hang me for saying this but the NRL needs to go national or go down the drain

[gregstar]

My only worry with the second qld side would be the support. Perhaps it would be a good idea to build it using the foundation of one of the stronger QLD Cup sides... or are there enough people in Brisbane who hate the Broncos to make it work?

unless i'm mistaken brissy has almost 2 million citizens. it is on track to surpass melbourne's population within a few years. part of the equation is capturing the support of those who dislike the broncos - but the number one priority is providing the second biggest rugby league market with a game to attend every weekend.

 

[LESStar58]

Give the Titans timne to get competitive on and off fireld.

Build on the success the code is having in Melbourne ATM.

Once those 2 things are sustainable....look at Perth and the CC.

I'm more for expansion than reloaction. Enough heartache has been caused by teams having to merge or die.

 

[LESStar58]

Adelaide was essentially admitted to SL in 97 as that was the spiritual home of News Limited.

I like the idea of 20 teams. As I said, Perth and Central Coast next. Then wait it out another 5 years and admit Wellington.... to even things up I'd consider Adelaide but signs don't look good based on the Penrith vs Melbourne game in round 5.

 

[Noa]

Jeez some people are melo-dramtic. After all leauge's been through over the last decade but is now thriving dose any-one really think whether we are a national (and I hope and am sure we will) or not will spell the end of Rubgy League. NO.

In fact the current state of the game despite evreything it's been through should serve as warning to other codes that the next 10 year's are going to be very fruitful for RL.

 

[ShadesOfTheSun]

Adelaide isn't a sound financial proposition. Population wise, it's smaller than a large number of the Sydney areas currently represented by NRL clubs, and there is little or no prospect for any substantial growth in the near future. More, league has no profile there whatsoever, and AFL is extremely firmly entrenched. It just wouldn't be sensible from an economic perspective to move an existing club there - it'd spell a short term financial slump for the club, and would yield little possibility of long term gain.

Perth is more sensible, given the growth it has been experiencing, but AFL is very firmly entrenched, due in part to the aggressive marketing of the AFL and to the success of the West Coast Eagles and Freemantle Dockers. League would find it very difficult to gain ground, particularly at this stage in time with WC and Freemantle both highly competitive.

 

[Bobby DIGital]

I can't stand it when I start talking to someone from Perth about how the west coast eagles or Fremantle are going in the AFL and then when I say
what do you think of Tim Smith or Darren Lockyer they say Darren who???, they need league.

Why would you ask someone who may not know our game about a sh*t player like Tim Smith?

I mean...Johns, SBW, Benji sure.....But a flop like Timothy Smith? LOL.

 

[Pigskin]

Redcliffe should be the alternate Brisbane(ish) team ... whilst the growth there is not quite on the scale of the GC/Logan area, its not that far behind
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If, (very very long range) another NQ team was to eventuate, Rockhampton would seem a better choice than Mackay geographically.
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None of the clubs are going to agree to shortening the season, let alone whoever has the TV rights
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A-League in this country should be feared and respected

Only a matter of time before they start expanding their competition ... perhaps thought should go into where they are likely to move into next

Soccer's junior numbers are scary ... and for girls also ... if Lowey and co can rival the other 2 major codes in TV ratings any time soon ... Then by the time the next generation grow up, AFL and RL will be duelling for 2nd place
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Oink !

 

[Maroubra Eel]

Its the Sydney game and anywhere else should count themselves lucky to be allowed to be a part of it.

 

[LeagueXIII]

The people saying get rid of Sydney teams are probably the same people who were saying 15-20 years ago, when we had 11, we needed to cull teams, well now have 8.5 and those people are still saying it. It's a myth. Why should league teams be the one's to leave a "crowded" market and make it easier for other sports.
Clubs should be managed better not booted or relocated, plus why less teams in Sydney when the population is growing? The AFL isn't scared off by this so called crowded market.

 

[Angry_eel]

Our main priority atm should be the crowd numbers not instant expansion.

 

[Azkatro]

The people saying get rid of Sydney teams are probably the same people who were saying 15-20 years ago, when we had 11, we needed to cull teams, well now have 8.5 and those people are still saying it. It's a myth. Why should league teams be the one's to leave a "crowded" market and make it easier for other sports.
Clubs should be managed better not booted or relocated, plus why less teams in Sydney when the population is growing? The AFL isn't scared off by this so called crowded market.

A competition which tries to be both national AND cover all of Sydney with a stack of teams is a competition that doesn't know up from down. I really believe Sydney would embrace a "local" competition with all current teams and former .. but eventually the umbilical cord needs to be cut.

 

[dowdz]

Haven't we tried going national already. Adelaide and Perth where are they now?

 

[LeagueXIII]

Azkatro but let's not cut the cord and kill off the sport. The heart of this sport is Sydney, as much as we would like it to be number one all over Australia it's not going to happen. We have already messed once with the fabric/soul of the game if we do it again we will end up with empty soulless franchises, similar to Super 14. English soccer has 10 clubs in London and clubs that will never win anything, they don't want to cut and merge clubs.

