18th club, whose next?

[docbrown]

As I replied above I wouldn’t count them as a Brisbane, Sydney or Cairns team, they’d just be based there for convenience since being based in PNG wouldn’t be possible any time soon.

All those places have teams and very few would drop their current team for a PNG or Pacifika side based there. Most or all home games should be in PNG, if that isn’t viable it should be a non-starter, not trying to be morphed it to some FNQ/PNG/Fiji/Tonga/Samoa/Cook Islands combined bid.

So the question then becomes - how many games can PNG actually host?

 

[Colk]

So

teams travelling to png from Sydney travel further

Yes but those Sydney teams don’t travel every week

 

[docbrown]

If I had more time on my hands I’d love to see a season travel time total for a team based in Cairns playing home games in PNG/Fiji/Tonga & Samoa. I reckon it would be close to being more than all of the 10 of NSW clubs combined.

Same. Players are also going to ask the question before they sign so it’s perfectly valid to consider it.

In the hypothetical they’re playing all their home games in PNG, base the players in Sydney then. They’ll end up playing 10 games against NSW clubs so they’re only flying away 15 out of 25 games.

That’s more attractive for players than playing in Cairns, playing no home games there and then travelling 25 out of 25 rounds.

It feels to me the whole Cairns thing is to sell it as a 5th Qld club. Which is as you said, next to no one will convert.

 

[Gobsmacked]

I think you will find more bias against League in Union circles than in AFL circles.... Look at Sydney, a lot of Swans members are ex-union boys. Most of those GPS boys will never follow Rugby League, it is too beneath them. I've met plenty of people from NZ who like both Rugby codes and also plenty who despise League (they're always white too).

I keep hearing a lot of Storm members also have their AFL team, so why would Perth be any different?

All good points. My point is just that Union players and fans actively follow both , play both and in big numbers!
There's a 100 years plus of history.
Both games have the same fundamental goals.
Melbourne is 5 million people, they have 1 of the best stadiums in the league with the best infrastructure in Australia , been successful for 25 years ( multiple premierships ) and currently have 2 or 3 of the most exciting players in the game.. average 15k. That’s just the stark reality of an AFL state.
Perth, less than half the population, terrible stadium, poor infrastructure, no successful track record and almost no chance of attracting good players.
It doesn't look good.

I want a Perth team, I just think NZ works best. The benefits are far greater also if it helps the kiwis produce more talent, we'll have an even and EPIC battle between Australia and New Zealand on the international scene.

 

[Gobsmacked]

If the government wants to help the Pasifika. How about 20 million a year into a Pasifika comp
Teams
1. Tonga
1 .Samoa
2. Fiji
I. cook islands
3. PNG

2.5 million grants for each club
1 million salary cap with 1.5 for operating costs ( flights ect)

The winner plays the winners of the Q cup and Nsw cup to determine the Pacific champion.

 

[Perth Red]

Ho

6 port moresby (add 2 pre season trials)
3 cairns, 1 tonga, 1 fiji, 1 samoa
Done

how many games in the islands are the union pasifika team playing?
this all sounds very pie in the sky

 

[MugaB]

huh

players move to cairns

they go to png day before game

Or on the day of, they can get charter flights, not sure where all this" cairns is hard to get to pacific islands" from, they used charter flights for every club that needed it during the 2 seasons affected by covid

 

[Wb1234]

Yes but those Sydney teams don’t travel every week

So lol

 

[Perth Red]

All good points. My point is just that Union players and fans actively follow both , play both and in big numbers!
There's a 100 years plus of history.
Both games have the same fundamental goals.
Melbourne is 5 million people, they have 1 of the best stadiums in the league with the best infrastructure in Australia , been successful for 25 years ( multiple premierships ) and currently have 2 or 3 of the most exciting players in the game.. average 15k. That’s just the stark reality of an AFL state.
Perth, less than half the population, terrible stadium, poor infrastructure, no successful track record and almost no chance of attracting good players.
It doesn't look good.

I want a Perth team, I just think NZ works best. The benefits are far greater also if it helps the kiwis produce more talent, we'll have an even and EPIC battle between Australia and New Zealand on the international scene.

Strange argument, Storm are in top 3 clubs in the nrl for memberships and attendances and make a healthy profit without pokies,

You were the one who stated 20% of perth would possibly follow nrl. That’s 440k people. where’s the problem?

 

[Wb1234]

Same. Players are also going to ask the question before they sign so it’s perfectly valid to consider it.

In the hypothetical they’re playing all their home games in PNG, base the players in Sydney then. They’ll end up playing 10 games against NSW clubs so they’re only flying away 15 out of 25 games.

