Eels and Warriors bid for Pacific S12 team

[Southernsaint]

If ZANZAR were fair dinkum about Pacific Island rugby they'd subsidise home matches for them on the islands. I'd say that Fiji would be the most developed of the member "states" of a combined Pacific Island XV so you could start with them hosting the matches until such time as the venture has become successful.

I'm against two Super 12 teams sharing the same city when there's other places that could host a team.

Cheers,
Ben S.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

I still think Auckland has a special case to be able to host at least some of the matches as there are actually more islanders in Auckland than there are on any of the individual islands. Theyd be guarranteed a full house for the games and it would be the logical training base.

 

[..::ERIC::..]

Most of the players would come from Auckland anyway. I mean, most of the Samoan team is from Auckland, so having it based in Auckland would be cheaper for them. There were so many Auckland b and c team players at the world cup, they will only get better by playing Super 12 and since they are not good enough to make the Auckland NPC team, let alone the Blues just make a new PI team. Would PI players have to be in this team or would it be made of super 12 rejects like Smith, Bolavucu, etc..?

 

[southern warrior]

Yea but what about the settled super 12 players who arent based in Auckland like Seru Rabeni (plz dont take him away).

 

[Marcus]

West Sydney sounds real good. Sydney has got a huge islander population and a team would attract good crowds. The Warriors get good support when they are in sydney, and I can see them turning out for a rugby side.

Seems weird to place a pacific islands side in Australia, when they should really be based in Fiji. But commercial reasons would say it would be better off outside the pacific. Maybe SANZAR could schedule 2 home games in Suva, Fiji, and the rest in West Sydney. At least that way the pacific fans in Fiji can watch some of their own.

What about Auckland Marcus? It does just happen to have the largest single population of pacific islanders on the planet, don't they deserve to see their side more than once every two years?

How big is Auckland? 1million? In Sydney there are 4million, and half of them are in the west.

I think NZ has already got enough S12 sides considering its population.

 

[southern warrior]

In terms of 'rugby' teams i will use that term rugby loosley because for the sack of this statement it will cover anything that uses an oval shaped ball (afl,union and league)
australia has rougly 16 million people from last count and has about 30 professionl 'rugby' teams, while we have a population of roughly 4 million people having 6 professional 'rugby' teams.
So Australia has rougly half a million people per professional 'rugby' team.
Nz has just over 650 thousand people per professional rugby team.
So by looking at those stats you would say that we could host a team just as easily if not easier tan Australaia.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

In terms of 'rugby' teams i will use that term rugby loosley because for the sack of this statement it will cover anything that uses an oval shaped ball (afl,union and league)
australia has rougly 16 million people from last count and has about 30 professionl 'rugby' teams, while we have a population of roughly 4 million people having 6 professional 'rugby' teams.
So Australia has rougly half a million people per professional 'rugby' team.
Nz has just over 650 thousand people per professional rugby team.
So by looking at those stats you would say that we could host a team just as easily if not easier tan Australaia.

Also bear in mind the fact that the rugby codes (and teams with the exception of the Storm) in Australia are concentrated in NSW and Queensland (and especially in Sydney) then NZ definitely has far more population per team at this stage. Auckland has two teams for over a million people, Sydney has 11 teams in a city of 4 million, 12 if you count the Swans.

 

[Iafeta]

West Sydney sounds real good. Sydney has got a huge islander population and a team would attract good crowds. The Warriors get good support when they are in sydney, and I can see them turning out for a rugby side.

Seems weird to place a pacific islands side in Australia, when they should really be based in Fiji. But commercial reasons would say it would be better off outside the pacific. Maybe SANZAR could schedule 2 home games in Suva, Fiji, and the rest in West Sydney. At least that way the pacific fans in Fiji can watch some of their own.

What about Auckland Marcus? It does just happen to have the largest single population of pacific islanders on the planet, don't they deserve to see their side more than once every two years?

How big is Auckland? 1million? In Sydney there are 4million, and half of them are in the west.

I think NZ has already got enough S12 sides considering its population.

Where is the success stories of the Super 12? New Zealand. Where are the biggest fan followings for the Super 12? New Zealand.

You have to be in New Zealand to understand the fanaticism associated with the Super 12. I've lived in both countries, and nothing, but nothing comes close to the fanaticism in New Zealand for the Super 12. Australia's following of the Super 12 compared to New Zealand is like the Solomon Islands following of soccer compared to the Brazilians. In some respects, especially around finals, per person Super 12 is more high profile in New Zealand than Origin is to New South Wales and Queenslanders. No exaggeration.

