Building the next NZ team

[Canard]

Samoa vs Tonga is the only representative fixture outside of Origin that can be marketable. We need it to work.

What???

Aus V NZ?

Aus v England?

NZ v England?

Are you cooked?

 

[Matua]

Samoa vs Tonga is the only representative fixture outside of Origin that can be marketable. We need it to work.

So where does that leave NZ considering this is a thread about NZ?

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

So where does that leave NZ considering this is a thread about NZ?

It makes rugby league stronger amongst New Zealand's Tongan and Samoan community. It's the last thing the NZRU wants to see.

 

[Matiunz]

It makes rugby league stronger amongst New Zealand's Tongan and Samoan community. It's the last thing the NZRU wants to see.

Assuming it’s outside of Auckland NZ2 won’t have a massive enough impact on PI players any more than it already does, you’re talking around 3% mark in the south. Samoan and Tongan rugby in particular aren’t very strong at the moment compared to where they have been, they’re far more heavily reliant on NZR to develop their players than the reverse.
From the outside there’s a bit of a habit of seeing a PI surname and assuming they’re not a NZer it’s similar to seeing a Surname of “Smith” and assuming they’re British

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

Assuming it’s outside of Auckland NZ2 won’t have a massive enough impact on PI players any more than it already does, you’re talking around 3% mark in the south. Samoan and Tongan rugby in particular aren’t very strong at the moment compared to where they have been, they’re far more heavily reliant on NZR to develop their players than the reverse.
From the outside there’s a bit of a habit of seeing a PI surname and assuming they’re not a NZer it’s similar to seeing a Surname of “Smith” and assuming they’re British

I believe there's a good chance of rugby league becoming the preferred game among New Zealand's Samoan and Tongan community. A yearly Isle of Origin series between Samoa and Tonga can become the most culturally important sporting event for the Samoan and Tongan diaspora. We've seen how much pride Samoans and Tongans have for their country when this game is played. Over here in Logan there's a house on Kingston Road with a massive Samoan RLWC flag. If we had an annual series between these two nations then you would see flags like this flying all over Logan, western Sydney New Zealand. The game can make good coin on the back of this amazing rivalry.

 

[Canard]

There's one house with a Flag on it in Logan.

Well strike me down.

A yearly Isle of Origin series? How about this one instead? Tonga play Samoa in RL international? Radical I know.

Tonga's population is 100k, Samoa is 220k.

Newcastle alone is a bigger market then these two sides.

As evidenced by the small, yet passionate crowds, there recent Test matches have shown.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

The Tongan and Samoan populations in Auckland and Sydney are significantly larger than those in the islands themselves, and have been for decades.

 

[Canard]

The Tongan and Samoan populations in Auckland and Sydney are significantly larger than those in the islands themselves, and have been for decades.

Agreed.

I think we are forgetting that Tonga has played Samoa in regular Test matches in Australia and New Zealand fairly frequently recently. The crowds have been fine.

Slapping the brand Origin on it, doesn't suddenly make it some huge money spinner.

And to say it's the biggest rep fixture outside of Origin is laughable.

As great as the series have been recently, it's never going to have mass market appeal to the Australian sporting audience, and will therefore never be valuable as a TV product.

 

[Matua]

It makes rugby league stronger amongst New Zealand's Tongan and Samoan community. It's the last thing the NZRU wants to see.

Which doesn't answer my question at all.

Also, you're making assumptions that might not play out as you expect. Yes, there are a high number of PIs that play league in NZ as a proportion of league players in NZ, but there's also a high number that play rugby. Essentially a high proportion of a total 25k play league, but also a high proportion of 130k plus play rugby.

 

[İzmir Zaferi]

What about a Southern team that is framed a little differently.

5 games - Wellington
5 games - Christchurch
1 game - Dunedin
1 game - Nelson

HOWEVER... my little controversial part.

Base the training base in Nelson.

A smaller region is likely cheaper for relocation. You could attract investment from the entire south and incentivise investment from the Nelson region as well. It may also help to ensure neither Christchurch or Wellington see the team as 'that other cities side, not really ours'. It could become a truly regional Southern side 'against' that team above the Bombays.

This would require 'buy in' from the local competitions / RL powers to atleast publically align with the NRL side. Like the Victorian Rugby League (Victorian Storm Premiership) This may mean playing an NRL side branded competition, every junior side bearing the logo in some way.

Additionally, I would ensure there was clear development of a pathway from each of these locations directly into "Southern..."

