BDGS
Bench
- Messages
- 4,102
Q: When will the NRL expansion take place?
A: I'd like to see the existing clubs and the existing players benefit from the new
television deal initially. We should be planning to have two new teams by 2015. The
lessons of the past are that you need a competitive team and thorough community
engagement for a new team to be successful, and that is an 18-month to two-year
exercise once the green light's given.
Q: There are the Brisbane Bombers, Central Queensland Bid, Ipswich, Perth, Central
Coast ... where will the expansion happen?
A: It's encouraging for the game that there are so many areas that want to be involved in
the competition. Establishing a successful club is about a lot more than colours and
logos. We would need to be convinced of a very robust business plan, a level of
engagement with the grassroots of the game and bringing something to the table that the
whole game will see value in. Each of the areas has pluses and minuses and they all
need to improve their current position before they would get serious consideration.
Q: Two teams in Brisbane has failed before as evidenced by the Crushers' demise in the
1990s. Are you confident Brisbane can now sustain two teams?A: I don't take much notice of what's happened in the past. Most of the game's
unsuccessful expansion was due to broader circumstances going on in the game at the
time rather than anything that particular teams did wrong. We'd be dealing with a clean
sheet of paper, and there's no doubt that the game in Queensland is in rude health. With
the growth of the population there, there's no doubt at some stage there'll be another
Queensland team.
Q: Are Gold Coast Titans' problems a concern when contemplating potential Queensland
expansion?
A: Yes, that is something to be a bit cautious about. It's an exercise in realising that
putting a football team into a competition needs to have long-term sustainability. I'm sure
the Titans have got that but it's a lesson in knowing that it can be a roller-coaster and that
you need to be ready for the low points as well as the high points.
Q: When will rugby league's new independent commission officially take charge of the
game?
A: There's definitely a fair bit of background work that needs to happen in terms of
establishing the new body and dissolving the old one, but that gives us an opportunity to
get the commissioners up to speed before the actual handover date, which I expect is
still a fair way to go.
Q: Commission chairman John Grant expects you to flourish in your role working with a
united board. How much better can you make the game under a unified body?
A: My initial discussions with John have been terrific. We both see the opportunity for the
game to have one board heading in a strategic direction across the whole game. We now
have eight very well credentialled commissioners. We've a broad range of experience
across business and sport. They will be in a position to provide meaningful and nonconflicted critique of the game's policies, and everyone should be excited about the
future.
Q: Talk of the new TV deal being worth $1.4 billion is already being hosed down. What's
a realistic figure?
A: We're not putting a specific number out in the market, but we are conscious of the
result that the AFL achieved and, coupling that with the outstanding results that rugby
league is producing, we've got every reason to be confident about the dollar value that
we will achieve. The game couldn't be better placed to do a terrific TV deal.
Q: Is there a chance of the NRL and State of Origin series being televised on different TV
stations?A: There's certainly the possibility the game could end up on different packages on
different networks, but we need to also be mindful of the value broadcasting exclusivity
will provide.
Q: What's your preference on when Origin matches should be played?
A: We need to address the problems of players being required to play two days after
Origin. That's highly unsatisfactory. At the same time, playing the game on a week night
gives us clear space, and allows us to maintain a heavy presence of rugby league over
as many weekends as possible during the year. Playing Origin on a Monday night is a
good compromise. It still gives the players and the coaches a lengthy preparation period.
Changes in Origin must take into account the workload that we're currently requiring of
our players, particularly the backup problem, which was highlighted this year when
Darren Lockyer was unavailable for two Broncos games in a row. That's not what we
want to see.
Q: Do you have much contact with AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou?
A: In recent years we've had some regular discussions around common issues such as
sports betting, anti-siphoning and alcohol sponsorship of sport, so we have had cause to
chat reasonably regularly. We have a good appreciation of each other's jobs, but at the
same time, they're our major competitor and we don't get too cosy
http://www.brisbanebombers.com.au/s... David Gallop Interview with Courier Mail.pdf
A: I'd like to see the existing clubs and the existing players benefit from the new
television deal initially. We should be planning to have two new teams by 2015. The
lessons of the past are that you need a competitive team and thorough community
engagement for a new team to be successful, and that is an 18-month to two-year
exercise once the green light's given.
