"It’s very realistic to say that we’ll have a second team in Brisbane in 2023": V'landys

[Jamberoo]

How predictable. Let me guess, there will be concerns about whether the talent pool can support a 17th and 18th team as well.

How can anyone suggest that there is not enough talent in Brisbane for two teams?
Surely the opportunity for a young local player to stay and play in Brisbane must be good for participation.

 

[MugaB]

How can anyone suggest that there is not enough talent in Brisbane for two teams?
Surely the opportunity for a young local player to stay and play in Brisbane must be good for participation.

Ditto for NZ2, not straight away for this expansion, but atleast in the next 5 years

 

[mongoose]

How can anyone suggest that there is not enough talent in Brisbane for two teams?
Surely the opportunity for a young local player to stay and play in Brisbane must be good for participation.

Don't forget there is still talent in the ESL

James Maloney
Aiden Sezer
Gareth Widdop
Could try and lure John Bateman back to NRL

thats just off the top of my head but there are dozens of other NRL standard players running around in the UK.

 

[ReddFelon]

NRL needs to get moving.

Fiji and Samoa/Tonga just got professional licences for Union with teams starting next year.

If they don't move quickly the options for expansion are going to dry up.

 

[Perth Red]

NRL needs to get moving.

Fiji and Samoa/Tonga just got professional licences for Union with teams starting next year.

If they don't move quickly the options for expansion are going to dry up.

there will never be PI based teams in the nrl. Simply not the money. Perth, Adelaide and brisbane should be the nrl’s key growth market focus for the next decade plus.

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

NRL needs to get moving.

Fiji and Samoa/Tonga just got professional licences for Union with teams starting next year.

If they don't move quickly the options for expansion are going to dry up.

If they do dry up it'll be down to Sydney holding the game back over the last 30 years to make tiny Sydney clubs feel like they're the centre of the universe. Placating the inflated egos of Sydney's RL clubs is causing damage to the game.

 

[reanimate]

How can anyone suggest that there is not enough talent in Brisbane for two teams?
Surely the opportunity for a young local player to stay and play in Brisbane must be good for participation.

It’s one of the worst arguments against expansion, yet it pops up time and time again every time expansion is brought up. Talent will sort itself out. We aren’t the AFL, people actually play our game overseas, we have the ability to import talent from RL overseas and also poach from Union all over the world.

 

[flippikat]

there will never be PI based teams in the nrl. Simply not the money. Perth, Adelaide and brisbane should be the nrl’s key growth market focus for the next decade plus.

You're right, but I think there's another point in there you may have overlooked.

By creating the PI teams in super rugby, it gives young talent another pathway... and for some up and coming talent, it may weigh into their decision whether to commit to union or league.

That makes it imperative for the NRL to not only add Brisbane 2 as 17th team but also Perth or NZ2 as 18th team.. as those expansion locations are more likely to need Pasifika talent to build their initial squad than Brisbane 2 - and if RU already have a great pathway, getting that talent is gonna be a lot harder.

Wars are fought over resources.. wars between sports are the same as any military war - it's all about securing resources, and players are a big resource.

 

[Perth Red]

You're right, but I think there's another point in there you may have overlooked.

By creating the PI teams in super rugby, it gives young talent another pathway... and for some up and coming talent, it may weigh into their decision whether to commit to union or league.

That makes it imperative for the NRL to not only add Brisbane 2 as 17th team but also Perth or NZ2 as 18th team.. as those expansion locations are more likely to need Pasifika talent to build their initial squad than Brisbane 2 - and if RU already have a great pathway, getting that talent is gonna be a lot harder.

Wars are fought over resources.. wars between sports are the same as any military war - it's all about securing resources, and players are a big resource.

unions salary cap in Oz is half the nrls. Losing talent to union shouldn’t be an issue. I do agree though more direct pathways are needed. Makes you wonder how these islands can afford to run a prof union club but not a nsw or qlnd cup team. Doubt ARU is funding it.

