17 teams and a bye every week

[MrE_Assassin]

I’m actually in favour of expansion but whether there are 8 or 9 games of NRL a weekend and a team in Perth, it won’t have much impact on EPL, NFL and NBA eventually taking over or not.... As someone who has been a fan of NFL for decades, I can’t believe how crowded Sydney pubs are for the Super Bowl these days..

NFL doesn't really detract much from the NRL though as the NFL basically runs in our off season. Most people jump on it as a replacement/filler until the NRL season starts because its another physical contact sport. This is why there have been so many attempts to start secondary competitions during the NFL offseason... Rather than compete with the NFL, they want to take up the dregs of fans still drunk with Super Bowl/American Football fever. Its these secondary comps becoming just as popular as NFL that NRL needs to worry about as that is when Australian Gridiron fans will start to switch off from the NRL.

 

[Timbo]

I think what’s becoming clear is that we have too many people involved at the top of this sport who have a very romantic view of the 70s and 80s glory days of the NSWRL and think that’s what people want out of the sport.

It’s a bit like how every so often you get a big budget movie based on a niche TV show from 30 years ago that flops (Think Wild Wild West or The A-Team). It’s because the movie executives that championed those movies were kids when those shows aired and think everyone has the same nostalgia that they have.

V’Landys with his ‘lock up Brisbane, get back to suburban grounds’ clearly remembers seeing a cracking game from the hill at Pratten Park when he was a kid. He clearly does not understand that a 14 year old these days would rather watch someone streaming Fortnite than stand on the hill at Brookie eating a cold pie in the rain.

 

[flippikat]

I think what’s becoming clear is that we have too many people involved at the top of this sport who have a very romantic view of the 70s and 80s glory days of the NSWRL and think that’s what people want out of the sport.

V’Landys with his ‘lock up Brisbane, get back to suburban grounds’ clearly remembers seeing a cracking game from the hill at Pratten Park when he was a kid. He clearly does not understand that a 14 year old these days would rather watch someone streaming Fortnite than stand on the hill at Brookie eating a cold pie in the rain.

All he needs now is "Make League Great Again" hats, yeah?

You're absolutely right, though. The world has moved on. People expect MORE than what an old suburban comp offered.. and his rhetoric doesn't point the way to that.

Quite the opposite. It's regressive and destructive.

 

[Timbo]

All he needs now is "Make League Great Again" hats, yeah?

You're absolutely right, though. The world has moved on. People expect MORE than what an old suburban comp offered.. and his rhetoric doesn't point the way to that.

Quite the opposite. It's regressive and destructive.

It actually worries me quite a bit.

All that it takes for a sport to find itself in serious trouble is to lose a portion of the current crop of 8-18 year olds that you would’ve had in the previous generation.

It doesn’t matter if you still have their parents, because if you lose them that’s it. They aren’t coming back and it won’t be on TV in their house when they have kids.

V’Landys going on about getting back to suburban grounds and focusing on Sydney and Brisbane - it’s exactly what the ARU did for years saying they didn’t need to expand outside of the private school system for juniors. How did that work out for them?

 

[BuffaloRules]

NFL doesn't really detract much from the NRL though as the NFL basically runs in our off season. Most people jump on it as a replacement/filler until the NRL season starts because its another physical contact sport. This is why there have been so many attempts to start secondary competitions during the NFL offseason... Rather than compete with the NFL, they want to take up the dregs of fans still drunk with Super Bowl/American Football fever. Its these secondary comps becoming just as popular as NFL that NRL needs to worry about as that is when Australian Gridiron fans will start to switch off from the NRL.

I am a fanatic about the game of NFL so I am no doubt an extreme example, but the interest for me goes beyond the season proper which ends in Feb.. At the moment its all about Free Agency and the Draft which will extend through to the end of April... May and June are dead, but then you get Training Camp and Pre Season in July and Aug and season proper starting in Sept.. They do a pretty good job of milking the interest all year around...

Also EPL season runs 10 months of the year and then you get World and European Cups that fill the off season 2 out of 4 years..

I do agree with others that have said that over the past 10 years or so that I can now follow NFL more intensely/closely all year round, this has meant that my interest in RL has diminshed as a result...

 

[MugaB]

I am a fanatic about the game of NFL so I am no doubt an extreme example, but the interest for me goes beyond the season proper which ends in Feb.. At the moment its all about Free Agency and the Draft which will extend through to the end of April... May and June are dead, but then you get Training Camp and Pre Season in July and Aug and season proper starting in Sept.. They do a pretty good job of milking the interest all year around...

