Ideal NRL & 2nd tier expansion in the medium term.

[jim_57]

Off season thread alert!

What are people's thoughts/ideas on where the NRL and Rugby League in Aus/NZ/Pacific should be heading in terms of expansion? And what is your ideal scenario in 10-20 years time?

I'll kick it off I guess..

NRL
Current 16 + Perth, Brisbane 2, NZ2, Adelaide

"Adoption affiliations. Clubs creating "second homes" by linking with a city/ies, either by taking home games there, or negotiating with other clubs to move their home game against them to the city/region. Can include trial games as well.

Below are some examples/likely ones.

Darwin - Eels - 1/2 Games
Cairns - Cowboys - 1/2 Games
Mackay - 1 Game
Rockhampton - 1 Game
Sunshine Coast - Brisbane 2 - 1/2 Games
Ipswich - Brisbane 2 - 1/2 Games
Central Coast - Roosters - 6+ Games
Regional NSW - Multiple Teams - 2/3 Games
Hobart- Storm - 1/2 Games
Hamilton - Warriors - 1/2 Games
Wellington - NZ2 - 8 Games
Christchurch - NZ2 - 4 Games
Dunedin - NZ2 - 1 Game
Port Moresby - 1/2 Games

QLD Cup
Current Teams +

• Darwin/NT
• Toowoomba
• Perth/WA

NSW Cup
Current Teams +

• Wellington (Links to Tonga RL)
• Christchurch (Links to Cook Islands & Hawaii RL)
• Fiji (Links to Vanuatu & Solomon Islands RL)
• Melbourne/VIC (Links to Tasmania RL)
• Adelaide/SA

(Auckland parnter with Samoa RL to complete Pacific coverage).

All with associated junior clubs at Under 20's & 18's if viable. "Links" would mean creating pathways for players, plus trial or regular season games.

This is very simplistic I know, doesn't really answer any "how's or why's" and of course I'd like to see all current clubs flourish as well. Just to gauge some reactions on where fans would like to see RL in years to come.

 

[TheFrog]

1. Why would the Cowboys want to take 6 games to Cairns, and one each to Mackay and Rocky? Leaving 4 at Townsville. Make more sense to play one or two at Cairns or even better have other clubs bring their home games up there.
Edit: I took 1/2 games as meaning half of their games. Still moving 3 or 4 away from Townsville is too many.
2. Why would the Broncos want to play home games outside Lang Park when they get 30,000 against even the poorest drawing opponents. A second Brisbane club is needed ASAP. This should really be the priority.
3. I do think the Warriors should play more of their home games outside Auckland rather than expecting other clubs to bring their games to NZ.
4. Will the Central Coast take ownership of the Roosters any more than they did of the Eagles? A game or two seems about the best you can expect.
5. Within 20 years, I think we'll be looking at merges of Sydney clubs. Who merges with whom, blowed if I know. The most likely candidates seem to have the biggest rivalries. Even 18 clubs might be too many, I'd tend to aim for holding it at 16. I could support the Parra-Penrith (or Western Sydney) Panthers in my dotage if they have 6 games at Penrith.

 

[jim_57]

1. Why would the Cowboys want to take 6 games to Cairns, and one each to Mackay and Rocky? Leaving 4 at Townsville. Make more sense to play one or two at Cairns or even better have other clubs bring their home games up there.
Edit: I took 1/2 games as meaning half of their games. Still moving 3 or 4 away from Townsville is too many.
2. Why would the Broncos want to play home games outside Lang Park when they get 30,000 against even the poorest drawing opponents. A second Brisbane club is needed ASAP. This should really be the priority.
3. I do think the Warriors should play more of their home games outside Auckland rather than expecting other clubs to bring their games to NZ.
4. Will the Central Coast take ownership of the Roosters any more than they did of the Eagles? A game or two seems about the best you can expect.
5. Within 20 years, I think we'll be looking at merges of Sydney clubs. Who merges with whom, blowed if I know. The most likely candidates seem to have the biggest rivalries. Even 18 clubs might be too many, I'd tend to aim for holding it at 16. I could support the Parra-Penrith (or Western Sydney) Panthers in my dotage if they have 6 games at Penrith.

I think you've misinterpreted a lot of what I've said, probably didn't type it clearly enough.

1. Cowboys played a game in Cairns last year without moving a home game, with the new stadium I don't think they should move any home games, but wprking woth other teams to move an away game/s to Cairns would be good. Rockhampton & Mackay were just suggestions, would depend on whether it would make money for anyone to take up a game there.

2. I meant for "Brisbane 2" a new club to play 1 in Ipswich & Sunny Coast, both big catchments that could become heartland for a 2nd Brisbane side if the ground work is put in early.

3. With a 2nd NZ side I'd like to see a North/South divide with each club spreading a few games around the country.

4. Who's to say? If anyone put continued and regular games there over a sustained 10 year period I'm sire the results would pay off. Roosters seem the best bet to me, but that's just opinion.

5. Maybe, maybe not. I don't buy any lack of talent argument when we have some huge untapped player sources right on our door step, i.e. Pacific Islands, Southern NZ, other states in Aus & the massive one PNG. Get the second tier and juniors together to provide genuine pathways to these areas and it'll show at the top very soon.

 

[mistertaylor]

I reckon the new Friday 6pm timeslot would create an opportunity for regular matches to be played in this timeslot in regional areas. Any regular season NRL match would draw a decent crowd in places like Mackay, Rockhampton or Tamworth on a Friday night, and the concept would do wonders for the game at a grassroots/heartland level.

