Expansion Team Names

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

Western Reds was probably the best name of all the expansion teams from 1995. It was Australian and represented the Red Kangaroo that is common out west. If Perth were to come back I would like to see them resurrect this brand or go with Quokkas. Pirates is trash.

Broncos is a shit brand and was hated by many people up here when the team was created. The bloke who created the club, Barry Maranta, wanted to name them the Kangaroos, but couldn't due to the national team having the name, so he went with Broncos as he was a Denver Broncos fan and it provided alliteration.

If it was alliteration they wanted then why didnt they go with Brumbies?

Bris - bane
Brum - bies

ACT RU learnt from Maranta's mistake and named their Super 12 team the Brumbies. It is one of the better brands in Australian sport.

I don't really see the point of a Brisbane team naming itself after wild horses. It's not like there are any running through the area. One animal you do see a lot of in Brisbane is the bluetongue skink. It's found everywhere. The team should have called itself the Brisbane Bluetongues. Every time a person sees one in their backyard it would remind them of the team. Great advertising and it's free.

Cowboys was in response to the Broncos and quite witty, but people didn't like it for the same reason. It was not part of our culture. We have stockmen. It would have been better to call them the Blue Heelers, which was bred in Queensland and is also known as the Queensland Heeler, or the Crocodiles. Both animals are icons of the north and Bluey is the mascot of the Cowboys.

Don't get me started on the shit that is Titans. Dumb name.

Hopefully Brisbane 2 can use something culturally relevant to the region.

 

[RoosTah]

Western Reds was probably the best name of all the expansion teams from 1995. It was Australian and represented the Red Kangaroo that is common out west. If Perth were to come back I would like to see them resurrect this brand or go with Quokkas. Pirates is trash.

Broncos is a shit brand and was hated by many people up here when the team was created. The bloke who created the club, Barry Maranta, wanted to name them the Kangaroos, but couldn't due to the national team having the name, so he went with Broncos as he was a Denver Broncos fan and it provided alliteration.

If it was alliteration they wanted then why didnt they go with Brumbies?

Bris - bane
Brum - bies

ACT RU learnt from Maranta's mistake and named their Super 12 team the Brumbies. It is one of the better brands in Australian sport.

I don't really see the point of a Brisbane team naming itself after wild horses. It's not like there are any running through the area. One animal you do see a lot of in Brisbane is the bluetongue skink. It's found everywhere. The team should have called itself the Brisbane Bluetongues. Every time a person sees one in their backyard it would remind them of the team. Great advertising and it's free.

Cowboys was in response to the Broncos and quite witty, but people didn't like it for the same reason. It was not part of our culture. We have stockmen. It would have been better to call them the Blue Heelers, which was bred in Queensland and is also known as the Queensland Heeler, or the Crocodiles. Both animals are icons of the north and Bluey is the mascot of the Cowboys.

Don't get me started on the shit that is Titans. Dumb name.

Hopefully Brisbane 2 can use something culturally relevant to the region.

Agree with all this. Never understood why every side in Queensland has been named after an NFL side when there's so many great alternatives with names that would have greater local significance. Brumbies, Stockman, Jackaroos etc would all have been better.

The Gold Coast is definitely harder to understand... how they came up with such a dreadful and hollow identity is beyond me, but having been to the GC a bunch, I also think that kinda fits perfectly lol.

 

[RoosTah]

One of the places that hasn't had many suggestions compared to others but in the grand scheme of things probably has a pretty good chance of being a thing one day is a second Melbourne team

Its harder than others because theres not really as much inpiration to draw from, and you would have to avoid any AFL related names

Here's some Ive thought of if anyone wants to add to or discuss:

Melbourne Bushrangers / Victorian Bushrangers - its been brought up in this thread before
Melbourne Spartans - close to the Titans but makes sense with the big greek population
Port Phillip Penguins - Aliteration, geographical name, local animal
Melbourne Maverics - Original name of the Storm
Melbourne Monarchs - Aliteration
Melbourne Possums - State fauna of Victoria
Melbourne Lead Beaters - its actually the leadbeaters possum
Melbourne Miners - Aliteration, gold themed for the gold rush, gold is the state mineral

I think Victoria definitely needs another team at some point, but for us to get to that point, the Storm need to be sourcing their juniors primarily from Victorian feeder clubs. Even then, I wonder if it should be a second Melbourne side or one based in Geelong.

