Melbourne and the Sunshine Coast

[Sunny coast shark]

Pretty disappointed Melbourne aren’t playing at least one game on the Sunny coast next year.

Considering that they created quite a following up here in the six home games they played this year and the fact they own the Sunshine Coast lighting and supply players to the the local QRL team the Falcons I can’t understand why they would not play a game up here even if it’s just for business reasons in gaining more QLD members ?

The local council are so supportive of the NRL with incentives to play hence the reason both Souths and Cronulla are coming up here next year.

I really enjoyed watching regular NRL last year and even enjoyed watching a team I hate in Melbourne.

At least with them brushing the area I can go back to hating them full time!

 

[Perth Red]

Pretty disappointed Melbourne aren’t playing at least one game on the Sunny coast next year.

Considering that they created quite a following up here in the six home games they played this year and the fact they own the Sunshine Coast lighting and supply players to the the local QRL team the Falcons I can’t understand why they would not play a game up here even if it’s just for business reasons in gaining more QLD members ?

The local council are so supportive of the NRL with incentives to play hence the reason both Souths and Cronulla are coming up here next year.

I really enjoyed watching regular NRL last year and even enjoyed watching a team I hate in Melbourne.

At least with them brushing the area I can go back to hating them full time!

clubs only take games to places that pay big $’s. I guess the qlnd or local govt or stadium owner didn’t want to stump up the cash or had already spent it on the two clubs you’ve mentioned. Playing games away from aami loses them money unless compensated and they are first and foremost a business. A pre season game would have been good though.

 

[Sunny coast shark]

clubs only take games to places that pay big $’s. I guess the qlnd or local govt or stadium owner didn’t want to stump up the cash or had already spent it on the two clubs you’ve mentioned. Playing games away from aami loses them money unless compensated and they are first and foremost a business. A pre season game would have been good though.

I agree it’s a business and thought it might be good business to embrace the Sunshine Coast considering their strong ties with the area.
Surely as you say a pre season game could have been played.

 

[Exsilium]

Really highlights why the NRL need to own a stadium or two.

 

[Timmah]

Hold up - the Sunshine Coast got six Storm games this year.

Melbourne got none. No, the one game against Canberra doesn't count because nobody could attend.

There would be absolute outrage among Storm members if they took any games apart from Magic Round (in Brisbane, driving distance to Sunshine Coast) if they took any of their games away after what Victorians endured this year compared to the rest of the nation.

I understand the idea, yes, but when you ignore the fact Melbourne got absolutely nothing in 2020, it's a hard ask to move them north for another game - especially when, as you point out, Souths and Cronulla are there once each.

 

[Bring back John Fifita]

Hold up - the Sunshine Coast got six Storm games this year.

Melbourne got none. No, the one game against Canberra doesn't count because nobody could attend.

There would be absolute outrage among Storm members if they took any games apart from Magic Round (in Brisbane, driving distance to Sunshine Coast) if they took any of their games away after what Victorians endured this year compared to the rest of the nation.

I understand the idea, yes, but when you ignore the fact Melbourne got absolutely nothing in 2020, it's a hard ask to move them north for another game - especially when, as you point out, Souths and Cronulla are there once each.

I agree with this line of thought. Would be similar if the Warriors don’t play any games out of Gosford next year, I couldn’t imagine anyone on the central coast feeling hard done by or blowing up about that.

 

[Timmah]

I agree with this line of thought. Would be similar if the Warriors don’t play any games out of Gosford next year, I couldn’t imagine anyone on the central coast feeling hard done by or blowing up about that.

They've had their hand forced there, so will play 2 there out of choice. But ideally they'd have played all at Mt Smart - because the people of NZ deserve it.

 

[Bring back John Fifita]

They've had their hand forced there, so will play 2 there out of choice. But ideally they'd have played all at Mt Smart - because the people of NZ deserve it.

