Rank the Brisbane bids

[flippikat]

Ok, lets cut to the chase.

The question.. should you choose to answer.

RANK the current 4 Brisbane bids - Redcliffe Dolphins, Western Corridor/Jagera, Brisbane Firebirds (Easts Tigers), Brisbane Bombers - from YOUR favourite to least favourite.

Give reasons if you want (or not). If we get a lot of ranking lists, we can see what the most/least popular is here.

For a bonus, then rank them in order of *most likely* to least likely to be chosen by the NRL... (a harder challenge)

And... GO!

 

[Pippen94]

1. Redcliffe - Brisbane market should have multiple teams maximizing TV / streaming audiences which is sports biggest source of revenue. Morton Bay is natural geographic separation boasting population larger than Newcastle & Canberra & growing. Stadium can be easily increased in capacity. Dolphins brand well supported locally as areas only ever team in top flight comp.
2. Logan / Ipswich - reasons much the same as above. South & West provide geographic divide which is point of difference from Broncos & works for wanderers & dockers in other codes. Area Rugby League heartland. Local rivalry will help boast struggling titans. Not sure about incorpating multiple towns such as Toowoomba. Ideally play out of Ipswich or Springfield but no stadium so behind redcliffe.
3. Tigers - Not too keen about inner city getting start as Broncos exist & already seen as side for big end of town. Does have connection to grassroots but outer areas are stronger in this regard. Like name which is unlike any other in this country.
4. Bombers - there is really no substance to this bid; don't represent anything or area, no connection to community, name seems generic. Has corporate potential which may sway NRL but will struggle for fans - always

 

[ash the bash]

Maybe include a vote with the 4 options, was thinking of doing the same.

 

[ash the bash]

Not in particular order, some pros and cons IMO.

1) Redcliffe Dolphins (Moreton Bay Dolphins, id prefer)
Pros:
- Great brand, Dolphin is very marketable moniker including the colour red they use. Could use a combination of red white and silver.
- Leagues club backing.
- The option which will be the least threat to the Titans. PVL has made the point of protecting the interests especially of the Titans.
- Own stadium.
Cons:
- Location too far north side?
- Latest article the CEO talked of playing most games at Dolphin oval, lack of games at Suncorp a negative.

2) Brisbane Firehawks
Pros:
- City based (South of river, natural rivalry with Broncos)
- Leagues club backing.
- Unique Aussie branding.
- Utilising Suncorp stadium.
Cons:
- Easts Tigers link putting off potential support.
- Have not seen the logo, hoping its not tacky.

3) Western Corridor (Jagera Jets)
Pros:
- Rugby League heartland.
- Junior base.
- Potential for 25k stadium at north Ipswich Reserve.
Cons:
- Biggest threat to Titans as they claim will represent Logan.
- Want to replicate community ownership ala, Green Bay. Are we sure there will be enough supporters willing to tip in to raise capital to 10 million ? minimum estimate needed. Will that be enough capital, not sure how strong the Jets Leagues club is. Fact that we don't hear much from the leagues club says it is not.
- Broncos heartland ?
- Will it attract corporates travelling down to North Ipswich Reserve ? not a dig at area but its far from CBD of Brisbane.

4) Brisbane Bombers
Pros:
- Nic Livermore comes across as articulate decent bloke who has grown up with Rugby League.
- City based
- No preexisting alliances, neutral from a QRL perspective.
- Games at Suncorp.
Cons:
- No leagues club backing.
- No training facilities as of yet, in his interview Nic did not think of it as a big deal. However with what Easts Tigers have planned (redevelopment of Langlands) and Dolphins already have could play a part in developing players.
- Talk of high net worth individuals, will they have enough shareholders to tip 10 million in when times go tough. We would hate to see another Searle Titans episode happen again.
- Not sold on branding

What will the NRL choose?
- Least impact on Titans and Broncos ? More so Titans so probably not Jagera Jets.
- City based, game at Suncorp each weekend ? Probably takes out the Dolphins.
- Financially secure ? NRL not having to come bail out the club, probably takes out the Bombers.

Considering all of the above, I think the safest bet would be the Brisbane Firehawks from an NRL perspective.

Personally I love the Dolphins brand but could live with either the Firehawks or even Jagera getting up.

 

[flippikat]

Maybe include a vote with the 4 options, was thinking of doing the same.

Yeah.. I was considering that, but the poll option here doesn't feature any way to rank preferences.

Feel free to start your own "choose one" poll, if you want - but I was after a more nuanced gauge of opinion in this thread.

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

1. Dolphins. The only professional sporting team on the Sunshine Coast/Moreton Bay region is the SC Lightning netball club. Rugby league is hands down the most popular sport in the area and would be the go to team for people from Moreton to Sunshine Coast. People may not adopt it as their first team, but if games are played at Redcliffe then it'll be the team they most likely attend for their NRL game day experience. Over time the kids in the area will choose this team as their go to side. Dolphins are strong in all grades and are well supported. I think they own a shopping mall or something.