 

[alien]

I think I've been reading this expansion stuff on LU too much because last night I dreamt about it. In my dream last night, I dreamt the Roosters relocated to Perth, and that the Sharks relocated to Adelaide. The strangest part of my dream is that the South Sydney Rabbitohs changed its name to "Sydney Rabbits" - no idea why I dreamt that! Lol.

 

[Perth Red]

Introduce Brisbane 2 and perth 2021
Introduce Adelaide and NZ2 2026

Every team to play 10 home games and 2 "on the road" Up to them where they think the most lucrative market is to take them games to.

More double headers at ANZ and new WSS and Suncorp

2nd tier to become proper reserve grade with non heartland clubs not in NRL partnered long term with an appropriate NRL club eg PNG, Fiji, Christchurch in 2 conferences

3rd tier existing Qlnd cup and NSW cup clubs with no NRL affiliation

4th Tier
Elite State based comps with inter state cup and playoffs at end of year

 

[T-Boon]

The main thing I would like to see is a complete separation between the state cups and the NRL teams. I'd like to grow the second tier NSW and QLD cup so that they are far more influential in the development of players and coaches and Rugby League generally (like rule changes etc). To this end I would get rid of reserve grade all together. All the money that goes to the NRL clubs for the second tier salary cap would go to the state cup clubs.

 

[Marlins]

NRL 20 Teams by 2024/26
Inclusion to current
West Coast Pirates
Adelaide Rams/Pandas
Christchurch Bulls
South Pacific Krakens

2nd tier Platnium League not affiliated with Nrl Clubs
Stand Alone Franchises/Clubs.
Redcliffe Dolphins
Western Corridor Bombers (based out of Ipswich)
CQLD Team based out of (Rocky & Mackay)
Central Coast Bears
Newtown Jets
Wellington Orcas
PNG Hunters
North Melbourne

QLD Cup All Teams Affiliated Feeder clubs.
Inclusion to current
Toowoomba (Bombers Feeder)
Darwin/NT (Eels Feeder)
Perth

NSW Cup All Teams Affiliated Feeder Clubs.
Inclusion to Current
Christchurch
Fiji
Melbourne

 

[umina panther]

My only wish for expansion is for Perth Red to be dead before a Perth team comes in. The miserable deathriding prick deserves no happiness.

 

[Marlins]

My only wish for expansion is for Perth Red to be dead before a Perth team comes in. The miserable deathriding prick deserves no happiness.

Abit harsh dude

 

[Teddyboy]

2nd tier teams should teams in there own right and not linked to an NRL club or the winner of the play off between NSW cup and QLD cup get to play in NRL as everyone should have the chance of promotion like the old Wimbledon Soccer in the old first division in the 1980's.

 

[Perth Red]

My only wish for expansion is for Perth Red to be dead before a Perth team comes in. The miserable deathriding prick deserves no happiness.

And a very happy new year to you too!

 

[taipan]

I think I've been reading this expansion stuff on LU too much because last night I dreamt about it. In my dream last night, I dreamt the Roosters relocated to Perth, and that the Sharks relocated to Adelaide. The strangest part of my dream is that the South Sydney Rabbitohs changed its name to "Sydney Rabbits" - no idea why I dreamt that! Lol.

Then you realised it was a nightmare,the Rabbitohs in fact were relocated to Hobart,where they could fill a stadium.
Rusty bought an apple Orchard near Hobart,so all the Souff's players could get to indulge in cider.

 

[Perth Red]

2nd tier teams should teams in there own right and not linked to an NRL club or the winner of the play off between NSW cup and QLD cup get to play in NRL as everyone should have the chance of promotion like the old Wimbledon Soccer in the old first division in the 1980's.

relegation hasn't worked out well for Bradford!

 

[T-Boon]

And a very happy new year to you too!

thats the Putin response. Nice.

 

[T-Boon]

2nd tier teams should teams in there own right and not linked to an NRL club or the winner of the play off between NSW cup and QLD cup get to play in NRL as everyone should have the chance of promotion like the old Wimbledon Soccer in the old first division in the 1980's.

I just aren't into the promotion relegation thing. Australia isn't interested in second tier - look at sheffield shield. Clubs would not survive the drop or the promotion.
I think you could get NSW & QLD cup working strongly if you gave it TV exposure and made it similar to college football in the USA - an under 23s type competition from which players are drafted to the NRL.

 

[Perth Red]

no country is, even in cash rich English soccer they give them a massive parachute payment and its still no guarantee of survival if you go down. I guess if we had another 12 RL clubs that had the potential to be big NRL clubs and the game had the money to massively fund a second division it could work but what's the point otherwise? better to bring in the 4 expansion clubs that can do a job and have a decent reserve grade and amateur game.

 

[alien]

Then you realised it was a nightmare,the Rabbitohs in fact were relocated to Hobart,where they could fill a stadium.
Rusty bought an apple Orchard near Hobart,so all the Souff's players could get to indulge in cider.

no that didn't happen at all

 

[Teddyboy]

I just aren't into the promotion relegation thing. Australia isn't interested in second tier - look at sheffield shield. Clubs would not survive the drop or the promotion.
I think you could get NSW & QLD cup working strongly if you gave it TV exposure and made it similar to college football in the USA - an under 23s type competition from which players are drafted to the NRL.

But what about the likes of Newtown, Redcliffe and the clubs in the Newcastle and Illawarra comp's the sort of semi pro teams, be great to see the Mackay cutters packing out there small nice stadium every other week.

 

[taipan]

no that didn't happen at all

It should have .They'd be appreciated more in the Apple Isle.