While that’s the case, it’s still more the point (my opinion) that last season was an absolute anomaly . And while it was fantastic that places like the Sunshine Coast and Gosford got to host NRL teams and had crowds to games, it shouldn’t be an issue that the teams that relocated there in 2020 can play back on the home grounds, on their home towns, for the entirety of next season (even if the Warriors hand has been forced as suggested).

That, and...

Melbourne are a side that cops the brunt of public scrutiny far more than a side like the Warriors. But both are effectively in the same boat on this.

 

[Sunny coast shark]

While that’s the case, it’s still more the point (my opinion) that last season was an absolute anomaly . And while it was fantastic that places like the Sunshine Coast and Gosford got to host NRL teams and had crowds to games, it shouldn’t be an issue that the teams that relocated there in 2020 can play back on the home grounds, on their home towns, for the entirety of next season (even if the Warriors hand has been forced as suggested).

That, and...

Melbourne are a side that cops the brunt of public scrutiny far more than a side like the Warriors. But both are effectively in the same boat on this.

The difference is Melbourne have legitimate ties with the area with the Sunshine Coast Falcons and Lighting and a reasonable amount of support up here.

I think not even playing a trial up here is a missed opportunity for their club.

 

[Bring back John Fifita]

The difference is Melbourne have legitimate ties with the area with the Sunshine Coast Falcons and Lighting and a reasonable amount of support up here.

I think not even playing a trial up here is a missed opportunity for their club.

Im sure they’ll come back one day...

But for now, the NRL is still bleeding from the effects of Covid. Last season was doing what it could to get games going and thus broadcast revenue. It wasn’t about making money, it was not losing a terminal amount of money .. It’s not all “happily ever after” just yet, that may still be a few seasons off..

And if another Covid wave hits...

So the NRL and it’s clubs will be in cost saving mode for a while yet I’m sure, hence the spend on getting the Storm up for a home game (or two) next season isn’t “essential”.. so a cost they needn’t bare.

But when things have truly stabilised, I’m sure you’ll see them bring a game or two back up there.

 

[Timmah]

The difference is Melbourne have legitimate ties with the area with the Sunshine Coast Falcons and Lighting and a reasonable amount of support up here.

I think not even playing a trial up here is a missed opportunity for their club.

have they confirmed they aren't playing a trial up there?

 

[The Great Dane]

Canberra probably has more experience with clubs treating it as a "second home" than any other city in the country, and from that experience I can say that these sorts of arrangements are a waste of time and energy that do more damage than good in the long run.

The clubs never actually create a support base in the city like people claim, that is just an illusion created by people whom are fans of all sorts of clubs using the games as an opportunity to get out to a game, and of what support they do create 95% of it will abandon the club as soon as the club abandons them.

That feeling of abandonment also has negative effects within the sport locally and within the broader community, where you get this attitude (which frankly is right more often than not) that you, or rather your community/city, are not important enough to be treated with respect and are just treated as a way to prop up clubs in other areas that are deemed more important by the powers that be.
That attitude has built up in both Canberra and Tasmania after decades of being treated as cash cows for weaker AFL clubs. It's built huge amounts of distrust of the AFL in both communities to the point that Tasmania is at the point where they are about ready to demand a club of their own or refuse to support the AFL financially anymore, and Canberra would be in the same place if it wasn't for a constant flow of new expats coming in without a care for the broader/actual community.

What good these deals and clubs do for the sport in the community and at the grassroots is fleeting, as soon as they leave things pretty quickly shrink back to whatever the local community could support beforehand, and if anything in the long term all the AFL clubs' presence did was draw attention and support away from local clubs which stunts their growth. So instead of strong local clubs that were slowly but surely growing you have these boom bust periods where an AFL team comes in, the sport booms a bit because of it, then they run away with the money and the sport shrinks back down, then another AFL club comes in and the cycle repeats over and over, and even then those boom periods have diminishing returns unless the the AFL team is successful at the time.