Interesting side note about Redcliffe. The settlement in Moreton Bay was set up here. Keeping the name Redcliffe, along with Brisbane and later adding a team in Logan using that name, who is named after the most influential person in the history of the Moreton Bay settlement, would be a good way of telling history through rugby league.

2. Firehawks. Unique name and have the potential to cover south-east Brisbane plus Logan and Redland. Easts already have two subdistrict clubs in Logan. Going with the bird theme could entice Souths and Wynnum to get on board to become a true south of the river club. Would prefer it if they used the name East Coast Firehawks to retain some of their club's identity.

3. Jets. Don't really like this bid. Ipswich has about 210,000 people and doesn't have much in common with Brisbane or Logan, so much of its support would be from this area. It is growing fast, so maybe in 10 years time it could be in a position to launch a bid, but not so sure about now. I wouldn't support it and I'm from Logan. I've been to at least one Jets game at North Ipswich Oval and the crowd was very volatile and abusive, swearing constantly and downright aggressive to anyone who was different. When their fans travel to Wynnum they smoke near the Arthur Lovell Stand, even though it's not allowed. Experiencing stuff like that makes it hard to see how anyone outside of Ipswich would want to take their kids to a game. It would make more sense to put a team in Logan as it has more teams, is a bigger city and closer to Brisbane.

4. Bombers. Shit bid from big suits who were associated with the Donkeys. We don't need a Donkeys 2. Their logo of a WWII pilot doesn't really have any connection to this city and their colours are boring. They want to be based on the northside, even though the Donkeys are up that way. Madness. Two teams called Brisbane just sounds dumb and hard to differentiate.

 

[mongoose]

I don't know a whole about the bids and how developed they are...but

1. Easts Tigers - They look like they are motivated and willing to adopt a new mascot for the NRL. They are South of the river which is a much larger catchment than North of the river and I think Brisbane will continue to expand more on the south side than north. They have a rich Leagues club which is a good asset to have as long as they don't rely on it so heavily. Their base isn't too far from Lang Park.

2. Bombers - They seem to be organised, having strong financial backing and want to market to the whole city. I don't like the Bombers mascot though, it's uncreative and already shared by a disgraced AFL team.

3. & 4. Dolphins and Ipswich
My problem with the Dolphins is simply the location. Redcliffe is not accessible to most people across the city. It's 30km north of the city on a peninsula. There is a train line out there now but it's a long ass ride from Brisbane city, let alone somewhere on the south side. Will they play all their games at Suncorp?
A new team should be trying to market to the whole city but if you had to pick one side of the river then the southside will appeal to more people. I question their ability to grow into a large NRL club.

The Jets might work but to me Ipswich and all that Lockyer Valley area all the way to Toowoomba is already a strong Broncos area. "Western Corridor" sounds like a GWS like term. Ipswich is not close to Logan and they don't share anything in common. It would be like having a Sydney team that represents Cronulla and Campbelltown.

 

[mongoose]

4. Bombers. Shit bid from big suits who were associated with the Donkeys. We don't need a Donkeys 2. Their logo of a WWII pilot doesn't really have any connection to this city and their colours are boring. They want to be based on the northside, even though the Donkeys are up that way. Madness. Two teams called Brisbane just sounds dumb and hard to differentiate.

isn't the pilot charles kingsford smith?

"Sir Charles Edward Kingsford Smith, MC, AFC, often called by his nickname Smithy, was an early Australian aviator. In 1928, he made the first transpacific flight from the United States to Australia.

Born: 9 February 1897, Brisbane"

 

[The Mad Hatter]

Despite everything, I have a gut feel the Bombers are the ones who'll get in.

 

[steeden.]

Strategically thinking I would like Ipswich/Jagera to get in. The Lions are moving their base to Springfield, and there’s a hell of a lot of housing development that has happened in recent years (and will continue between Springfield and Ipswich over the next decade). Get in now, get the next generation following Rugby League, and force the Lions out of mind.

 

[titoelcolombiano]

Anything but the Bombers for me, they will be a plastic corporate Broncos wannabe

 

[magpie_man]

Anything but the Bombers for me, they will be a plastic corporate Broncos wannabe

Me too, anything but the Bombers.
Easts are probably my #1 though...

 

[Perth Red]

I think realistically Bombers are the best bet of who will be chosen. NRL doesn't want another Titans so is going to be looking for owners that can bring commercial clout and sponsors from day one. I dont see any of the LC's mentioned being able to tip in many millions a year. The Bombers group are full of influential and powerful Brisbane business people. NRL are very conservative, they will pick the safest option, if they pick any at all!

Id rather a broncos clone drawing 25k and financially sustainable than a Sydney suburb clone drawing 14k and financially reliant on LC fortunes to remain viable.
If there is a LC backed bid that is going to use Suncorp for every game and has the business reach and population reach to achieve the same then all well and good, but I havent seen one yet.