That’s more attractive for players than playing in Cairns, playing no home games there and then travelling 25 out of 25 rounds.

It feels to me the whole Cairns thing is to sell it as a 5th Qld club. Which is as you said, next to no one will convert.

Oh that’s what you meant

that’s an interesting point

 

[Perth Red]

If the government wants to help the Pasifika. How about 20 million a year into a Pasifika comp
Teams
1. Tonga
1 .Samoa
2. Fiji
I. cook islands
3. PNG

2.5 million grants for each club
1 million salary cap with 1.5 for operating costs ( flights ect)

The winner plays the winners of the Q cup and Nsw cup to determine the Pacific champion.

The best thing that could happen would be for the Australian g8vt to put that $25mill into pngrl, but we know that doesn’t give them the shiny thing they are looking for.

imagine a fully professional digicell cup, decent training and playing facilities for pngrl and scholarship programs in schools for the best png rl playing kids. That would deliver a hell of a lot more for the country.

oh and the kumuls having decent international calendar every year!

that would be a damn site better than 8 nrl games in Port Moresby.

 

[Wb1234]

The best thing that could happen would be for the Australian g8vt to put that $25mill into pngrl, but we know that doesn’t give them the shiny thing they are looking for.

imagine a fully professional digicell cup, decent training and playing facilities for pngrl and scholarship programs in schools for the best png rl playing kids. That would deliver a hell of a lot more for the country.

Imagine the wa govt would invest 25 million pa into a Perth nrl side

 

[Perth Red]

Imagine the wa govt would invest 25 million pa into a Perth nrl side

What’s your point?

 

[Gobsmacked]

The best thing that could happen would be for the Australian g8vt to put that $25mill into pngrl, but we know that doesn’t give them the shiny thing they are looking for.

imagine a fully professional digicell cup, decent training and playing facilities for pngrl and scholarship programs in schools for the best png rl playing kids. That would deliver a hell of a lot more for the country.

oh and the kumuls having decent international calendar every year!

that would be a damn site better than 8 nrl games in Port Moresby.

That is a ton of money if you spent it there.

 

[Gobsmacked]

Strange argument, Storm are in top 3 clubs in the nrl for memberships and attendances and make a healthy profit without pokies,

You were the one who stated 20% of perth would possibly follow nrl. That’s 440k people. where’s the problem?

We get it, all roads lead to Perth. Even if you have to quote some anonymous person out of context.

 

[Colk]

So lol

You don’t see the problem?

 

[Perth Red]

That is a ton of money if you spent it there.

It wouldnt even need that much but would have better outcomes for png and rl than some half baked club in cairns with a handful of png players in it playing a few games in Port Moresby,

 

[Perth Red]

We get it, all roads lead to Perth. Even if you have to quote some anonymous person out of context.

Eh? You said 80% of perth would never support nrl, a somewhat random hypothetical but still, that leaves 20% who would or 440k potential fans of a new perth club. That’s what you said lol

then you doubled down on that strange hypothetical by suggesting Storm show this, despite the fact the Storm are one of the best supported clubs in the nrl lol.

you’re not making very strong arguments in this one.

 

[Gobsmacked]

Eh? You said 80% of perth would never support nrl, a somewhat random hypothetical but still, that leaves 20% who would or 440k potential fans of a new perth club. That’s what you said lol

then you doubled down on that strange hypothetical by suggesting Storm show this, despite the fact the Storm are one of the best supported clubs in the nrl lol.

you’re not making very strong arguments in this one.

 

[docbrown]

Oh that’s what you meant

that’s an interesting point

It's a logistics and player appeal question on where the PNG team is based.

Port Moresby based: Dangerous. Hard to recruit players.

Cairns based: Not a real Queensland team. Eats into Cowboys territory. Playing 15 to 25 games away. Hard to recruit players due to security.

Darwin based: Doesn't clash with other clubs. Might not be regarded as an NT team or a Pacific team. Small population. Hard to recruit players. No direct flights to PNG.

Central QLD based: Less of a clash with other NRL clubs. Might not be regarded as a QLD team. Small population. Hard to recruit players. No direct flights.

Auckland based: Not a real NZ team. Eats into Warriors. Long travel between NZ and PNG. Playing most of the season away.

Brisbane based: Not a real Queensland team. Eats into Dolphins and Broncos. Can have 3 games in SE QLD as away games. Still playing away most of the season. Based in a big metro city that’s attractive for players.

Sydney based: Not a real NSW teams. Eats into other Sydney clubs. Need to find an operation base that other teams won't whine about. Players only travel away 15 out of 25 games. Big metro city attractive for players.

Those are the big pros and cons for each.