Christchurch // Wellington // Nelson and Dunedin would be favoured as locations for a national feeder system / competition into Southern (with other Northern sides feeding into the Warriors)

 

[jim_57]

A smaller region is likely cheaper for relocation. You could attract investment from the entire south and incentivise investment from the Nelson region as well. It may also help to ensure neither Christchurch or Wellington see the team as 'that other cities side, not really ours'. It could become a truly regional Southern side 'against' that team above the Bombays.

What are the transport links from Nelson to those places and Australia like though? I don’t imagine they’re great so it would probably be more expensive to operate out of there.

Also not a fan of split sides, at least not to that measure. Christchurch with a game or 2 elsewhere would be fine but I’m a big believer in every club playing at last 9-10 games at a majority venue. Both Christchurch & Wellington should have a team eventually.

 

[Canard]

What is with LUs obsession with a team playing in multiple cities?

Do they see the Wests Tigers and say, that didn't work, so I'd like to see not work on an even bigger scale.

 

[Matua]

What are the transport links from Nelson to those places and Australia like though? I don’t imagine they’re great so it would probably be more expensive to operate out of there.

Also not a fan of split sides, at least not to that measure. Christchurch with a game or 2 elsewhere would be fine but I’m a big believer in every club playing at last 9-10 games at a majority venue. Both Christchurch & Wellington should have a team eventually.

Yeah, they'd have to fly to Welly or Chch (or ferry or bus) before heading over to Oz.

I'm not even sure they could get a direct flight for an Auckland match.

 

[Perth Red]

What is with LUs obsession with a team playing in multiple cities?

Do they see the Wests Tigers and say, that didn't work, so I'd like to see not work on an even bigger scale.

its people wanting their cake and to eat it as well. They think one club can cover numerous cities.
Clubs have shown you can build a big national fanbase without taking lots of games on the road.
If commercially it makes sense and there is a suitable venue then that is up to the club, but the idea a club can play in numerous locations regularly doesnt hold much water. Like you said Tigers have less than 10k paying members! Its not exactly a tried and tested model.

 

[jim_57]

What is with LUs obsession with a team playing in multiple cities?

Do they see the Wests Tigers and say, that didn't work, so I'd like to see not work on an even bigger scale.

Doubt the NRL would ever do it but it should be a rule that each club has to pick a venue for the majority of their games. I’d say at least 9 at one venue for Sydney teams and at least 10 at one venue for non-Sydney teams. Mergers included.

We’ve got the long awaited ‘Brisbane 2’ playing only 8 games at Suncorp and 3 games at a 10k park footy ground in just their second year. The Tigers last year played at 6 different home venues with a maximum of 3 at one venue.

Situations like this would be stopped if there was a rule to enforce it, it would also force Dragons & Tigers to finally pick a place to call home.

 

[Perth Red]

Doubt the NRL would ever do it but it should be a rule that each club has to pick a venue for the majority of their games. I’d say at least 9 at one venue for Sydney teams and at least 10 at one venue for non-Sydney teams. Mergers included.

We’ve got the long awaited ‘Brisbane 2’ playing only 8 games at Suncorp and 3 games at a 10k park footy ground in just their second year. The Tigers last year played at 6 different home venues with a maximum of 3 at one venue.

Situations like this would be stopped if there was a rule to enforce it, it would also force Dragons & Tigers to finally pick a place to call home.

It would also allow the NRL/clubs to get much more creative and selling memberships, especially out of town ones.
EG Souths could be selling a Brisbane membership with 2 games at Suncorp if they were playing Dolphins there.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

What are the transport links from Nelson to those places and Australia like though? I don’t imagine they’re great so it would probably be more expensive to operate out of there.

Also not a fan of split sides, at least not to that measure. Christchurch with a game or 2 elsewhere would be fine but I’m a big believer in every club playing at last 9-10 games at a majority venue. Both Christchurch & Wellington should have a team eventually.

You’d have to take a short flight to Wellington, Auckland or or Christchurch then a trans Tasman flight.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Yeah, they'd have to fly to Welly or Chch (or ferry or bus) before heading over to Oz.

I'm not even sure they could get a direct flight for an Auckland match.

No problems on that count, there’s regular flights to Auckland departing every hour or so.

 

[Matua]

No problems on that count, there’s regular flights to Auckland departing every hour or so.

Sweet, I don't know what services are found in the ungodly Tasman region.

 

[Perth Red]

Millionaire players wont want to live in a little town of 50k people lol.
It'll be hard enough getting them to choose Christchurch over Auckland I suspect.