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18th club, whose next?

Perth Red

Post Whore
Messages
69,537
I never mentioned public profile… Im talking money and assets … in my industry in the financial services space …expats I know in Port Moresby are on $500k minimum … and they have been in the game a lot longer than your typical NRL player that goes over there will have been
Two things make you a target, money and profile. Remember this is a discussion about if the player security compound needs to be built prior to club starting or if they can just be housed in apartments or hotels,
 

BuffaloRules

Coach
Messages
15,451
Two things make you a target, money and profile. Remember this is a discussion about if the player security compound needs to be built prior to club starting or if they can just be housed in apartments or hotels,
no … they will be housed in other secure areas like expats from Westpac, Commonwealth Bank, QBE and Aon are … do you think these billion dollar companies are any less worried about their employees than the NRL are ?

And the compound MIGHT be built on time anyway … they have over three years … this is only a hypothetical short term solution if the compound is not ready …
 

MugaB

Coach
Messages
15,033
Interesting that the cashed up Brisbane Tigers got rejected. Obviously cash isn’t their problem but west of Brisbane from which would cover Redlands, northern Logan, Ipswich and Toowoomba need NRL representation.

before any smart arse says Redlands is east of Brisbane & Logan is south, I’m well aware of this.
Broncos represents all of that, hence why they are reluctant to add another SEQ team, maybe an Ipswich and to the west of that team is fine but Logan and Redlands is bronx
 

Red&BlackBear

First Grade
Messages
5,425
It's not a compound its a precinct.

V'landys said so.
It’s actually a place to send all the players who bring the game into disrepute. V’landys playing chess while others are playing checkers…

Get up to shit, have your contract ripped up? You’ll stay in the game but be forced to only play for PNG living in PNG…
 

Perth Red

Post Whore
Messages
69,537
If I was in one of the NZ Sth bids I’d be talking to the NRL and the other bid to see if we could hit the required bar
I’m sure if the nrl really wanted christchurch they’d have already got them in a room together in the same way they foisted the bears onto the WA bid.
 

MugaB

Coach
Messages
15,033
If I was in one of the NZ Sth bids I’d be talking to the NRL and the other bid to see if we could hit the required bar
To be frank the frank Endacott one should be targeted, but only if the other two get on board and invest thier efforts in with his, the branding and money from those two should make it a super bid worth looking into
 

Matt_CBY

Juniors
Messages
1,508
Newtown’s hopes of a top-flight rugby league revival have been dashed after the NRL not only knocked back the Jets bid, but the rest of the expansion hopefuls.
It is understood that eight bid parties were told that their submissions had been rejected by the NRL. The governing body still maintains it hopes to expand the competition to 20 teams, but it seems the process may take longer than the game had hoped.

It can be revealed that three bids came from New Zealand’s South Island, while there were two from Brisbane and another from Central Queensland.

A team based out of Fiji were also considered, while Western Australia had its bid rejected earlier this month.

Discussions between the NRL and the Western Australian government are continuing in the hope the Western Bears can be resurrected and become the game’s 18th team.

It will be announced as soon as next month that PNG will be part of an expanded competition, but they will not enter the NRL until 2028.

The Newtown Jet’s dream of a return to top-flight rugby league have been crushed … for now. Picture: David Swift

The Newtown Jet’s dream of a return to top-flight rugby league have been crushed … for now. Picture: David Swift
Perth may still come in a year earlier if the NRL can find a way to get that bid back on track. The NRL felt the eight bid parties did not make a strong enough business case to be granted a license. The NRL also hold reservations about issuing a new franchise to private owners.

They may now explore the prospect of taking ownership of a new team with another team in Brisbane or a second New Zealand team the most likely outcome.

They hope to do the same with Western Australia – which would mirror that of the AFL and their ownership of the new Tasmanian team.

NRL boss Andrew Abdo insisted expansion was not dead.

“Expansion is an exciting priority for the game,” Abdo said.

“The (Australian Rugby League) Commission have made it clear that any expansion must have a strong business case that delivers value for all stakeholders.

“We are working on the right plan and model for every region. New Zealand, Western Australia, Queensland and PNG are strategic, vibrant and growing rugby league regions.

“At this stage, the bids submitted have not met the necessary threshold to be accepted. We continue to work to strengthen the case for any potential expansion.”

NRL CEO Andrew Abdo says expansion remains a priority, but admits the current bids fell short of the necessary threshold to be accepted. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

NRL CEO Andrew Abdo says expansion remains a priority, but admits the current bids fell short of the necessary threshold to be accepted. Picture: Justin Lloyd.
After flirting with Western Australia, Newtown entered a partnership with Ipswich – to be known simply as the Jets – but their bid was knocked back.

So too were the three New Zealand bids – including the South Island Kea run by former NRL boss David Moffett.

A team called the Southern Orcas were another putting their hands up for inclusion.

The latest rejection shapes as another blow to the Brisbane Firehawks, who were part of the bid process that led to the Dolphins being added to the competition in 2023.

The Firehawks are a financial juggernaut with cash reserves of $25 million, total assets of $57.4 million and equity of $52.4 million.

However, the NRL is believed to be reluctant to add another team in southeast Queensland given the presence of the Broncos, Dolphins and Gold Coast Titans.

After the Dolphins got their license, many people suggested that there was at least another two bid from South East Queensland that were good enough to get an NRL licence but the NRL was only giving out one licence.

I hope those people put their hands up and admit they were lying or were wrong about that. CQ, Firehawks and Ispwich being rejected is huge.
 

Matt_CBY

Juniors
Messages
1,508
can PNG be ready for 2028?
is Australian tv going to pay much extra for a comp with just png added?
Is Vlandys going to walk away from a once in a lifetime chance to have serious external money spent on growing the game in WA?
After talking up 20 clubs is nrl happy to have egg on its face when it concedes it can’t expand beyond a govt slush funded png?

clock is ticking for tv negotiations
We all know that you don’t know anything. No need to keep proving it to us.
 

MugaB

Coach
Messages
15,033
After the Dolphins got their license, many people suggested that there was at least another two bid from South East Queensland that were good enough to get an NRL licence but the NRL was only giving out one licence.

I hope those people put their hands up and admit they were lying or were wrong about that. CQ, Firehawks and Ispwich being rejected is huge.
I don't think it has anything to do with their bid, more to do with their location, had the firehawks/east tigers picked up and went to Christchurch or Adelaide for example, I would think that the NRL and its clubs would've pounced on the idea, we all know they wouldn't have put zero in their bid documents
 

Matt_CBY

Juniors
Messages
1,508
Interesting that the cashed up Brisbane Tigers got rejected. Obviously cash isn’t their problem but west of Brisbane from which would cover Redlands, northern Logan, Ipswich and Toowoomba need NRL representation.

before any smart arse says Redlands is east of Brisbane & Logan is south, I’m well aware of this.
It was never a good idea to have the Western Corridor represented by “Easts”.
 

Matt_CBY

Juniors
Messages
1,508
How to make the Gold Coast work. Rebranding 1 more time. Well SHARKS need a NEW STADIUM so Merge Titans and Sharks as Gold Coast Sharks half ownership each. NRL offer 10 million merger fee to make it success full. Back to 16 teams . No more crap park.
Gold Coast Sharks is objectively one of the worst proposed names for a club I’ve heard.

I agree something needs to be done about Shark Park though. My idea would be knocking down Shark Park and Kogarah Oval and replacing both with a Western Sydney Stadium clone in the region to be shared between the two clubs. Sharks naturally would end up playing more games there.
 

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