Q: There are the Brisbane Bombers, Central Queensland Bid, Ipswich, Perth, Central
Coast ... where will the expansion happen?
A: It's encouraging for the game that there are so many areas that want to be involved in
the competition. Establishing a successful club is about a lot more than colours and
logos. We would need to be convinced of a very robust business plan, a level of
engagement with the grassroots of the game and bringing something to the table that the
whole game will see value in. Each of the areas has pluses and minuses and they all
need to improve their current position before they would get serious consideration.
Q: Two teams in Brisbane has failed before as evidenced by the Crushers' demise in the
1990s. Are you confident Brisbane can now sustain two teams?A: I don't take much notice of what's happened in the past. Most of the game's
unsuccessful expansion was due to broader circumstances going on in the game at the
time rather than anything that particular teams did wrong. We'd be dealing with a clean
sheet of paper, and there's no doubt that the game in Queensland is in rude health. With
the growth of the population there, there's no doubt at some stage there'll be another
Queensland team.
Q: Are Gold Coast Titans' problems a concern when contemplating potential Queensland
expansion?
A: Yes, that is something to be a bit cautious about. It's an exercise in realising that
putting a football team into a competition needs to have long-term sustainability. I'm sure
the Titans have got that but it's a lesson in knowing that it can be a roller-coaster and that
you need to be ready for the low points as well as the high points.
Q: When will rugby league's new independent commission officially take charge of the
game?
A: There's definitely a fair bit of background work that needs to happen in terms of
establishing the new body and dissolving the old one, but that gives us an opportunity to
get the commissioners up to speed before the actual handover date, which I expect is
still a fair way to go.
Q: Commission chairman John Grant expects you to flourish in your role working with a
united board. How much better can you make the game under a unified body?
A: My initial discussions with John have been terrific. We both see the opportunity for the
game to have one board heading in a strategic direction across the whole game. We now
have eight very well credentialled commissioners. We've a broad range of experience
across business and sport. They will be in a position to provide meaningful and nonconflicted critique of the game's policies, and everyone should be excited about the
future.
Q: Talk of the new TV deal being worth $1.4 billion is already being hosed down. What's
a realistic figure?
A: We're not putting a specific number out in the market, but we are conscious of the
result that the AFL achieved and, coupling that with the outstanding results that rugby
league is producing, we've got every reason to be confident about the dollar value that
we will achieve. The game couldn't be better placed to do a terrific TV deal.
Q: Is there a chance of the NRL and State of Origin series being televised on different TV
stations?A: There's certainly the possibility the game could end up on different packages on
different networks, but we need to also be mindful of the value broadcasting exclusivity
will provide.
Q: What's your preference on when Origin matches should be played?
A: We need to address the problems of players being required to play two days after
Origin. That's highly unsatisfactory. At the same time, playing the game on a week night
gives us clear space, and allows us to maintain a heavy presence of rugby league over
as many weekends as possible during the year. Playing Origin on a Monday night is a
good compromise. It still gives the players and the coaches a lengthy preparation period.
Changes in Origin must take into account the workload that we're currently requiring of
our players, particularly the backup problem, which was highlighted this year when
Darren Lockyer was unavailable for two Broncos games in a row. That's not what we
want to see.
Q: Do you have much contact with AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou?
A: In recent years we've had some regular discussions around common issues such as
sports betting, anti-siphoning and alcohol sponsorship of sport, so we have had cause to
chat reasonably regularly. We have a good appreciation of each other's jobs, but at the
same time, they're our major competitor and we don't get too cosy
http://www.brisbanebombers.com.au/s... David Gallop Interview with Courier Mail.pdf
