18th club, whose next?

[Canard]

Fiji better option than Adelaide

or pacific islands

What the f**k has this got to do with League?

You are such a Union simp.

Seriously, just f**k off with this Rah Rah propaganda

 

[Pippen94]

Fiji better option than Adelaide

or pacific islands

Fiji NRL team would be great

 

[Matiunz]

Fiji better option than Adelaide

or pacific islands

Barbarians are an invitational side not an international side, whilst it’s hypocritical to release some players and not others for a match if there’s a technicality the euro clubs will pounce on it. Fiji= pacific island no reason it couldn’t be a combined bid, better option than basing it in NZ or Aus

 

[Centy Coast]

NRL wants me to stay out of PNG discussions: Olam​

Justin Olam feels rugby league powerbrokers have not consulted him about the Papua New Guinea expansion bid for fear he will warn against fast-tracking the team's entry into the NRL.
The premiership-winning PNG international says he is in favour of establishing a first-grade team in his homeland, but only after "a couple of years" investing in a proper pathways system.
"No one has ever chatted to me about anything, because my opinion doesn't line up with anyone, I think," the Wests Tigers centre told AAP of the bid to grant PNG the NRL's 18th licence.
"So they want me to stay out of it. I don't mind. I'll always say what I think is best for the young kids back home because I've come through the path and I know what it is.
"I'm speaking from what I've experienced. I'm not talking out of the blue. This is what I think it is, because most of the people in power have never lived that life."
The Australian Rugby League Commission will meet next Wednesday for the latest round of expansion talks, with teams from PNG, Perth and New Zealand all options to enter the NRL as early as 2026.
The Australian Government is willing to pledge $600 million of funding to the PNG bid in the hope a team could be a diplomatic tool to strengthen relations in the Pacific.
But the viability of enticing current NRL players to live in PNG, and the team's ability to be immediately competitive, are possible sticking points.
The only NRL player to come through the Queensland Cup's PNG Hunters, Olam previously questioned suggestions the NRL could solve these issues by basing PNG's team in North Queensland.
The team now appears unlikely to fly in and fly out of PNG for games, rather basing itself in Port Morseby full-time, but Olam still has concerns.
"I think it will be a good thing for the game to have a PNG team in the NRL, the fanbase and everything is there," he said.
"But players-wise, for me personally, I think we need to have a foundation first and that is developing grassroots football, junior football.
"I still feel like we've got a long way to go."
PNG's highest-level rugby league competition, the 12-team semi-professional Digicel Cup, would be the most logical talent pool from which the 18th team could draw.
But Olam said PNG needed a thriving schools program, and a plan to scout grassroots talent from rural areas, before the Digicel Cup was a sustainable source of NRL recruits.
"There's heaps of talent back at home, but for me the only reason I only came and played NRL was because I went to uni," Olam said.
"If I was in the village, I wouldn't have been able to make it here because we don't have that pathway.
"There's no steps to follow or proper pathway to come and play in the Digicel Cup.
"If there's a competition for schoolboys in PNG, the number of kids that are going to sign up to play is going to be massive.
"From that pool of talent, they can pick and have a proper pathway to develop players so they can have a good PNG team.
"My personal point of view is that I think we're jumping a few steps. There's nothing wrong with getting an NRL team but I think not now. In a couple of years time."

 

[MugaB]

