question is whether we need more teams like that. In some ways it's a pity that Sydney and Brisbane didn't expand into competing tournaments which would form the basis for conferences.

I don't think their bid will be as strong as others. But that is the strength of this expansion round. So many potential clubs could be of equal value of existing clubs. But I think we need to look for those which will be better than what we have. Bris 2 (which I wouldn't consider this to be), West Coast, Adelaide, NZ 2 would be all ahead.

 

[Diesel]

Brisbane needs 3 teams, the Broncos are the reason why there is only one

 

[DlEHARD]

Brisbane needs 3 teams, the Broncos are the reason why there is only one

Broncos plus Dolphins plus South West?

 

[ash the bash]

Broncos plus Dolphins plus South West?

Long term thinking, in 15 years need to have 4 teams representing SE Qld. I like Bettie's thinking about giving existing clubs from QRL a chance. Building from the bottom up so to speak. Ideally in 15 years would like to see..

- Moreton Bay Dolphins (8 games Dolphin oval, 4 event games at Suncorp"Broncos, St George etc" )
- Brisbane Broncos
- South West Jets ( 8 games at redeveloped North Ipswich 20K, 4 event games at Suncorp)
- Gold Coast Titans

 

[DlEHARD]

Long term thinking, in 15 years need to have 4 teams representing SE Qld. I like Bettie's thinking about giving existing clubs from QRL a chance. Building from the bottom up so to speak. Ideally in 15 years would like to see..

- Moreton Bay Dolphins (8 games Dolphin oval, 4 event games at Suncorp"Broncos, St George etc" )
- Brisbane Broncos
- South West Jets ( 8 games at redeveloped North Ipswich 20K, 4 event games at Suncorp)
- Gold Coast Titans

That is pretty close to my ideal. Wouldn't that be immense....

 

[The Great Dane]

I think some of you need to claim down a bit, we don't want to turn Brisbane into a mini Sydney...

I'd rather have two really big clubs in Brisbane with a game at Suncorp every week, then have three or four smaller ones all eating into each others potential fan base and bringing everybody down, you've also got to take into account that their are finite spots in the NRL, so if there were to be three clubs in Brisbane who misses out so Brisbane can have the third?

Of course if the number of clubs was to be reduced in Sydney then all bets would be off...

BTW, 15 years is not long term by any measure, we should be looking a minimum of 20-30 years ahead when planing for expansion at all times!

 

[siv]

I think some of you need to claim down a bit, we don't want to turn Brisbane into a mini Sydney...

I'd rather have two really big clubs in Brisbane with a game at Suncorp every week, then have three or four smaller ones all eating into each others potential fan base and bringing everybody down, you've also got to take into account that their are finite spots in the NRL, so if there were to be three clubs in Brisbane who misses out so Brisbane can have the third?

Of course if the number of clubs was to be reduced in Sydney then all bets would be off...

BTW, 15 years is not long term by any measure, we should be looking a minimum of 20-30 years ahead when planing for expansion at all times!

Just bring back the Qld Cup and NSW Cup as the top tier and then play a Superbowl as the Grand Final

 

[Diesel]

Broncos plus Dolphins plus South West?

Yep. western Brisbane and the northern suburbs to include the Sunshine Coast are all under represented. The GC Titans look to be covering the Logan and southern Brisbane areas.

Not sure what can be done this time round as WA needs a team as more so than anyone else.

 

[Diesel]

I think some of you need to claim down a bit, we don't want to turn Brisbane into a mini Sydney...

I'd rather have two really big clubs in Brisbane with a game at Suncorp every week, then have three or four smaller ones all eating into each others potential fan base and bringing everybody down, you've also got to take into account that their are finite spots in the NRL, so if there were to be three clubs in Brisbane who misses out so Brisbane can have the third?

Of course if the number of clubs was to be reduced in Sydney then all bets would be off...

BTW, 15 years is not long term by any measure, we should be looking a minimum of 20-30 years ahead when planing for expansion at all times!

SEQ in 15 years will have a population of 3 million, two Brisbane clubs and a GC club is under represented. The Sunshine Coast will be attached to any northern Brisbane bid. At the moment you could argue their representation is the Storm

 

[Diesel]

Just bring back the Qld Cup and NSW Cup as the top tier and then play a Superbowl as the Grand Final

If we could take a time machine back to 1987 where poker machines were allowed in the state, this would be a really good idea.

 

[flippikat]

Long term thinking, in 15 years need to have 4 teams representing SE Qld. I like Bettie's thinking about giving existing clubs from QRL a chance. Building from the bottom up so to speak. Ideally in 15 years would like to see..

- Moreton Bay Dolphins (8 games Dolphin oval, 4 event games at Suncorp"Broncos, St George etc" )
- Brisbane Broncos
- South West Jets ( 8 games at redeveloped North Ipswich 20K, 4 event games at Suncorp)
- Gold Coast Titans

Yep, THIS.

If the Dolphins bid plays in the Orange & Teal colour scheme that the Titans were going to use (or something very close), that's a distinctive look in the NRL (Only one other team with orange), and it sets it apart from the Qld cup team - which would have clash-issues against Manly & (to a lesser extent)the Dragons anyway.

Then with the Broncos (Maroon, gold, white), Titans (two blues & yellow), and Jets (Green & White, maybe with black or yellow too) you have some very distinct palettes for SE-Qld teams right there.

 

[flippikat]

- Moreton Bay Dolphins (8 games Dolphin oval, 4 event games at Suncorp"Broncos, St George etc" )

Moreton Bay, or North Brisbane, or North Coast.. something that's not as limiting as Redcliffe anyway..

 

[The Great Dane]

Just bring back the Qld Cup and NSW Cup as the top tier and then play a Superbowl as the Grand Final

You jest but something similar may be the answer long term.

SEQ in 15 years will have a population of 3 million, two Brisbane clubs and a GC club is under represented. The Sunshine Coast will be attached to any northern Brisbane bid. At the moment you could argue their representation is the Storm

I don't disagree (though I would argue that the two clubs per big city arrangement works really well), but you have to take into account other underrepresented and unrepresented markets and their potential as well, and with the current structure of the NRL being finite in that it can only realistically support 20-24 clubs having 2 extra clubs in Brisbane means that somebody has to miss out to make that possible and we don't necessarily want that, for example if Brisbane 3 means that NZ 2, Adelaide, or even a second Melbourne club has to miss out then we probably don't want to take that deal.

Though in saying that, as I said before if Sydney was rationalised or the competition restructured to support more clubs then all bets would be off and you'd definitely have a third and maybe even a fourth club in Brisbane.

 

[Diesel]

Moreton Bay, or North Brisbane, or North Coast.. something that's not as limiting as Redcliffe anyway..

If they’re encompassing the Sunny Coast, then Moreton Bay resonates to greater Brisbane, Redcliffe/Moreton Bay Regional Council area and the Sunshine Coast