 

[blue bags]

I think Victoria definitely needs another team at some point, but for us to get to that point, the Storm need to be sourcing their juniors primarily from Victorian feeder clubs. Even then, I wonder if it should be a second Melbourne side or one based in Geelong.

be careful not a broncos headcase

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

Agree with all this. Never understood why every side in Queensland has been named after an NFL side when there's so many great alternatives with names that would have greater local significance. Brumbies, Stockman, Jackaroos etc would all have been better.

The Gold Coast is definitely harder to understand... how they came up with such a dreadful and hollow identity is beyond me, but having been to the GC a bunch, I also think that kinda fits perfectly lol.

American rugby league seems to care more about Australian culture than the big suits in our game.

There's a team in New York called White Plains Wombats.

https://usarl.org/rugby-clubs/white-plains-wombats/

When people think of Australia the first thing that comes to their mind is our unique animals. People travel from all over the world to see our amazing wildlife. Our teams would stand out more to foreigners if they named themselves after marsupials, monotremes, kookaburras, dugongs, cassowaries and emus.

Canadian football teams acknowledge their culture. They use names like Alouettes, Redblacks, Eskimos, and Roughriders. Argonauts is of Greek mythology, but the football team was created by the rowing club in the city that used that name.

 

[axl rose]

Agree with all this. Never understood why every side in Queensland has been named after an NFL side when there's so many great alternatives with names that would have greater local significance. Brumbies, Stockman, Jackaroos etc would all have been better.

The Gold Coast is definitely harder to understand... how they came up with such a dreadful and hollow identity is beyond me, but having been to the GC a bunch, I also think that kinda fits perfectly lol.

Brumbies missed the cut on Brisbane's shortlist. As for the (meh) Titans name. Id say it had something to do with a 90s movie. (Remember the Titans) and they let fans pick it in a fan poll. Obviously Dolphins was much preferred.

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

Brumbies missed the cut on Brisbane's shortlist. As for the (meh) Titans name. Id say it had something to do with a 90s movie. (Remember the Titans) and they let fans pick it in a fan poll. Obviously Dolphins was much preferred.

I don't know for sure, but I've always suspected they went with the Titan in armour because the old representative side for the area in the Statewide League was the Gold Coast Vikings, and used a similar looking logo.



I reckon they would have been better using the Diehards brand as there was a history between the Gold Coast and Fortitude Valley. In 1988 and 1989 the Fortitude Valley Diehards merged with Tweed Heads Seagulls to become the Seagulls-Diehards.

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

I think Victoria definitely needs another team at some point, but for us to get to that point, the Storm need to be sourcing their juniors primarily from Victorian feeder clubs. Even then, I wonder if it should be a second Melbourne side or one based in Geelong.

Media analyst Colin Smith said Melbourne 2 would add value to the NRL. I think he said the priorities for expansion, in order, should be Brisbane 2, NZ 2, Brisbane 3, Melbourne 2 and PNG.

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/v-...le-for-broadcast-dollars-20190915-p52rgu.html

17th. Bris 2
18th. NZ 2
19th. Bris 3
20th. Mel 2 or PNG.

I cannot see Melbourne 2 being viable any time soon. If it cost $101,500,000 to keep the Storm afloat from 1998-2018, it would cost at least double that for Melbourne 2, especially when you add inflation into the mix. I don't know if the Storm could survive with another team in town competing with them for fans and corporate support. Maybe in 20 or 30 years, but not now.

 

[The Great Dane]

Brumbies missed the cut on Brisbane's shortlist. As for the (meh) Titans name. Id say it had something to do with a 90s movie. (Remember the Titans) and they let fans pick it in a fan poll. Obviously Dolphins was much preferred.

The story goes that Michael Searle liked Remember the Titans so much that he named the team after the Titans, and that the fan poll was a sham that they used as a marketing tool and as an opportunity to try to legitimise the name.

I don't know whether or not the story is actually true, but that's the story that's gone around since the Titan's early years.

 

[The Great Dane]

I don't know for sure, but I've always suspected they went with the Titan in armour because the old representative side for the area in the Statewide League was the Gold Coast Vikings, and used a similar looking logo.

View attachment 40140

I reckon they would have been better using the Diehards brand as there was a history between the Gold Coast and Fortitude Valley. In 1988 and 1989 the Fortitude Valley Diehards merged with Tweed Heads Seagulls to become the Seagulls-Diehards.

View attachment 40141 View attachment 40142

I'm sure the Diehards would have loved a big cashed up NRL club trying to steal their brand, they would have made a fortune when they sued the shit out of them lol.

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

I'm sure the Diehards would have loved a big cashed up NRL club trying to steal their brand, they would have made a fortune when they sued the shit out of them lol.

Were the Diehards even a registered club at the time?