If you want the sport to be strong in places like the Sunshine Coast, the bush, Perth, etc, then you need local solutions to local problems, and that means building interest in, and support for, local clubs. The best way to go about that probably varies from town to town and city to city, but one thing is for sure, the NRL clubs (or AFL clubs as the case may be) going around acting like the circus in these places just draws eyes and money away from the local clubs whom can't compete with the exposure that the NRL/AFL clubs have, which just makes life even harder for them than it already is.

 

[Perth Red]

Canberra probably has more experience with clubs treating it as a "second home" than any other city in the country, and from that experience I can say that these sorts of arrangements are a waste of time and energy that do more damage than good in the long run.

The clubs never actually create a support base in the city like people claim, that is just an illusion created by people whom are fans of all sorts of clubs using the games as an opportunity to get out to a game, and of what support they do create 95% of it will abandon the club as soon as the club abandons them.

That feeling of abandonment also has negative effects within the sport locally and within the broader community, where you get this attitude (which frankly is right more often than not) that you, or rather your community/city, are not important enough to be treated with respect and are just treated as a way to prop up clubs in other areas that are deemed more important by the powers that be.
That attitude has built up in both Canberra and Tasmania after decades of being treated as cash cows for weaker AFL clubs. It's built huge amounts of distrust of the AFL in both communities to the point that Tasmania is at the point where they are about ready to demand a club of their own or refuse to support the AFL financially anymore, and Canberra would be in the same place if it wasn't for a constant flow of new expats coming in without a care for the broader/actual community.

What good these deals and clubs do for the sport in the community and at the grassroots is fleeting, as soon as they leave things pretty quickly shrink back to whatever the local community could support beforehand, and if anything in the long term all the AFL clubs' presence did was draw attention and support away from local clubs which stunts their growth. So instead of strong local clubs that were slowly but surely growing you have these boom bust periods where an AFL team comes in, the sport booms a bit because of it, then they run away with the money and the sport shrinks back down, then another AFL club comes in and the cycle repeats over and over, and even then those boom periods have diminishing returns unless the the AFL team is successful at the time.

If you want the sport to be strong in places like the Sunshine Coast, the bush, Perth, etc, then you need local solutions to local problems, and that means building interest in, and support for, local clubs. The best way to go about that probably varies from town to town and city to city, but one thing is for sure, the NRL clubs (or AFL clubs as the case may be) going around acting like the circus in these places just draws eyes and money away from the local clubs whom can't compete with the exposure that the NRL/AFL clubs have, which just makes life even harder for them than it already is.

disagree, when your starved of a club any game you get is much appreciated. Souths picked up around 2000 members from their 4 years of games in WA, no one is upset that they aren’t coming this year, just thankful they brought games here so we actually get to see nrl live once in a blue moon. No one gets excited by second grade games. People want to go to big stadiums with 20k crowds to watch the pinnacle of the game. Im very grateful to manly and bulldogs for bringing games to perth next year and will go to both despite not caring about either team.

 

[The Great Dane]

disagree, when your starved of a club any game you get is much appreciated. Souths picked up around 2000 members from their 4 years of games in WA, no one is upset that they aren’t coming this year, just thankful they brought games here so we actually get to see nrl live once in a blue moon. No one gets excited by second grade games. People want to go to big stadiums with 20k crowds to watch the pinnacle of the game. Im very grateful to manly and bulldogs for bringing games to perth next year and will go to both despite not caring about either team.

None of this refutes anything I said, it's all just platitudes about how nice it was that a game was in town.

Look at it objectively, what did local RL in WA actually gain by having the Rabbitohs in town for those years? Nothing but a bill for each game, 2000 dust in the wind "members" (i.e. people whom don't really give a f**k about the club and just wanted a good deal on tickets, all of whom will fade away in the coming years, and whom weren't actually benefiting local RL anyway) and a ready made excuse from the league about how Perth doesn't need it's own team as it can be covered by traveling Sydney teams.