Also EPL season runs 10 months of the year and then you get World and European Cups that fill the off season 2 out of 4 years..

I do agree with others that have said that over the past 10 years or so that I can now follow NFL more intensely/closely all year round, this has meant that my interest in RL has diminshed as a result...

A-Team was a great remake, i think you need better examples but i get your trian of thought.........Miami Vice was terrible

 

[Perth Red]

Wildcats most watched basketball team in history, we do love our live sport and to get behind our teams in the West!

https://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/p...eople-to-their-games-in-201920-ng-b881467147z

 

[mongoose]

Wildcats most watched basketball team in history, we do love our live sport and to get behind our teams in the West!

https://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/p...eople-to-their-games-in-201920-ng-b881467147z

The Perth A League teams gets abysmal crowds though even when they are playing well. Not knocking Perth but why do you think that it?

 

[Perth Red]

The Perth A League teams gets abysmal crowds though even when they are playing well. Not knocking Perth but why do you think that it?

they used to be one of the best supported football team in the old comp. years of abysmal performances, sacked coaches and Tony Sage arrogance has seen the crowds drop off. Last season best one in a long time and they finished with second highest crowd avg.
perth is full of epl fans, if glory ever get consistently good again they’d be up there every year.

 

[Perth Red]

The for and against arguments

https://www.nrl.com/news/2020/02/19/for--against-should-the-nrl-expand/

 

[MrE_Assassin]

I read that yesterday. The against arguements were pretty weak, if you can even call them real arguements. The piece about player depth is way off the mark considering how many NRL level players are forced to take up contracts in the UK because they can't get a spot in the NRL. Much like there are plenty of assistant coaches and former NRL coaches waiting to get a crack (or another) at coaching in the NRL.

Player movements and injuries are always going to happen. Players have been cutting contracts short for better opportunities without expansion happening so expansion is hardly going to make the issue any worse... in fact it could even improve the issue if theres more caps to fit under.

 

[flippikat]

I read that yesterday. The against arguements were pretty weak, if you can even call them real arguements. The piece about player depth is way off the mark considering how many NRL level players are forced to take up contracts in the UK because they can't get a spot in the NRL. Much like there are plenty of assistant coaches and former NRL coaches waiting to get a crack (or another) at coaching in the NRL.

I find the best answer to the "there's not the player depth for more teams" argument is "ok, so let's rationalize Sydney by a club or two to allow expansion. Merger, demotion, relocation - whatever way. That way we don't stretch the talent too thin, huh?"

(Disclaimer: my personal preference is Brisbane 2 & Perth with next TV deal, NZ2 & Adelaide in the following deal circa 2028. If any Sydney club can't compete with the added interstate clubs, relocate to Central Coast. I can't see a way back for the Bears unless Perth or Adelaide take on that brand, OR if they replace a current Sydney club.)

 

[Perth Red]

Gold Coast powerbrokers are seeking urgent talks with the ARL Commission and the NRL over their plans for a second team in Brisbane and the potential ramifications for the Titans.

The Titans are concerned about the impact of expansion on their club given a second Brisbane side would be on their doorstep, fighting for the same sponsors, players and supporters at a time when they are still finding their niche in the NRL. The Titans want to protect their turf. Importantly, they want to know how serious the commission and NRL are about expansion amid frenzied speculation that the game will look to add a 17th team as part of the next broadcasting deal.
The consensus at the moment seems to be yes, although the Titans want to make sure the NRL and fellow clubs have a deeper understanding of the potential ramifications of an additional side in southeast Queensland.

The Gold Coast have struggled to make an impression in recent years and were only saved from extinction through the largesse of owners Darryl Kelly and the Frizelle family. Yet they have had relatively little time to put their stamp on the club and now they are confronted by a potential new rival on their doorstep.

The commission and chairman Peter V’landys have spent recent months preparing the game to open broadcasting negotiations and those close to the likely bidding parties believe they would need around two years to prepare a side for entry into the premiership in 2023, when the new broadcasting agreement will start.

That means the Titans could be under pressure from another club in southeast Queensland within 12 months.

