AlwaysGreen
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There's more chance of a rational post from Donkey Bong than a second Auckland team.
Nobody needs to accept albos proposalFlippant comments like this won't make people who are feeling the pinch accept Albo's proposal.
Do you think mockery is going to make them agree with you?
They'll tell you to "get f**ked".
Abdo and Vlandys dominating the news stream by basically saying nothing but obviously leaking enough rumours to dominate it by stealth. The endless speculation is beautiful to see. Our major competitor will hate this. All they’ve got is tassie right now and that is beset with problems. Given the comp is not just about tv ratings but also dominating the region our options are pretty fecking good. 20 team comp, potentially in three nations. Shorter season, increased internationals. Stand alone origin. I like it.Nobody needs to accept albos proposal
its not going to a referendum lol
You’re comparing a game with a short season to a game with a season that is too long. Nice work.The NFL is on about adding more games. No way NRL plays less
Central coast bears
An endless maelstrom of exclusive stories, breaking news and bombshell revelations is rapidly making NRL expansion the most tedious topic in the rugby league rinse cycle – even though it’s the most important.
Like Cameron Smith’s retirement, Wayne Bennett’s next club, and the Wests Tigers getting their shit together, we’ve reached the point where we’re now only interested when a decision is made.
We’ve been told Papua New Guinea, with its “Forbidden City” compound and tax-free contracts for players, will be the next team in – then it’s not.
We’ve been told the Perth Bears or Perth Jets or the Perth Jet Bears will come in from 2027 — then they are not.
We’ve been told the NRL hopes to be a 20-team competition before 2032 — then it’s 2030.
We’ve been told the NRL would unveil its expansion strategy in late June — then it was late July.
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NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo and ARLC chairman Peter V’landys.CREDIT: DEAN SEWELL
2GB broadcaster Ben Fordham last week told his listeners we could expect some news in August, revealing the Australian and PNG governments have fast-tracked an announcement about $600 million of taxpayer money funding a new franchise and pathways in the region.
The report blindsided NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo, who had to tell club bosses at a meeting that morning that no deal had been struck.
Meanwhile, on Triple M, comedian and North Sydney tragic Jim Jefferies was telling Mark Geyer and Mick Molloy that a deal between Perth and the Bears was imminent.
“I reckon we’re 80 per cent there now,” Jefferies said. “I’ll talk to you off-air about a few things that I can’t mention. I reckon we’re good to go.”
“You can be the Bears’ Russell Crowe,” Molloy suggested.
“I’m trying to literally buy three per cent,” Jefferies laughed. “I’m the only celebrity chipping in some money so I might as well take all the glory. It’s all me, everyone! You’re welcome, people of Sydney and Perth! We’re back, baby!”
Rugby league needs Jim Jefferies. He’s our kinda guy. Alas, his representative didn’t respond to an approach for comment.
The NRL insists no decisions about what the competition will look like from 2027 onwards have been made.
It has called for expressions of interest, several consortiums have fallen out of the race as expected, and the business cases of those still in the hunt are being pieced together.
Clearly, though, PNG and a Perth consortium in partnership with the Bears are the Bonecrusher and Our Waverley Star (1986 Cox Plate) as we enter the home straight for entry into the NRL.
The ARL Commission can’t ignore the money on the table from the Albanese government for PNG, even if both the Australian and PNG administrations seem more concerned about announcing the new franchise than detailing what it will look like.
The ARLC also seems caught up in the romance of the Bears being thawed from their cryogenic slumber and playing before heaving crowds of 15,000 people at North Sydney Oval twice a year while trying to regain a foothold in AFL-obsessed Perth.
That leaves one spot left in the NRL’s magical 20-team premiership. Brisbane Easts and the Wellington Orcas are pushing hard, but don’t dismiss a second Auckland franchise emerging from the shadows.
The NRL likes the idea a local derby following the success of the Dolphins and their intense rivalry with the Broncos. (Yes, Redcliffe is directly north of Brisbane, not part of Brisbane, but the sides share Suncorp Stadium and already developed a healthy dislike for each other. You get the gist).
Regardless of which bids are successful, a sustainable 20-team competition has enormous appeal because it solves some of rugby league’s biggest problems.
The beauty of having more teams is it allows the NRL to play fewer matches, freeing up time for other content.
The premiership can be contested over a proper home-and-away draw, with all teams playing each other once. Add a Magic Round and you have a 20-round premiership.
That is preferable to the 27-round monster we have now. Introduce conferences or relegation if you like, but a simpler, shorter draw is a must.
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The Dolphins have been a raging success as the NRL’s 17th team – particularly their derby against Brisbane.CREDIT: GETTY
With each passing year, it becomes clear the NRL season is too long. It starts in the first week of March and ends in the first week of October. The post-Origin flat spot is a grind. Players, coaches, officials and fans are fatigued.
Is too much rugby league barely enough? No. It’s more than enough.
Consider the players. The training is getting tougher because the opposition is getting faster and stronger. If they don’t beat you, an injury probably will.
The physical toll on the player has never been so great. Something needs to give, other than an elite player’s hamstrings.
The NRL craves what the NFL has: a compact, 18-round season loaded with blockbusters and short on blowouts.
Fewer premiership matches allows the NRL to either pause mid-season or wait until the end to play Origin matches, internationals and women’s fixtures.
