Conferences

[Springs]

The travel issue would be worse for Newcastle and Canberra more specifically. They would be forced to play at every single venue outside of NSW under that scenario when they dont currently. A 1.5-2.5 hour bus ride is preferable to the 4-5 hour plane trips for the east coast (travel to and from the airport inclusive) and the 6-8 hour ones to the West coast and NZ.

The difference in that scenario to the current draw is much bigger than you are surmising

So they would have as much travel as the other non-Sydney clubs. Why is this a problem? Do Newcastle and Canberra deserve to have less travel than other non-Sydney teams just because they are in NSW?

And they would not have to play at every single venue outside NSW, they would only have to play the 4 in their group.

Anyway as I said it's preferable that Newcastle is in the NSW conference at the expense of a Sydney side.

 

[Joker's Wild]

4? There are 10 teams in that non-Sydney group.

 

[joshreading]

Canberra and Newcastle have these nifty things call airports. 1.5 hrs to Brisbane or GC, 40 mins to Melbourne. I am sure they can handle it. The second half of the season (in my proposal) travel would also be entirely to Sydney.

 

[Hello, I'm The Doctor]

Travel, in a national competition, is just a fact they not only have to deal with, but are dealing with already.

The point of these conference systems proposed is to keep the end of season interesting when their are 20 teams competing.

 

[docbrown]

The point of these conference systems proposed is to keep the end of season interesting when their are 20 teams competing.

Yes travel is a minor issue, next to nothing really.

I would argue though that what we really need are divisions based on geographic rivalries though, rather that just splitting the comp in two randomly/or evenly.

With 20 clubs you play entire league once for 19 games.
With divisions of 4-5 teams that adds up to 22-23 games total.

To bring it back up to 24 games I'd argue that no matter how divisions are constructed there will still be matches that fall outside the divisional rivalries that are still worthwhile playing twice a season. That would account for the final 1-2 games. This would ensure that all the main rivalries in the comp are played twice a season.

 

[Joker's Wild]

Canberra and Newcastle have these nifty things call airports. 1.5 hrs to Brisbane or GC, 40 mins to Melbourne. I am sure they can handle it. The second half of the season (in my proposal) travel would also be entirely to Sydney.

Anyone who has traveled anywhere by plane knows that flight time is only part of the component. Travel to and from the airport, checking in, waiting to board, delays, etc. Makes a 1hour flight into a 4-6 hour trip. Hardly the same as a 1-2 hour bus ride down the F3/up the Hume

 

[joshreading]

Rubbish I fly a fair bit with work. I dont get paid hundreds of thousands and I can handle it. Such travel is not difficult at all. I can be at the airport in canberra at 6am and at a meeting in Melbourne by 9ish

 

[joshreading]

The travel excuse is lame for modern professional football. Long flights may be an occasional issue but fremantle/west coast etc in other sports handle it and are successful

 

[Joker's Wild]

My original point is the existing clubs wont stand for such an obvious disadvantage being forced on them. New clubs coming in with the disadvantage inbuilt are a different story all together

And your little flight story proves my point. The 1hr flight from Canberra to Melbourne becomes a 4 hour trip in total (6am to 9am)

 

[goodplayer]

we had 22 teams before. lets do it again lol

 

[CC_Roosters]

I'm in favor of Conferences in the nrl and I think it can work well with expansion and existing clubs. I don't think it is essential or desirable for every single Sydney club to play each other h&a, the rivalries in many of the potential fixtures just aren't there and will not magically create larger crowds for say Penrith v cronulla. For that reason and the unfair travel burden I would never have a Sydney conference.

 

[Perth Red]

The travel excuse is lame for modern professional football. Long flights may be an occasional issue but fremantle/west coast etc in other sports handle it and are successful

True, all of the perth teams have massive travel but have been successful, except the farce. Our netball team has numerous trips to NZ every season!

 

[BuffaloRules]

If there were two NZ teams, surely it's fair for Perth to only travel there once a year though?

Mammoth trip and about 5 time zones difference...

 

[Loose Cannon]

I'm in favor of Conferences in the nrl and I think it can work well with expansion and existing clubs. I don't think it is essential or desirable for every single Sydney club to play each other h&a, the rivalries in many of the potential fixtures just aren't there and will not magically create larger crowds for say Penrith v cronulla. For that reason and the unfair travel burden I would never have a Sydney conference.

I agree. Not sure why a Sydney conference is even being suggested. Manly v Penrith, for example has less significance than Manly v Melbourne. Split the 9 Sydney teams and Newcastle, giving 5 in each conference and 3 x Queensland to one side, and Canberra, Melbourne and Auckland to the other. That leaves most likely Brisbane 2 and Perth to be added to the respective "North/South" conferences.

And further down the track the same applies to Queensland 5, PNG in the North conference, and NZ2, Adelaide in the South conference. Of course some Sydney teams may not survive long term, so give them a chance to relocate where a team is required to balance the conferences.

 

[BuffaloRules]

In a hypothetical 18 team comp, you would need more than two conferences, given say a 22 games per team comp..

I would suggest 3 conferences of 6....

Play all the orher 17 teams once and the other 5 teams in your conference twice...

If the comp goes to 20 teams, then have 5 conferences of 4 teams - all 19 + other 3 teams twice...

In this case it would make sense lining up say Wests, Penrith, Canterbury and Parra together.

Probably have Cronulla, St George, Roosters and Souths together as well.

 

[Loose Cannon]

I like the multi conference idea. If the scheduling allowed intra conference games only in the last rounds of the comp it could create interest in games between lowly ranked sides. Each conference of 4 teams could have a sub parallel competition for minor prize. For example, despite missing the 8, a team may have the most success against its conference rivals, leading to being Conference A champs for the year and resultant cash prize. Just a way too combat "dead rubber syndrome".

 

[eozsmiles]

Rubbish I fly a fair bit with work. I dont get paid hundreds of thousands and I can handle it. Such travel is not difficult at all. I can be at the airport in canberra at 6am and at a meeting in Melbourne by 9ish

But a sportsman can't, at least not one that is meant to perform at a level high enough to get a couple of million people to switch on the TV. Big teams around the world have their own planes and buses so they can control travel times, don't deal with cramped seating, they can start rehab/injury treatment immediately. They spend a stack of money reducing all the travel related factors that impede performance. And that's money NRL clubs don't have.

Apparently that's not the main issue anyway. According to studies, time spent away from home kills them. Some people have no problem working away from home, but some people can't handle it. I think it's a bit soft but there is plenty of evidence to say that some people just can't handle it as well others. And if that is true, we don't need to disadvantage those clubs any further.


---Just on what other people have mentioned about the West Coast teams doing ok in other sports, there is difference on the body clock between flying east/west or west/east. Can't remember which one is better in the southern hemisphere. Still doesn't deal with the home sickness issue though.

 

[Perth Red]

I dont think we need conferences until we get to 20-22 teams which at the rate expansion in RL is happening wont be for decades. If the NRL and the game were far more adventurous we would see a 4 team expansion of perth, bris2, wellington and png and a19 game season with an expanded world club cup a world nines and a proper test program.

 

[applesauce]

I would simply prefer divisions that determine the finalists i.e. 4 divisions of 4, 1st in each division (no matter the record) into the top 8, then the next 4 best records advance to the current finals format.

 

[Perth Red]

Problem with that, likes happen in NFL some years, you get weak team in playoffs and great teams missing out depending on the strength of your conference.