 

[MugaB]

unions salary cap in Oz is half the nrls. Losing talent to union shouldn’t be an issue. I do agree though more direct pathways are needed. Makes you wonder how these islands can afford to run a prof union club but not a nsw or qlnd cup team. Doubt ARU is funding it.

Gus Gould is running the warriors pathways, ill give it 2-3 years he'll be all over it, and steamline another one specifically for the NZ2, which im telling you will not be a Wellington or Christchurch based team, it WILL be a rival Auckland based team one thats probably more pasifika feed than the warriors would be, like fiji, tonga, samoa, cook Is etc. It would rival the pathways held in NZ and promote more locals than have them get a start overseas like at the titans or knight etc, having the option at local level, increases the chance that these players stay in league not jump over to RU

 

[Perth Red]

Gus Gould is running the warriors pathways, ill give it 2-3 years he'll be all over it, and steamline another one specifically for the NZ2, which im telling you will not be a Wellington or Christchurch based team, it WILL be a rival Auckland based team one thats probably more pasifika feed than the warriors would be, like fiji, tonga, samoa, cook Is etc. It would rival the pathways held in NZ and promote more locals than have them get a start at the titans or knight etc

dont a lot of the Nz kids currently in the Australian nrl clubs come over as younger children due to parents moving over here for work etc? How many move over at 20 plus? If there was that many staying on till young adulthood in nz wouldnt the warriors be stacked with home grown talent? Be interesting to know the pathways of the kiwi kids in Oz.

 

[MugaB]

dont a lot of the Nz kids currently in the Australian nrl clubs come over as younger children due to parents moving over here for work etc? How many move over at 20 plus? If there was that many staying on till young adulthood in nz wouldnt the warriors be stacked with home grown talent? Be interesting to know the pathways of the kiwi kids in Oz.

Pathways are shot there, there's a need for an acedemy-like system, like what panthers have, and since there's a 20s comp there in Nz, apparently going well, need to use that to feed into it, but unless this acedemy gets up and running, RU + other RL clubs will just poach at will the best juniors NZ has to offer, instead of being able to keep the homegrown talent at tge warriors

 

[flippikat]

unions salary cap in Oz is half the nrls. Losing talent to union shouldn’t be an issue. I do agree though more direct pathways are needed. Makes you wonder how these islands can afford to run a prof union club but not a nsw or qlnd cup team. Doubt ARU is funding it.

Nope. World Rugby (formerly the IRB) is helping financially.

https://i.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/s...-fijian-drua-get-conditional-goahead-for-2022

Anyway, aside from money, the appeal of playing for a Pasifika team based in Auckland where the young players can be close to their family & community is a big deal.. maybe as much as any money.

 

[MugaB]

Anyway, aside from money, the appeal of playing for a Pasifika team based in Auckland where the young players can be close to their family & community is a big deal.. maybe as much as any money.

This^^^^^

 

[Perth Red]

This is why we need a proper second division. With best will in world neither of those set ups union is looking at could generate $30mill a year to survive in the nrl, or generate enough extra nrl tv revenue to help fund them. A decent second division with clubs operating on around $8-10mill budgets a year is much more achievable for these sorts of opportunities.

 

[ReddFelon]

unions salary cap in Oz is half the nrls. Losing talent to union shouldn’t be an issue. I do agree though more direct pathways are needed. Makes you wonder how these islands can afford to run a prof union club but not a nsw or qlnd cup team. Doubt ARU is funding it.

That's not really the case though. While the official salary cap is lower, test match players get big top ups. At one point eight Waratahs players were getting an extra $200,000 a year because they were playing the six or so tests a year for Australia.

Where this becomes an issue with League is that Fiji, Tonga and Samoa as test match countries have long been stuck in an awkward place. They either take big money to go to Europe or Japan and in turn lose their chance to play for their country due to the much stricter eligibility criteria. Or they move to League where you can be closer to home and still play for your country.

The number of kids from Fiji, Tonga and Samoa in Australia and NZ (especially in Queensland) who would jump at the chance to be a paid professional and still get the chance to represent their home is huge.