Yet the Titans want to know they also have the support of the NRL at a time when the game is weighing up expansion and the AFL continues to pump millions into the region. The Titans, on the other hand, are given no special treatment by the NRL. Despite the disparities in funding across the codes, the AFL has made little headway and the Gold Coast remains a rugby league area. That very fact owes much to Kelly and the Frizelles and they are justifiably concerned that the commission is considering putting another club in their backyard.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sp...m/news-story/672434167333692de915422814455025

 

[MrE_Assassin]

Gold Coast powerbrokers are seeking urgent talks with the ARL Commission and the NRL over their plans for a second team in Brisbane and the potential ramifications for the Titans.

The Titans are concerned about the impact of expansion on their club given a second Brisbane side would be on their doorstep, fighting for the same sponsors, players and supporters at a time when they are still finding their niche in the NRL. The Titans want to protect their turf. Importantly, they want to know how serious the commission and NRL are about expansion amid frenzied speculation that the game will look to add a 17th team as part of the next broadcasting deal.
The consensus at the moment seems to be yes, although the Titans want to make sure the NRL and fellow clubs have a deeper understanding of the potential ramifications of an additional side in southeast Queensland.

The Gold Coast have struggled to make an impression in recent years and were only saved from extinction through the largesse of owners Darryl Kelly and the Frizelle family. Yet they have had relatively little time to put their stamp on the club and now they are confronted by a potential new rival on their doorstep.

The commission and chairman Peter V’landys have spent recent months preparing the game to open broadcasting negotiations and those close to the likely bidding parties believe they would need around two years to prepare a side for entry into the premiership in 2023, when the new broadcasting agreement will start.

That means the Titans could be under pressure from another club in southeast Queensland within 12 months.

Yet the Titans want to know they also have the support of the NRL at a time when the game is weighing up expansion and the AFL continues to pump millions into the region. The Titans, on the other hand, are given no special treatment by the NRL. Despite the disparities in funding across the codes, the AFL has made little headway and the Gold Coast remains a rugby league area. That very fact owes much to Kelly and the Frizelles and they are justifiably concerned that the commission is considering putting another club in their backyard.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sp...m/news-story/672434167333692de915422814455025

Absolutely they should be concerned. Gold Coast and Brisbane aren’t that far apart and you want to throw in another team in the area when you have one struggling to get a foothold. I don’t disagree that Brisbane needs and deserves another team but it shouldn’t be at the detriment of another QLD licence.

they need to cover the other side of the nation first before cannibalising they SE QLD market.

 

[mongoose]

The Gold Coast is still very separate from Brisbane, not sure why they are so worried. They have 600k+ people to draw fans from. If 9 teams can get sufficient sponsorship in Sydney then surely 3 teams can in SEQLD.

 

[flippikat]

The Gold Coast is still very separate from Brisbane, not sure why they are so worried. They have 600k+ people to draw fans from. If 9 teams can get sufficient sponsorship in Sydney then surely 3 teams can in SEQLD.

Exactly. A 2nd Brisbane team doesn't necessarily overlap a lot with the GC.

The Titans need to look at their brand, their engagement with their market, and most importantly THEIR on-field performance - rather than worrying about the boogeyman of a 2nd Brisbane team.

Winning solves many problems, you know...

 

[MugaB]

A northern or western brisbane team of
Either around Redcliffe or Ipswich wouldn't encroach on their area, but a southern brisbane/logan team would
I think it would be more to do with attracting players than actual catchments tho

 

[The Great Dane]

I can totally understand the Titans concerns.
If you add in another Brisbane team then chances are that in the player market they're going to get left with the left overs of both the Brisbane teams, it'll probably impact their sponsorship value as well, as I can a see a lot of companies that might have been interested in sponsoring the Titans that'd suddenly be interested in the second Brisbane club instead.

However in saying that, if progress stopped to wait for everybody to catch up we'd never make any progress, and besides that these issues are part and parcel of being a regional club playing alongside bigger metropolitan clubs.

The Titans are going to have to get used to these problems and find ways around them, just like all the other regional clubs have had too.

 

[The Great Dane]

A northern or western brisbane team of
Either around Redcliffe or Ipswich wouldn't encroach on their area, but a southern brisbane/logan team would
I think it would be more to do with attracting players than actual catchments tho

Any Brisbane/SEQ team would encroach on them in some way, it's just part of being competitors in a market.

 

[flippikat]

The Titans are going to have to get used to these problems and find ways around them, just like all the other regional clubs have had too.

Sydney clubs too. In an over-saturated market, clubs in Sydney have to find ways to differentiate themselves from the pack. 3 top tier clubs in SE Queensland is a long way from that.