If my memory is correct the club was wound up at the end of 1995 and didn't begin fielding senior teams in the second division and relaunched BRL until a few years ago.

Even if the brand was owned by some one, an agreement could have been worked out. It had been done in 1988,89 when Fortitude Valley Diehards and Tweed Heads Seagulls merged.



The Seagulls-Diehards won the BRL in the two seasons they competed in it.

EDIT.

I WAS RIGHT!

Is there anything you don't get wrong?

"https://www.valleysdiehards.com/return-of-the-diehards

THE FORTITUDE VALLEY DIEHARDS

ICONIC BRISBANE RUGBY LEAGUE CLUB

ESTABLISHED IN 1908

24 PREMIERSHIPS

RUGBY LEAGUE KINGS

BY 1996 THE CLUB WAS DEAD AND BURIED

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN THE CLUB YOU LOVE IS TAKEN AWAY FROM YOU?

YOU BUILD IT AGAIN

THIS IS A RUGBY LEAGUE COMEBACK STORY

This documentary debut from Anthony O'Brien traces the history of one of Rugby League's most famous clubs. Featuring Rugby League historian Steve Haddan and a host of Valleys legends as they tell the story of the club's glittering history through to its tragic demise in 1995. Set against the backdrop of the club's long road to resurrection in 2015 and its fly on the wall tilt at the 2017 BRL Premiership.

RETURN OF THE DIEHARDS is a comeback story that will resonate with all sports lovers."​

 

[mongoose]

Media analyst Colin Smith said Melbourne 2 would add value to the NRL. I think he said the priorities for expansion, in order, should be Brisbane 2, NZ 2, Brisbane 3, Melbourne 2 and PNG.

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/v-...le-for-broadcast-dollars-20190915-p52rgu.html

17th. Bris 2
18th. NZ 2
19th. Bris 3
20th. Mel 2 or PNG.

I cannot see Melbourne 2 being viable any time soon. If it cost $101,500,000 to keep the Storm afloat from 1998-2018, it would cost at least double that for Melbourne 2, especially when you add inflation into the mix. I don't know if the Storm could survive with another team in town competing with them for fans and corporate support. Maybe in 20 or 30 years, but not now.

That fact he has prioritised PNG to me says he's a clown who doesn't know what he's talking about.

 

[Foreign Legion]

Seagulls diehards that's the world's worst nastiest merger of all time

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

That fact he has prioritised PNG to me says he's a clown who doesn't know what he's talking about.

The country has around 10 million people and is RL mad. It is getting more industrialised each year. In 20 or 30 years it might be developed enough to sustain an NRL club of its own.

 

[The Great Dane]

Were the Diehards even a registered club at the time?

If my memory is correct the club was wound up at the end of 1995 and didn't begin fielding senior teams in the second division and relaunched BRL until a few years ago.

Even if the brand was owned by some one, an agreement could have been worked out. It had been done in 1988,89 when Fortitude Valley Diehards and Tweed Heads Seagulls merged.

View attachment 40145

The Seagulls-Diehards won the BRL in the two seasons they competed in it.

EDIT.

I WAS RIGHT!

Is there anything you don't get wrong?

"https://www.valleysdiehards.com/return-of-the-diehards

THE FORTITUDE VALLEY DIEHARDS

ICONIC BRISBANE RUGBY LEAGUE CLUB

ESTABLISHED IN 1908

24 PREMIERSHIPS

RUGBY LEAGUE KINGS

BY 1996 THE CLUB WAS DEAD AND BURIED

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN THE CLUB YOU LOVE IS TAKEN AWAY FROM YOU?

YOU BUILD IT AGAIN

THIS IS A RUGBY LEAGUE COMEBACK STORY

This documentary debut from Anthony O'Brien traces the history of one of Rugby League's most famous clubs. Featuring Rugby League historian Steve Haddan and a host of Valleys legends as they tell the story of the club's glittering history through to its tragic demise in 1995. Set against the backdrop of the club's long road to resurrection in 2015 and its fly on the wall tilt at the 2017 BRL Premiership.

RETURN OF THE DIEHARDS is a comeback story that will resonate with all sports lovers."​

If you honestly believe that the owners of the Diehards IP wouldn't have either held the Titans up for a big payday (assuming the brand was for sale at all) or sued the shit out of them if they used it without permission, then you may be the most incredibly naive person on the planet.

I doubt their was much interest or value in having the Diehards brand on the GC anyway, there's a more than good chance that they would have been seen as blow-ins from Brisbane instead of a legitimate GC club.

BTW, how was I "wrong" about the Diehards folding in 90s when I've never suggested otherwise lol.