The arguement that by merging two teams you get a super club is crap. St.George average the same as they did when they were stand alone. By merging you are just killing off two clubs.

What's wrong with having all the clubs strong in Sydney as well as clubs spread throughout Australia? Isn't more the merrier?


W

 

[BrisVegas]

Azkatro but let's not cut the cord and kill off the sport. The heart of this sport is Sydney, as much as we would like it to be number one all over Australia it's not going to happen. We have already messed once with the fabric/soul of the game if we do it again we will end up with empty soulless franchises, similar to Super 14. English soccer has 10 clubs in London and clubs that will never win anything, they don't want to cut and merge clubs.

The arguement that by merging two teams you get a super club is crap. St.George average the same as they did when they were stand alone. By merging you are just killing off two clubs.

What's wrong with having all the clubs strong in Sydney as well as clubs spread throughout Australia? Isn't more the merrier?


W

I have doubts that there will be enough money to keep 9 Sydney clubs afloat over the next decade or two. Greater competition for the corporate dollar, an increase in poker machine tax, and constantly raising costs assossiated with running a club will put the squeeze on an oversaturaed market. Add extra clubs for Perth/The Central Coast/Brisbane II/Wellington and that money becomes ever more fiercly fought for. The emergency general meeting earlier this year showed that Souths was 12 months away from bankruptcy, and without being purchased by Crowe/HolmesACourt could quite easily be in administration by now. The NRL will continue to offer incentive for a team to move to the Central Coast and I wouldn't be suprised if the next team to hit finacial difficulties took it.

English soccer has a system of relegation, no one is saying that Sydney teams should be killed off, simply move 1 or 2 to a lower division. The game didn't die when Glebe, University, Newtown, Norths etc were demoted, and it won't die with 1 or 2 less Sydney teams for the greater good of the long term viablity of the game, which is what expansion is all about.

 

[vikingstorm]

The Super 14 Mate is regarded as a Bit of a Joke amongst English League fans bud. its a 3 month season.....Or maybe three and a half.

The NRL is the Best Rugby Comp in the World. You should realise that and start talking about the Huge positives in your game. The Super 14 is nothing in comparison

 

[vikingstorm]

Our Arrogance? I'm sorry we expanded the comp into a national entity! :roll:

Whether people like it or not, the core of any National Rugby League Comp has to be in Sydney's suburbs...and what's wrong with that? Sydney is one of the wealthiest cities on the planet FFS!

Alienate the fans here and the comp will lose an awful lot of its financial clout.

Take it from an English Bloke, Sydney is one of the greatest Cities on Earth and League is a major sport there .............added to that teams like St George and Manly and the Roosters and Paramatta are the life blood of our game.

Expand by all means,,,,,But keep the Heart of the sport there

 

[ShadesOfTheSun]

The pertinent question is why the NRL should try to be national in the first place. The game's sustenance is not contingent on its ability to permeate the collective Australian psyche - it is contingent on its ability to make money. The simple fact of the matter is that Sydney is over represented in the competition because league is entrenched there, and because of the size of the city. It provides the greatest returns.

By comparison, making inroads into the Adelaide market wouldn't provide substantial financial gains on the status quo, because Adelaide is a minor market with little prospect of growth. As a city, it has a lower population than many Sydney suburbs. It certainly has a lower projected population growth. And the entire city is mad about AFL and the Adelaide Crows.

 

[LeagueXIII]

BrisVegas you can't base the future of teams in Sydney because you "have doubts", provide me with proof. Clubs will not fold they will find other forms of revenue etc. So Souths "nearly" went bankrupt, the point is they didn't, and they are still around which is an asset to the game. If a team is to be placed on the CC let Norths go there.
No-one has told me why league clubs should make way in Sydney for all other sports because it is a crowded market, it's just BS.

 

[Ice777]

unless i'm mistaken brissy has almost 2 million citizens. it is on track to surpass melbourne's population within a few years. part of the equation is capturing the support of those who dislike the broncos - but the number one priority is providing the second biggest rugby league market with a game to attend every weekend.

Brisbane are on track to surpass Melbourne's population in a few years? Are you serious? Melbourne has over 1.6 million more people than Brisbane. To put it into perspective, in 2003-04 Melbourne added 45,000 new residents to Brisbane's 39,700 where it's population was 1.77 million in 04. That may be more percentage wise, but it's over 5,000 less for Brisbane overall.

Going by those figures, i can't for the life of me see them taking over any time soon, well at least not in out lifetime, or our kids lifetime, or their kids lifetime etc. I can't find any later figures than that but i suspect they wouldn't have changes a great deal in a couple of years. Even if we stopped rooting and producing for the next 10 years down here they'd still get nowhere near close. But i can tell you now i aint doing that

In saying that i reckon Brisbane should have a second side.

 

[gregstar]

you're right - queensland is projected to hold a higher population than victoria some time after 2025 apparently.