What's new
The Front Row Forums

Register a free account today to become a member of the world's largest Rugby League discussion forum! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

18th club, whose next?

MugaB

Coach
Messages
14,723
It blows my mind that people are advocating for Melb 2 over Perth when traditionally Perth has always had a bigger rugby league base ...
Victoria has a population of 7 million, and growing, it might have a very successful Storm already there, but there's eventually room for another team, and I'm not advocating for one over the other, I want to see both and more... as far as Perth or WA having a bigger base, that's inconsequential, make a bid and beat the other bids, become more than just a dot on the map
 

Perth Red

Post Whore
Messages
69,182
That's right, just one dude..... PVL
lol Vlandys was taking the pss and News ltd bought it. Just another click bait soundbite from Vlad.
I mean look at his reasoning:

“The reason why we would never rule it out is because one thing the The Dolphins have proven to us is people love cross-town rivalries.
“The fabric of rugby league is built on tribalism and rivalry. That’s why we can’t rule out.”
V’landys also pointed towards the fact that rugby league’s junior base in Victoria has “expanded considerably” as another reason to support a potential second team in the state.
 

Jamberoo

Juniors
Messages
1,425
lol Vlandys was taking the pss and News ltd bought it. Just another click bait soundbite from Vlad.
I mean look at his reasoning:

“The reason why we would never rule it out is because one thing the The Dolphins have proven to us is people love cross-town rivalries.
“The fabric of rugby league is built on tribalism and rivalry. That’s why we can’t rule out.”
V’landys also pointed towards the fact that rugby league’s junior base in Victoria has “expanded considerably” as another reason to support a potential second team in the state.
I hope Melbourne never gets a second team. I love that the whole town is now behind the Storm. 15 years ago it was Victory, and we certainly don’t want another Melbourne City or Western United.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
 

Wb1234

Immortal
Messages
32,688
lol Vlandys was taking the pss and News ltd bought it. Just another click bait soundbite from Vlad.
I mean look at his reasoning:

“The reason why we would never rule it out is because one thing the The Dolphins have proven to us is people love cross-town rivalries.
“The fabric of rugby league is built on tribalism and rivalry. That’s why we can’t rule out.”
V’landys also pointed towards the fact that rugby league’s junior base in Victoria has “expanded considerably” as another reason to support a potential second team in the state.
Can’t believe it Perth red is right here

bookmark this post it’s. a unicorn
 

Centy Coast

Juniors
Messages
1,683
It took the Storm 26 years to finally see the fruition of a pathways for their younger players, another Melbourne team would decimate this and weaken the Storm.
The Storm hosted the CAS U17’s team which featured players selected from VIC, WA and the NT for a development camp last weekend.
 
Messages
14,822
It took the Storm 26 years to finally see the fruition of a pathways for their younger players, another Melbourne team would decimate this and weaken the Storm.
The Storm hosted the CAS U17’s team which featured players selected from VIC, WA and the NT for a development camp last weekend.
There's not enough RL fans to support two teams in Melbourne. It's not like Brisbane which has 68k players across Queensland and thousands of dyed in the wool rugby league fans who don't support the Broncos.

Melbourne Storm's fanbase is made up of expatriates and a few fumbleball fans who've adopted the team as their second side. Adding a second team will kill the one thing that makes the Storm appealing to fumbleball fans.

We only need to look at the Melbourne Victory before and after the introduction of Melbourne Heart/City and Western United to see what a second team could do to the Storm. The high standard the Storm have set will make life very difficult for a second team.

How does a second team generate a fanbase if its not successful like the Storm?

PVL is either trolling the media for press coverage or is completely out of touch.
 

Colk

First Grade
Messages
6,750
There's not enough RL fans to support two teams in Melbourne. It's not like Brisbane which has 68k players across Queensland and thousands of dyed in the wool rugby league fans who don't support the Broncos.

Melbourne Storm's fanbase is made up of expatriates and a few fumbleball fans who've adopted the team as their second side. Adding a second team will kill the one thing that makes the Storm appealing to fumbleball fans.

We only need to look at the Melbourne Victory before and after the introduction of Melbourne Heart/City and Western United to see what a second team could do to the Storm. The high standard the Storm have set will make life very difficult for a second team.

How does a second team generate a fanbase if its not successful like the Storm?

PVL is either trolling the media for press coverage or is completely out of touch.

I would like to think it wouldn’t happen in the short to medium term. Maybe when Melbourne’s population gets to 8 million or thereabouts then you might look at it (and that would also brr et dependent on where that growth is from and where the boom is)
 
Messages
14,822
I would like to think it wouldn’t happen in the short to medium term. Maybe when Melbourne’s population gets to 8 million or thereabouts then you might look at it (and that would also brr et dependent on where that growth is from and where the boom is)
Eight million people won't mean anything if a second team cannot convert 15k of them into active supporters.

One day the Storm are going to fall from grace. The only reason they're still strong is because Bellamy is a relentless despot who doesn't tolerate insubordination and poor work ethic from his players. There's no one like him. All of the coaches who've served apprenticeships under him haven't been able to instill the same work ethic into their new clubs.
 

mongoose

Coach
Messages
11,796
I hope Melbourne never gets a second team. I love that the whole town is now behind the Storm. 15 years ago it was Victory, and we certainly don’t want another Melbourne City or Western United.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
It would be GWS but even worse. I realise GWS is a long term project but their supporter level within Sydney is disastrous considering all the investment the AFL has put in and leg ups they've received.
 

Jamberoo

Juniors
Messages
1,425
It would be GWS but even worse. I realise GWS is a long term project but their supporter level within Sydney is disastrous considering all the investment the AFL has put in and leg ups they've received.
There is also no obvious delineation in Melbourne. Some cities have a natural divide between east and west, or north and south (the second AFL club in Sydney should have been north of the harbour). So where would you place a second club and who would follow them? Best to get the whole city behind the mighty Storm.

Soccer in Melbourne started going backwards the minute that they introduced a second team. Even though maybe only 10 - 20% of fans switched teams, it was enough to ruin people’s attendance habits of going with their mates to games. Any it did not create any cross town rivalry. It just meant that instead of one club representing the city with crowds of 25k+ and a great atmosphere, you have two (now three) teams playing to largely empty stadiums and minimal atmosphere.

The key to Storm’s growth is getting another 5k to games, so that half the games are a sellout. That will not only create a brilliant atmosphere at AAMI, but scarcity will mean that fans need to buy memberships, or get in early to get tickets to games. It creates demand and all of a sudden Storm is a hot ticket. Based on post COVID crowd trends, this could be less than five years away.
 

Latest posts

Top