Of course, the game can only expand if it gets serious about grassroots football. That starts and ends with a better relationship with the NSWRL and QRL and the clubs.
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Last week, a high-placed NRL source told me there had been discussions about introducing a 20-team competition in 2028, when the next broadcast deal will kick in. Again, it’s only a thought. Nothing’s set in stone.
The NRL won’t be rushed into making a call on which franchises are given a golden ticket to Peter V’landys’ Chocolate Factory.
But even the ARL Commission chairman, known for his crash-or-crash-through ethic, is said to be taking things slowly and carefully on expansion. He doesn’t want to get it wrong.
So, stay tuned!
We can exclusively reveal there’s nothing to report other than there is nothing to report — but it will be interesting when there is.
IMO it’s his own opinion
pvl spruiked up the Brisbane derby via Redcliffe so he’s assuming he will copy that in Auckland
the warriors won’t allow it
png got moved from cairns which is 3 hours drive from Townsville bc the cowboys complained no way they allow another team in Auckland anytime soon
You’re comparing a game with a short season to a game with a season that is too long. Nice work.
Nrl would only do Auckland 2 if the game was really booming and after Christchurch and WellingtonAgree Warriors would be fuming; they're unhappy enough about a potential CHCH team, let alone another one down the road.
But I can see the potential investor attraction in a hypothetical AKL2, maybe even the same ones considering CHCH. They'll see AKL as being a bigger market than CHCH (even if they have to 'share' it), its less union-entrenched than CHCH, and the current stadium review means there's a (small) chance of a new CBD stadium which would massively unlock supporter interest across the city for all codes.
I don't like it, but I can understand if there's bean counter interest.
And it'd be a huge shot across the bows for NZR. CHCH may be RU heartland, but a second NRL team in the country's population and commercial center would be the biggest fk you they could ever deliver.
Upset are we tiddles? Let me explain and I’ll type slowly just for you. The NFL has a short season ripe for extending. As noted in The article, and I’m assuming you can read, the NRL season is too long and congested. As the article implies you can hold a shorter season with 1 round or by other means, extend the international season and make SoO stand alone. That gives you the same amount of content at least, breaks the season into highlight chunks and helps us work in the women’s football as well more logically.f**k you are a knob. Once again you offer nothing but show you are a wanker
The point is. Other sports are adding content why would NRL cut content?
Sure, I hear they use Airforce 1 to carry the Cleveland Browns to away games.
Kumul1 should be used to fly players to away games
Nrl isn’t adding teams to then end up with the same amount of contentUpset are we tiddles? Let me explain and I’ll type slowly just for you. The NFL has a short season ripe for extending. As noted in The article, and I’m assuming you can read, the NRL season is too long and congested. As the article implies you can hold a shorter season with 1 round or by other means, extend the international season and make SoO stand alone. That gives you the same amount of content at least, breaks the season into highlight chunks and helps us work in the women’s football as well more logically.
But back to step one. The NFL season is clearly too short and is ripe for natural expansion and growth.
Our season is too long. So we can be clever by manipulating the content.
Meanwhile our major competitor is caught in an endless grind of home and away.
I hope that helps dumbo!
bollox, Ive never stated them as fact, just what I would prefer to see. Thats the difference.Who said visionary? Everyone has their opinions, you had Perth, Adelaide and Christchurch as fact, said many time by your great man Politis, remember politis knows, can't be saying I said this or that when you said the same
It can diversify and extend it cleverly rather than just stay in the grind of home and away. You can’t expect any more from the players but you can maximise the content without doing so. Plenty of ways of doing that.Nrl isn’t adding teams to then end up with the same amount of content
Upset are we tiddles? Let me explain and I’ll type slowly just for you. The NFL has a short season ripe for extending. As noted in The article, and I’m assuming you can read, the NRL season is too long and congested. As the article implies you can hold a shorter season with 1 round or by other means, extend the international season and make SoO stand alone. That gives you the same amount of content at least, breaks the season into highlight chunks and helps us work in the women’s football as well more logically.
But back to step one. The NFL season is clearly too short and is ripe for natural expansion and growth.
Our season is too long. So we can be clever by manipulating the content.
Meanwhile our major competitor is caught in an endless grind of home and away.
I hope that helps dumbo!
The teams won’t allow their home games to be reduced by a 20 round comp. IMO it will be 2x conferences, you play all your conference twice and all the other conference once.
Feck me you are an idiot. Where did I say we offer less content? Point to the comment you first rate peanut. I said we diversify it. I said we do the sensible thing and make the game more appealing by growing alternative content to home and away.I don't disagree the season is too long.
However what TV network will pay for less dumbo?
NFL is looking at 20 weeks
NBA added an in season comp to get interest early in the year - A looking to expand
NHL - Added Seattle and Las Vegas. Looking to expand further
F1 is now up to a 24 race calendar was 20 pre covid.
1 week after the EPL finished teams were over here in friendly - purely for content
RU goes until Decemeber
Using the current rate of $15m a season club grants. 3 new teams is $45m a year across the 5 years means the grant for the 3 new teams alone starts at $225m.
Given that is half of the revenue. You are looking at $100m extra a year minimum to pay for it.
So how is NRL getting that by offering less content? Hence why the season is staying at where it is