 

[Hello, I'm The Doctor]

I would still put Brothers Leprechauns as #1...

 

[titoelcolombiano]

I think realistically Bombers are the best bet of who will be chosen. NRL doesn't want another Titans so is going to be looking for owners that can bring commercial clout and sponsors from day one. I dont see any of the LC's mentioned being able to tip in many millions a year. The Bombers group are full of influential and powerful Brisbane business people. NRL are very conservative, they will pick the safest option, if they pick any at all!

Id rather a broncos clone drawing 25k and financially sustainable than a Sydney suburb clone drawing 14k and financially reliant on LC fortunes to remain viable.
If there is a LC backed bid that is going to use Suncorp for every game and has the business reach and population reach to achieve the same then all well and good, but I havent seen one yet.

Easts (Firehawks) are planning to use Suncorp I believe but I haven't seen their full business plan.

 

[Perth Red]

One thing that wouldst be a bad idea is a license purchase fee of $5-10million which the NRl puts aside in case the owners stuff up and the NRL has to step in to take over.

 

[The Great Dane]

I would still put Brothers Leprechauns as #1...

Not a Brisbane bid, not really anyway.

Still an interesting idea for a professional club, and I've never heard of anything else like it around the world. Despite my better judgment, I'd love to see them get a go just to see if a team that isn't built on representing a geographical area could actually work.

 

[The Great Dane]

1. One of the consortium that is waiting for the NRL to announce the bidding process before going public. We know nothing about them, except that they're willing to be patient instead of wasting $100s of thousands of dollars on a bid before the NRL wants bidders. Hopefully one of them will be better than any of the other bids.

2. Firehawks- Good backing, good point of difference to the Broncos, different target audience than the Broncos, want to represent a large part of the city geographically and population wise, etc, etc, it seems to be a solid bid.

3. Bombers- The name's shit, but the brand as a whole isn't bad, and there doesn't seem to have been a lot of effort spent on differentiating themselves from the Broncos, but aside from those two things the backing's good and they're almost certainly the most malleable and flexible of the bids.

4. Western Corridor- Doesn't hold much appeal in broader Brisbane and their business model seems the most risky. The brand is confused and will probably turn a lot of people outside of Ipswich off as well. They say they want to represent all of the Western Corridor, but I think that in reality they'd end up only really representing Ipswich, the problem with that is that the NRL doesn't need an Ipswich club, it needs a second Brisbane club.

5. Dolphins- Represent a small suburban market and have shown little to no interest in broadening their appeal to represent a larger part of the city. Their backing isn't bad, but there are other clubs with similar or better backing and much broader appeal.
If they were willing to make significant changes to the brand and their target audience then maybe they'd be a better bid, but even then there isn't as much value in having two teams based north of the river as there would be in one north and one south.

 

[Desert Qlder]

1. One of the consortium that is waiting for the NRL to announce the bidding process before going public. We know nothing about them, except that they're willing to be patient instead of wasting $100s of thousands of dollars on a bid before the NRL wants bidders. Hopefully one of them will be better than any of the other bids.

2. Firehawks- Good backing, good point of difference to the Broncos, different target audience than the Broncos, want to represent a large part of the city geographically and population wise, etc, etc, it seems to be a solid bid.

3. Bombers- The name's shit, but the brand as a whole isn't bad, and there doesn't seem to have been a lot of effort spent on differentiating themselves from the Broncos, but aside from those two things the backing's good and they're almost certainly the most malleable and flexible of the bids.

4. Western Corridor- Doesn't hold much appeal in broader Brisbane and their business model seems the most risky. The brand is confused and will probably turn a lot of people outside of Ipswich off as well. They say they want to represent all of the Western Corridor, but I think that in reality they'd end up only really representing Ipswich, the problem with that is that the NRL doesn't need an Ipswich club, it needs a second Brisbane club.

5. Dolphins- Represent a small suburban market and have shown little to no interest in broadening their appeal to represent a larger part of the city. Their backing isn't bad, but there are other clubs with similar or better backing and much broader appeal.
If they were willing to make significant changes to the brand and their target audience then maybe they'd be a better bid, but even then there isn't as much value in having two teams based north of the river as there would be in one north and one south.

Redcliffe's only strength is a few friends in the media and are seen as a large club in the Queensland Cup, their ground and good crowds being markers of this.

However, they are geographically isolated and despised outside of their core supporter group.

A potential bid needs to unite non-Broncos supporters, Redcliffe only provides further fracturing.

 

[T-Boon]

isn't the pilot charles kingsford smith?

"Sir Charles Edward Kingsford Smith, MC, AFC, often called by his nickname Smithy, was an early Australian aviator. In 1928, he made the first transpacific flight from the United States to Australia.

Born: 9 February 1897, Brisbane"

The Smithys….

If this is the concept I would rather the Aviators than the Bombers. Bombers is already an AFL team and the BB is lame and the most obvious copy of Broncos.
The Aviators could be nicknamed the A's making the Broncos the B's.