The only reason you are supporting it is because you want the convenience of being able to get out to an NRL game in Perth, you don't actually care about the consequences of said games being played in Perth, just that they happen, and frankly that is an incredibly selfish attitude that shows that your priorities are arse backwards. You're not about building the sport up so it's strong in WA, you just want the experience of game day and you don't care how you get it.

 

[AlwaysGreen]

They got what they needed from the Sunshine Coast and now they've deserted them.

That's the Melbourne franchise in a nutshell.

 

[mongoose]

They got what they needed from the Sunshine Coast and now they've deserted them.

That's the Melbourne franchise in a nutshell.

yearly passes to the big pineapple?

 

[T-Boon]

I think the Sea Eagles or the Sharks should relocate to the Sunshine Coast.

 

[moffla]

I think it would be a pretty big slap in the face to Melbourne supporters to move more games away from Melbourne than they had to.

Many of us parted with a fair amount of money, pledging our memberships back to the club. We’ve not been to a game since Sep 2019.

I understand what you’re saying, but the fact is we are the Melbourne Storm, not the Sunshine Coast Storm. It’s time to get back to normality.

Edit: I wouldn’t be opposed to a one off game up there but I don’t think it should be expected.

 

[Perth Red]

None of this refutes anything I said, it's all just platitudes about how nice it was that a game was in town.

Look at it objectively, what did local RL in WA actually gain by having the Rabbitohs in town for those years? Nothing but a bill for each game, 2000 dust in the wind "members" (i.e. people whom don't really give a f**k about the club and just wanted a good deal on tickets, all of whom will fade away in the coming years, and whom weren't actually benefiting local RL anyway) and a ready made excuse from the league about how Perth doesn't need it's own team as it can be covered by traveling Sydney teams.

The only reason you are supporting it is because you want the convenience of being able to get out to an NRL game in Perth, you don't actually care about the consequences of said games being played in Perth, just that they happen, and frankly that is an incredibly selfish attitude that shows that your priorities are arse backwards. You're not about building the sport up so it's strong in WA, you just want the experience of game day and you don't care how you get it.

Disagree, these games bring profile to rugby league to the city and keep ex pats engaged in the game, even if only in a sporadic. The knock on is the grass roots benefits as people continue to follow nrl, get their kids into it and they go on to play locally. By 2000 we had no nrl games and ten game was basically dead here at all levels. Regular nrl games has been a part of its revival over the last 15 or so years, its helped get hbf park rebuilt into a tidy stadium and has given us fans sporadic top level of action something to look forward to. I’m sure Souths have done very well financially out of it which is good for them.
Only criticism I have is that it is at the whim of clubs and not part of a bigger nrl strategy to grow the game long term.
what consequences are you talking about? Me going to watch two nrl games a year doesn’t change me going to watch north beach regularly, it doesn’t make a jot of difference to perth getting a team or not (though it does give us an opportunity to prove their is a RL fanbase here) and end of day it’s a great night out from WA rl fans twice a year.

ps I don’t think it’s any coincidence that Perths newest club started up couple of years ago and chose the name Ellenbrook Rabbitohs!

 

[Sunny coast shark]

I think it would be a pretty big slap in the face to Melbourne supporters to move more games away from Melbourne than they had to.

Many of us parted with a fair amount of money, pledging our memberships back to the club. We’ve not been to a game since Sep 2019.

I understand what you’re saying, but the fact is we are the Melbourne Storm, not the Sunshine Coast Storm. It’s time to get back to normality.

Edit: I wouldn’t be opposed to a one off game up there but I don’t think it should be expected.

Just seems a strange decision to me to not even play a trial in area that you could really build your supporter base on, as you know there is plenty of Melbourne storm support and the link with lightning up here but brushing the area and the retirement of Cameron smith will reduce it.
Your a shit club anyways, glad the Sharks are coming.