 

[The Great Dane]

The country has around 10 million people and is RL mad. It is getting more industrialised each year. In 20 or 30 years it might be developed enough to sustain an NRL club of its own.

9 million people about 40% of which are under the poverty line, and the vast majority of the rest which couldn't afford the average cost of a ticket, let alone anything else, on a regular basis... It's also not a very valuable TV market compared to others, and once you add extra security and travel costs on top of everything else it'd probably be one of the most expensive clubs to run in the competition.

If in the future it becomes more viable then we'll talk about it then, but until such a time it's a fanciful pipe dream.

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

If you honestly believe that the owners of the Diehards IP wouldn't have either held the Titans up for a big payday (assuming the brand was for sale at all) or sued the shit out of them if they used it without permission, then you may be the most incredibly naive person on the planet.

Did they still own the rights or were they bankrupt?

Paul Heyman couldn't sue Vince McMahon for relaunching the ECW brand as he acquired the rights to it from bankruptcy court in 2001.

I doubt their was much interest or value in having the Diehards brand on the GC anyway, there's a more than good chance that they would have been seen as blow-ins from Brisbane instead of a legitimate GC club.

Your doubt ain't worth a grain of salt considering you didn't even know the club was dead at the time of the Titans' creation.

It's widely known up here that the Diehards are Queensland's most famous club.

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

9 million people about 40% of which are under the poverty line, and the vast majority of the rest which couldn't afford the average cost of a ticket, let alone anything else, on a regular basis... It's also not a very valuable TV market compared to others, and once you add extra security and travel costs on top of everything else it'd probably be one of the most expensive clubs to run in the competition.

If in the future it becomes more viable then we'll talk about it then, but until such a time it's a fanciful pipe dream.

Does that mean you'll stop all of this BS talk about expanding into Adelaide and Perth, as it is financially unviable and nothing more than a fanciful pipe dream?

PVL ruled it out for a start.

An ARL Commissioner said it will cost $200 million to get a Perth team into the NRL. Twiggy Forrest is the only bloke with that sort of money and he ain't interested.

NZ ain't a very valuable TV market either. Neither is Perth or Adelaide. Ch9 and Foxtel don't want a team in Perth or Adelaide.

A PNG team would have no trouble attracting 15,000 paying fans to each home game. Not everyone in the country is poor. When the PNG Hunters entered the Queensland Cup many Papuans flew into Queensland to watch them play. I spoke to a few of them at Kougari Oval. The game was full of Papuans in the crowd and there was standing room only.

 

[mongoose]

Does that mean you'll stop all of this BS talk about expanding into Adelaide and Perth, as it is financially unviable and nothing more than a fanciful pipe dream?

PVL ruled it out for a start.

An ARL Commissioner said it will cost $200 million to get a Perth team into the NRL. Twiggy Forrest is the only bloke with that sort of money and he ain't interested.

NZ ain't a very valuable TV market either. Neither is Perth or Adelaide. Ch9 and Foxtel don't want a team in Perth or Adelaide.

A PNG team would have no trouble attracting 15,000 paying fans to each home game. Not everyone in the country is poor. When the PNG Hunters entered the Queensland Cup many Papuans flew into Queensland to watch them play. I spoke to a few of them at Kougari Oval. The game was full of Papuans in the crowd and there was standing room only.

Perth and Adelaide isn't unviable though, you still have no basis for such a claim. PNG is a third world country that would be a massive drain on the rest of the NRL. There is no income in that country to go towards a professional sports team playing in an Australian competition. Unless there is a class of rich people who all love League but I somehow doubt that. I would like to see a plan of how they think it would work though.

 

[The Great Dane]

Did they still own the rights or were they bankrupt?

Paul Heyman couldn't sue Vince McMahon for relaunching the ECW brand as he acquired the rights to it from bankruptcy court in 2001.

I don't really know anything about the specific case that you are talking about, however going from your description I'd bet you anything that what happened was that when ECW went bankrupt it's assets were sold off to pay off as much of their debt as possible and that Vince McMahon bought those assets.

You've also got to keep in mind that this is professional wrestling that you are talking about, and you may be confusing a kayfabe story line with what actually happened in real life.

Your doubt ain't worth a grain of salt considering you didn't even know the club was dead at the time of the Titans' creation.

It's widely known up here that the Diehards are Queensland's most famous club.

You can keep cutting the part of my post where I say this, but I knew that the Diehards folded in 90s and never once have I suggested that they didn't fold in the 90s lol.

I honestly don't know why you keep saying that I didn't know it either lol.