Ericsson Stadium would certainly be the best home for a PI team. Whats more, it'd get a good set up. Cullen Sports has turned the Warriors from a bankrupt venture going horribly wrong into the only NRL team year in year out making a profit without a leagues clubs input.

The Auckland Blues are fine and all, but there are layers, amongst layers of players underneath that begging for a chance.

In some ways I hope it doesn't come to fruition from a selfish perspective, because the lack of a second team gives players more reason to switch to league and try out for the Warriors.

 

[iggy plop]

A lot of toffs have just been bred to put down anything to do with league, and always look down their nose at it.

A lot of Australians have been bred to love one code only and to put down anything to do with the others, often without any reference to the facts. ;-)

No. Union is a direct threat to league irrespective of what the "let's all get along" brigade think. O'Neil said it in his own words.

Couldn't imagine a toff union school allowing league to be played.

 

[Dean Moriarty]

A lot of toffs have just been bred to put down anything to do with league, and always look down their nose at it.

A lot of Australians have been bred to love one code only and to put down anything to do with the others, often without any reference to the facts. ;-)

No. Union is a direct threat to league irrespective of what the "let's all get along" brigade think. O'Neil said it in his own words.

Couldn't imagine a toff union school allowing league to be played.

LOL, so you say. No doubt Gallop would like to see union and AFL fall over too, and O'Neill in his new job would like to see union, league and AFL go down the tubes - it makes it very easy to run a code without any others around.

Doesn't mean that union is any real threat to league. Oh, I'm so scared, they took a few wingers to the Wallabies, and a couple of them are back already. :roll: Face facts, both codes will exist for the foreseeable future and people like you will tell me I'm selling out league by going to the occasional game of union and AFL. Well, boo hoo.

The biggest threat to league is its own incompetent management, not any other code.

 

[bayrep]

A lot of toffs have just been bred to put down anything to do with league, and always look down their nose at it.

A lot of Australians have been bred to love one code only and to put down anything to do with the others, often without any reference to the facts. ;-)

No. Union is a direct threat to league irrespective of what the "let's all get along" brigade think. O'Neil said it in his own words.

Couldn't imagine a toff union school allowing league to be played.

LOL, so you say. No doubt Gallop would like to see union and AFL fall over too, and O'Neill in his new job would like to see union, league and AFL go down the tubes - it makes it very easy to run a code without any others around.

Doesn't mean that union is any real threat to league. Oh, I'm so scared, they took a few wingers to the Wallabies, and a couple of them are back already. :roll: Face facts, both codes will exist for the foreseeable future and people like you will tell me I'm selling out league by going to the occasional game of union and AFL. Well, boo hoo.

The biggest threat to league is its own incompetent management, not any other code.

I agree DM.

 

[Thomas]

A lot of toffs have just been bred to put down anything to do with league, and always look down their nose at it.

A lot of Australians have been bred to love one code only and to put down anything to do with the others, often without any reference to the facts. ;-)

No. Union is a direct threat to league irrespective of what the "let's all get along" brigade think. O'Neil said it in his own words.

Couldn't imagine a toff union school allowing league to be played.

Well, you better close your eyes then because its happening. Many private schools are starting to pick up RL in Australia, especially here in Brisbane. And John O'Neill is just a businessman (are you forgetting he played league?) and now as soon to be CEO of Soccer Australia, so I dare say he'll want to see union and league fail.

Do you enjoy being bitter and twisted?

 

[bazza]

And John O'Neill is just a businessman (are you forgetting he played league?) and now as soon to be CEO of Soccer Australia,

When did he play league - when he was very young?

You aren't confusing him with former Souths, Manly and Australian great John O'Neill are you?

 

[Thomas]

Well done that man.....

Just testing your RL knowledge. A schooner of beer coming your way.

 

[ThrashViking]

Auckland?Noooooooo!
remember the years when the Blues & Warriors played like sh*t?who turned up to the games?
Sweet f*ck all!

 

[The Observer]

Perhaps the Eels and Warriors could show their interest in a S12 franchise by staging cross code games against the Waratahs and Blues respectively at their stadia?

 

[Mango]

O'Neil has a love of RUGBY and a contract to Soccer. He will assist the two world codes to supplant the domestic codes of Mungo Ball and Aerial ping pong with the GLOBAL CODES. Goodnight MUNGO BALLERS.

 

[Crusader]

How big is Auckland? 1million? In Sydney there are 4million, and half of them are in the west.

I think NZ has already got enough S12 sides considering its population.

Well Australia has just proved it doesn't give too much of a shit about S12, you can't even watch it on TV unless you're rich enough to afford cable.
It should be in NZ where it is appreciated and Auckland is perfect because most PI's if they're not living there at least have family there in most cases.