If we want to be a truly national code we need a team in Perth by 2014 at the latest.
Why? Will Perth be in a different country in 2015???????
I think it is time we went to a 20 team comp.With Perth,2nd Brisbane team,Central Coast & 2nd NZ team (possibly Christchurch).Every year we lose so many players to the English Super League,rugby & now even AFL.In NZ there is so much talent that never get an opportunity to play at this level.Hardly any of the NZ Warriors Toyota Cup team came from outside Auckland.
Here here!
Get us back to where we should have been if the brain dead didnt find the Murdoch pin number in 1995!
Now, the Perth fantasy. If they get back in, given the 2 hours time difference, they (and PR) are treating this TV timeslot opportunity like it's the discovery of the Holy Grail, Lazarus' Reef and a cure for cancer all in one hit. The fact is that if a new timeslot comes online because of the WA time difference, it not only has to work in Perth for crowds, and the East Coast/NZ for viewing (NZ is 4 hours difference), but it also has to be duplicated when the Reds play away. So that neat 7.30pm Saturday kickoff in Perth one week will mean a f*cking abysmal 9.30pm kickoff everywhere else (Ignoring the possibility of a game kicking off near midnight in Auckland).
Perth limits itself to 3.30pm or 5.30 pm kickoffs.
Friday:
5.30pm kickoff - not good locally. Not good interstate either, because it would limit it to playing a Queensland club if the current Eastern States programming is adhered to. And unless the Reds are a top performing side, a game against a NSW club would not be a ratings winner at the 7.30 time slot in NSW. Example - Reds vs Tigers would hardly outrate a clash between 2 other NSW clubs. Would have to be against a QLD club.
7.30pm kick off - only follow a big QLD side vs big NSW side clash that would be shown live in both eastern states. And it would have to be against a ratings puller to hve any hpe at all. To me, Friday is out.
Saturday:
3.30pm: Could fill the 5.30pm AEST and 7.30pm NZT slots well. Sadly, crowd wise, it may be directly up against AFL.
5.30pm: Could fill the 7.30 AEST and 9.30 NZT slots well. Possibly less AFL pressure on local crowds
7.30: The most likely spot. It will fill the later spots on the east. Most likely the kickoff will actually be anywhere up to an hour earlier with maybe some delay to fit in with eastern states prgraming.
Sunday:
3 - 3.30 pm. Would only end up being a Foxtel filler in a time slot that appears to be weakest for Pay Tv and strongest for FTA. At best, a 2pm kickoff would get the 4pm Sunday FTA game. But at the expense of who? NQ, Auckland, Gold Coast and Canberra never host these games - why would Perth?
Monday
5.30 pm. What time do the factories and offices shut over there again? Completely unsuitable.
To me, the whole Perth TV 'advantage" only kicks in for the Saturday night games anyway - which is for all intents and purposes the NRL filler night for Poxtel anyway.
If Perth is using the TV argument - it needs to talk more about being a winner on FTA. The Bears bid would trump it in that argument.
