Busiest expansion news day i can remember..

[Stormy weather]

A 2nd Melbourne team would do that
Would create so much sponsorship money
Media money
Create a lot of attention
Both teams could Play a few games in Adelaide
Tasmania
Like storm used to
A league has 3 teams now
Create rivalry

Yeah the A league has 3 teams two of them played in the Grand Final and there were 11,000 empty seats in a 30,000 seat stadium.

Soccer also has a far stronger foundation in Melbourne than League does

 

[MugaB]

If it were me I'd base any pacific encompassing team out of Noumea

Somewhat centrally located and still close to aus, and a developed western city with no safety concerns, somewhere players would enjoy visiting, and would be enticed to move to, and actually a pacific island

It'd would also help grow the French game as a side benefit, and the aus gov funding can also be spun as a "sorry for the subs thing" to France lol

But rugba league will do what rugba league does, we probably will get a PNG side in the great Papua New Guinean city of Cairns

Australian govt will not fund a team that isn't based in Australia, so you can forget about a noumea based team, the caveat of having it based in Cairns is purely because PNG and some of the other pacific islands are 3rd world countries so if they want to fund this team, it needs to be based in Cairns... the only reason i think works is because its an hour flight to Port Moresby, aside from that, the athletes need to be in a safer environment that can't be guaranteed if they are in png, the one thing about this bid that i don't like is the pasifika angle, its fine if its just PNG with 8 home games, and Cairns get the remaining 4, but why bother hold games in the other pacific islands, another one of these new expansion sides based in NZ could do that (like the pasifica union team) better to be based in NZ/Auckland as a rival for the warriors, and let this cairns/png be its own thing for that far north region

 

[Stormy weather]

I don’t get the Pacifika concept, just because they spend the money on the Drua. The costs would be far less as the salary cap is half the NRL cap at best.

In union it’s about the international game so the Pacific teams are made to foster talent for the Islands national sides. So they don’t lose all the time to islanders who have taken the money to play elsewhere. This isn’t a problem in league, the Pacific Islands national sides are a lot stronger comparatively and are made up from guys who where born and raised outside of the islands

 

[Stormy weather]

Australian govt will not fund a team that isn't based in Australia, so you can forget about a noumea based team, the caveat of having it based in Cairns is purely because PNG and some of the other pacific islands are 3rd world countries so if they want to fund this team, it needs to be based in Cairns... the only reason i think works is because its an hour flight to Port Moresby, aside from that, the athletes need to be in a safer environment that can't be guaranteed if they are in png, the one thing about this bid that i don't like is the pasifika angle, its fine if its just PNG with 8 home games, and Cairns get the remaining 4, but why bother hold games in the other pacific islands, another one of these new expansion sides based in NZ could do that (like the pasifica union team) better to be based in NZ/Auckland as a rival for the warriors, and let this cairns/png be its own thing for that far north region

The Fijian Drua are funded by Pacific Sports Australia. They are based in Fiji, they were only in Aus due to covid

 

[The Penguin #6.]

Billy Moore front and centre

He`d still be yelling " Queenslander ".

 

[RL The greatest game]

Yet plenty seem to think having a NZ2 or Pacifika club playing at numerous venues (and even the Dolphins) is a recipe for success? So which is it GWS got it right playing in two cities or the model is stupid and NRL shouldnt follow it?

You forget to tell me how much money the Midgets get from Vicky Kicky house as they are not even treading water

 

[Colk]

Mongoose is ok he’s no Perth red that’s for sure

colk has been against png but seems to be warming to them now

I’d much prefer a Pacific side to be honest but if the Australian government etc want to fund this thing and pay upfront then sure let it rip

 

[greenBV4]

Australian govt will not fund a team that isn't based in Australia, so you can forget about a noumea based team, the caveat of having it based in Cairns is purely because PNG and some of the other pacific islands are 3rd world countries so if they want to fund this team, it needs to be based in Cairns... the only reason i think works is because its an hour flight to Port Moresby, aside from that, the athletes need to be in a safer environment that can't be guaranteed if they are in png, the one thing about this bid that i don't like is the pasifika angle, its fine if its just PNG with 8 home games, and Cairns get the remaining 4, but why bother hold games in the other pacific islands, another one of these new expansion sides based in NZ could do that (like the pasifica union team) better to be based in NZ/Auckland as a rival for the warriors, and let this cairns/png be its own thing for that far north region

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the whole point of foreign aid spending that it is spent outside of Australia

 

[blue bags]

He`d still be yelling " Queenslander ".

But fact is he nswelshman

 

[blue bags]

A league looking at a Canberra team. 2ND NZ team. Auckland.
2ND NRL Melbourne team. Stir The pot
Could be a game in Melbourne every weekend
Churning it over
All Games at Ami Park
Like Brisbane game every weekend
NRL event every weekend in both cities
Victorian government would love it
It's the sports capital of the world

 

[MugaB]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the whole point of foreign aid spending that it is spent outside of Australia

Yes but in this specific instance its about spending money for a team, for the areas far north and into png, yes foreign aid is foriegn aid, and it should go to wherever the govt feels it nessesary, but this is specific funding to sway politics for PNG in Australias favour, via basically bribing them with a fully fledged team in the NRL... we shouldn't be diluting it, its already a bit diluted by basing it in Cairns, but thats the price of admission, for a govt sponsored/funded team, which really is inconsequential, coz they might end up playing 10 games in port moresby, and a few in Cairns, like ive said its just a training base, my prediction is that Shane Flanagan ends up their coach

 

[blue bags]

2ND Melbourne team
Melbourne Bears

 

[Colk]

2ND Melbourne team
Melbourne Bears

Why the hell not. They are linked to everything else

 

[greenBV4]

Yes but in this specific instance its about spending money for a team, for the areas far north and into png, yes foreign aid is foriegn aid, and it should go to wherever the govt feels it nessesary, but this is specific funding to sway politics for PNG in Australias favour, via basically bribing them with a fully fledged team in the NRL... we shouldn't be diluting it, its already a bit diluted by basing it in Cairns, but thats the price of admission, for a govt sponsored/funded team, which really is inconsequential, coz they might end up playing 10 games in port moresby, and a few in Cairns, like ive said its just a training base, my prediction is that Shane Flanagan ends up their coach

Ideally you'd just keep the hunters qrl team going for now, as that already provides a direct pathway into Australian RL, and spend the gov money on actually improving the countries politics, infrastructure, and RL facilities in the hopes that one day soon the country could sustain a fully fledged professional side actually based there, send a few games and internationals there in the meantime

Albo mentioned last year during origin in (If I'm remembering correctly) Fiji that he'd like a pacific team in the NRL, now he just seems to be doubling down on that but has also thrown PNG into the same pot because why not (there's many reasons)

But if the govs going to pay then sure, let's have this finger in many pots team fully funded and see what happens, if the gov pulls funding hopefully the NRL decides to maintain ownership of the club throughout the experiment so it can look to relocate it after funding is pulled if necessary

 

[greenBV4]

A league looking at a Canberra team. 2ND NZ team. Auckland.
2ND NRL Melbourne team. Stir The pot
Could be a game in Melbourne every weekend
Churning it over
All Games at Ami Park
Like Brisbane game every weekend
NRL event every weekend in both cities
Victorian government would love it
It's the sports capital of the world

We should have atleast 1 team in every other major metro before doubling down in Melbourne

 

[greenBV4]

Why the hell not. They are linked to everything else

There's a mascot that the bears could change their logo to at this point and it rhymes with floors