The fact that the Pasifika side is being based in South Auckland tells me that they've identified a population centre who don't care as much for the Auckland Blues, but will pack a PI team. Same with the the Fiji team being alleged to play some games in Sydney, they want the Fijian kids in Australia to be in a Union pathway.

I want the NRL to wake up and realise that Perth and Adelaide are the best choices. Areas where you aren't going to have to compete as heavily for interest. Adelaide in particular only has the AFL teams.

 

[Jamberoo]

That's not really the case though. While the official salary cap is lower, test match players get big top ups. At one point eight Waratahs players were getting an extra $200,000 a year because they were playing the six or so tests a year for Australia.

Where this becomes an issue with League is that Fiji, Tonga and Samoa as test match countries have long been stuck in an awkward place. They either take big money to go to Europe or Japan and in turn lose their chance to play for their country due to the much stricter eligibility criteria. Or they move to League where you can be closer to home and still play for your country.

The number of kids from Fiji, Tonga and Samoa in Australia and NZ (especially in Queensland) who would jump at the chance to be a paid professional and still get the chance to represent their home is huge.

The fact that the Pasifika side is being based in South Auckland tells me that they've identified a population centre who don't care as much for the Auckland Blues, but will pack a PI team. Same with the the Fiji team being alleged to play some games in Sydney, they want the Fijian kids in Australia to be in a Union pathway.

I want the NRL to wake up and realise that Perth and Adelaide are the best choices. Areas where you aren't going to have to compete as heavily for interest. Adelaide in particular only has the AFL teams.

Are you saying Perth and Adelaide would be better than Brisbane 2 and NZ 2?
But if we are talking about increasing participation and pathways for players, then Adelaide won’t work (it hasn’t in.Melbourne after 23 years at the top). Perth is not as AFL mad as Adelaide and has a bigger population, but the time zone and extra travel are negatives.

 

[ReddFelon]

Are you saying Perth and Adelaide would be better than Brisbane 2 and NZ 2?
But if we are talking about increasing participation and pathways for players, then Adelaide won’t work (it hasn’t in.Melbourne after 23 years at the top). Perth is not as AFL mad as Adelaide and has a bigger population, but the time zone and extra travel are negatives.

Of course. NZRL has already said they have no money to have a second team. There's also been no evidence to suggest that Brisbane 2 will have a fanbase that isn't just Broncos fans being lost.

 

[Jamberoo]

Of course. NZRL has already said they have no money to have a second team. There's also been no evidence to suggest that Brisbane 2 will have a fanbase that isn't just Broncos fans being lost.

Who in Adelaide has money for a team?

Of course. NZRL has already said they have no money to have a second team. There's also been no evidence to suggest that Brisbane 2 will have a fanbase that isn't just Broncos fans being lost.

What do you think that an Adelaide team will add to the NRL? It certainly won’t be players or TV ratings. South Australian are parochial and would get behind a winning team, but AFL is more popular there than anywhere else in the country. It would just be Melbourne Storm lite.

 

[ReddFelon]

Who in Adelaide has money for a team?

What do you think that an Adelaide team will add to the NRL? It certainly won’t be players or TV ratings. South Australian are parochial and would get behind a winning team, but AFL is more popular there than anywhere else in the country. It would just be Melbourne Storm lite.

Why won't it add television ratings? Parochial means you support your state. It doesn't mean you support one sport and no others. Not to mention a lite Melbourne Storm would still be achieving far more ratings wise than the cannibalised Brisbane audience. Similarly why won't it bring in players? Currently NRLWA and NRLSA have been continuing along developing game with minimal support and pathways. How would having a pathway be a bad thing?


More to the point. Do you genuinely believe there is some massive untapped League crowd in Brisbane who are dedicated to the sport but have been hanging out for a specific club? Television breakdowns already tell us that the Queensland league audience has its teams.

New Zealand is the same. They follow the Warriors, there isn't this pile of fans who like the sport but don't have a team.

Putting more teams in the same marketplace isn't expansion. All it will do is either flop or eat into existing fanbases.