NRL wants me to stay out of PNG discussions: Olam​

Justin Olam feels rugby league powerbrokers have not consulted him about the Papua New Guinea expansion bid for fear he will warn against fast-tracking the team's entry into the NRL.
The premiership-winning PNG international says he is in favour of establishing a first-grade team in his homeland, but only after "a couple of years" investing in a proper pathways system.
"No one has ever chatted to me about anything, because my opinion doesn't line up with anyone, I think," the Wests Tigers centre told AAP of the bid to grant PNG the NRL's 18th licence.
"So they want me to stay out of it. I don't mind. I'll always say what I think is best for the young kids back home because I've come through the path and I know what it is.
"I'm speaking from what I've experienced. I'm not talking out of the blue. This is what I think it is, because most of the people in power have never lived that life."
The Australian Rugby League Commission will meet next Wednesday for the latest round of expansion talks, with teams from PNG, Perth and New Zealand all options to enter the NRL as early as 2026.
The Australian Government is willing to pledge $600 million of funding to the PNG bid in the hope a team could be a diplomatic tool to strengthen relations in the Pacific.
But the viability of enticing current NRL players to live in PNG, and the team's ability to be immediately competitive, are possible sticking points.
The only NRL player to come through the Queensland Cup's PNG Hunters, Olam previously questioned suggestions the NRL could solve these issues by basing PNG's team in North Queensland.
The team now appears unlikely to fly in and fly out of PNG for games, rather basing itself in Port Morseby full-time, but Olam still has concerns.
"I think it will be a good thing for the game to have a PNG team in the NRL, the fanbase and everything is there," he said.
"But players-wise, for me personally, I think we need to have a foundation first and that is developing grassroots football, junior football.
"I still feel like we've got a long way to go."
PNG's highest-level rugby league competition, the 12-team semi-professional Digicel Cup, would be the most logical talent pool from which the 18th team could draw.
But Olam said PNG needed a thriving schools program, and a plan to scout grassroots talent from rural areas, before the Digicel Cup was a sustainable source of NRL recruits.
"There's heaps of talent back at home, but for me the only reason I only came and played NRL was because I went to uni," Olam said.
"If I was in the village, I wouldn't have been able to make it here because we don't have that pathway.
"There's no steps to follow or proper pathway to come and play in the Digicel Cup.
"If there's a competition for schoolboys in PNG, the number of kids that are going to sign up to play is going to be massive.
"From that pool of talent, they can pick and have a proper pathway to develop players so they can have a good PNG team.
"My personal point of view is that I think we're jumping a few steps. There's nothing wrong with getting an NRL team but I think not now. In a couple of years time."

View attachment 89903

Cool your friend Olam again, it's good to see that he went to uni, and tell8ng other kids to do the same if they want to end up in a 1st grade Nrl club...
Imagine there was a png team full of Olams

 

[Wb1234]

WA consortium head to meet with Bears, Jets next week

A Perth team now looks likely to enter the national competition in 2027 or 2028, before Papua New Guinea.

thewest.com.au

 

[Wb1234]

“The Perth bid has the support of the broadcasters due to the favourable time zone. The current broadcast deal runs until the end of 2027.”

also mentions them paying a license fee

 

[Wb1234]

“The WA Government is hugely supportive and not in the business of propping up teams but it is our understanding it will help in terms of upgrades around HBF Park … and investment in pathways programmes for rugby league,” Shanahan said.”

 

[Bukowski]

Singo would be a powerful partner

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

“The Perth bid has the support of the broadcasters due to the favourable time zone. The current broadcast deal runs until the end of 2027.”

also mentions them paying a license fee

It offers zero value to FTA.

 

[Matt_CBY]

Singo would be a powerful partner

Yeah he has had a lot of success running Rugby League clubs - not.

 

[Matt_CBY]

WA consortium head to meet with Bears, Jets next week

A Perth team now looks likely to enter the national competition in 2027 or 2028, before Papua New Guinea.

thewest.com.au

“The WA consortium has worked closely with a State Government working party backed by Premier Roger Cook and chaired by MP Peter Tinley, and Freshwater Strategy, which helped the Dolphins put together the bid that secured the NRL’s 17th licence.”


“Freshwater Strategy director Leo Shanahan said on SEN Sydney this week unlike the PNG case, a WA bid was self-funding.

“The WA Government is hugely supportive and not in the business of propping up teams but it is our understanding it will help in terms of upgrades around HBF Park … and investment in pathways programmes for rugby league,” Shanahan said.

“This is in conjunction with serious private investment around a Perth bid both from West Coast investors and those in the east.

“You have to go to the NRL with a very tight and economically viable proposal … in Perth you have all that. You have financial backing, you have serious government backing and you have a support base.”

Is that the same company that is also assisting the Bears with their bid? I remember reading somewhere that the company that put together the Dolphin bid has been working with the Bears on their bid.

 

[Wb1234]

Singo was pictured there because he was the jets benefactor back In the 80s and he couldn’t make it work

he has no involvement with the Perth bid lol

His last involvement in league was as part of the central coast bears bid and he walked away from it after they got knocked back

 

[Wb1234]

It offers zero value to FTA.

News ltd paper wasn’t it ?

Maybe they are looking at Friday 930 games back into eastern markets on top of Sunday 630

 

[jim_57]

News ltd paper wasn’t it ?

Maybe they are looking at Friday 930 games back into eastern markets on top of Sunday 630

A 9 game round schedule should be a no brainer: 1 Thursday, 2 Friday & 3 each Saturday and Sunday. Locked in every full round. Play around with times on Saturday and Sunday sure, 12pm NZ game, 9:30pm Perth game etc but the basic structure should remain.

We’ll probably end up with some weird shit instead though like a Thursday double header with a 10pm game in Perth.

 

[Bukowski]

I'm thinking there might be a North Sydney bid and a seperate Cumins bid.

 

[Matt_CBY]

Singo was pictured there because he was the jets benefactor back In the 80s and he couldn’t make it work

he has no involvement with the Perth bid lol

His last involvement in league was as part of the central coast bears bid and he walked away from it after they got knocked back

From the article you posted

“The Jets’ bid is backed by Sydney marketing guru John Singleton, while Hungry Jack’s founder Jack Cowan is believed to have interest in supporting a WA team.”

 

[Matt_CBY]

I'm thinking there might be a North Sydney bid and a seperate Cumins bid.

I said that weeks ago

 

[Centy Coast]

General Manager of NRL WA John Sackson has revealed we could have confirmation of expansion within the next fortnight and that it may include a partnership between the Perth-based bid and the North Sydney Bears.

Speaking to Perth’s 91.3 SportFM, Sackson also disclosed that a meeting next Wednesday hosted by the Australian Rugby League Commission and chairman Peter V’landys, in Melbourne, on the day of State of Origin Game II, may confirm who enters the NRL as the next three franchises.

“The talk continues that a Western Australian franchise is now favoured to be the 18th (franchise) but very pivotal that there’s a (ARLC) commission meeting in Melbourne on Wednesday which is the day of State of Origin in Melbourne,” Sackson said.

“So Peter V’landys and the commission are meeting and I think out of that, don’t be surprised, the interested parties, the interested consortiums for the 18th, 19th and 20th franchises, there’ll probably be expressions of interest, asking those organisations to develop their proposals and submit their proposals, there’ll be some deadlines.

“I believe that will be announced.”

Pushed further, the boss of NRL WA did not sound upset at a possible agreement with the Bears.

“Money for old rope”: Send NRL-ravaged Origin season to the bush, or Auckland, and create ‘mini’ magic rounds

“Fingers crossed, the Perth consortium, whatever that might look like, be it a Bears partnership or whatever, that Western Australia can keep that momentum going and keep ticking the boxes, because that would be very exciting news.

“Watch this space, there will be a lot of noise about expansion coming up in the next seven to ten days.”

The Western Reds last competed in top-flight, professional rugby league in 1997.

 

[Centy Coast]

Singo would be a powerful partner

the NRL wanted nothing to do with John Singleton when he heavily backed the Central Coast Bears back in 2005 losing out to the Gold Coast Titans for 2007 entry.
John Singleton is not connected financially with Newtown, not sure where this journalist gets their info from lol.