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

[Perth Red]

That’s the stupidity fo the nrl, rather than just out of the blue announce expansion they should have been working with, and playing off govts against each other, for the spots to get the very best outcomes for the new club/s.

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

That’s the stupidity fo the nrl, rather than just out of the blue announce expansion they should have been working with, and playing off govts against each other, for the spots to get the very best outcomes for the new club/s.

WA Gov has already built an NRL quality stadium, so they should have a team by now. Getting a quality stadium built in Moreton Bay would be a huge feather in the cap for the NRL and deal a huge blow to AwFuL, as there's no way they'll get one up there any time soon.

 

[Perth Red]

WA Gov has already built an NRL quality stadium, so they should have a team by now. Getting a quality stadium built in Moreton Bay would be a huge feather in the cap for the NRL and deal a huge blow to AwFuL, as there's no way they'll get one up there any time soon.

WA they should be asking for a centre of excellence and new hq for NRLWA.

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

WA they should be asking for a centre of excellence and new hq for NRLWA.

Good idea! Maybe even allow pokies so the Pirates can compete off the field with the Sydney clubs.

 

[Perth Red]

Good idea! Maybe even allow pokies so the Pirates can compete off the field with the Sydney clubs.

no thanks, we don’t want or need pokies stuffing up our communities.

 

[titoelcolombiano]

Honestly you are beyond delusional if you think that a significant number of people are going to travel 40km+ to Suncorp in peak hour after work on a Thursday or Friday night every second week in Brisbane.
A few thousand maybe, but not the tens of thousands that are needed to support an NRL club.

That there is the big problem with Ipswich and Redcliffe, they're outer suburbs clubs whom unless you make significant changes to their brand, will appeal almost exclusively to people from those outer suburbs and will alienate large portions of their potential fan-base elsewhere in the city, whom will be forced to play the vast majority of their game on weeknights in the heart of the city.

It would be like if Penrith, as the Penrith Panthers, came into the comp playing out of the SFS. An insanely stupid idea that nobody would take seriously.

If you let them into the comp they are going to have to contend with those factors, but so far Redcliffe has utterly refused to do that in any meaningful way, and who knows what's going on with the Jets at the moment, but considering that they are still referring to themselves as the Jets the odds aren't good.

Call me delusional then mate because you see it every Broncos home game, they don't come from just one corner of course (from all corners of the Greater Brisbane region) but RL pulls most of it's supporters from the outer suburbs and so they are used to travelling to Suncorp for NRL games.

The other thing is that you are making the mistake of assuming the Brisbane Jets or Brisbane Dolphins won't appeal to fans outside of Ipswich and Redcliffe and that's just not true.

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

Call me delusional then mate because you see it every Broncos home game, they don't come from just one corner of course (from all corners of the Greater Brisbane region) but RL pulls most of it's supporters from the outer suburbs and so they are used to travelling to Suncorp for NRL games.

The other thing is that you are making the mistake of assuming the Brisbane Jets or Brisbane Dolphins won't appeal to fans outside of Ipswich and Redcliffe and that's just not true.

You're right about people travelling far and wide to Lang Park. Many of the Broncos' fans are based in Ipswich and Logan. My fear is with Brisbane becoming so densely populated without much upgrade to the roads and transport, it'll increase the travelling distance from Logan/Ipswich to Lang Park. Over time a stadium will need to be built in Logan and in Moreton Bay.

 

[Santino Patane]

Call me delusional then mate because you see it every Broncos home game, they don't come from just one corner of course (from all corners of the Greater Brisbane region) but RL pulls most of it's supporters from the outer suburbs and so they are used to travelling to Suncorp for NRL games.

The other thing is that you are making the mistake of assuming the Brisbane Jets or Brisbane Dolphins won't appeal to fans outside of Ipswich and Redcliffe and that's just not true.

You’re not delusional mate, you’re on the button here. The Broncos are supported from Logan to the Sunshine Coast, and out through the Darling Downs. I don’t have specific data (would be great to get from the Broncos directly) but you just have to look at where the public transport heads to in what quantities post game to know that it isn’t a team just supported by the inner city.

This is also a key reason if there’s another team in Brisbane it can not (and won’t) be a locality based team. The whole point is to fill the gaps of support and these gaps are spread evenly throughout the entire greater Brisbane area.

Despite popular belief, the NRL have good data on how and where support and potential growth is, and would actually use it to decide future expansion. The main issue is if they have the spine to risk angering some strong voices in the comp...

 

[Perth Red]

You’re not delusional mate, you’re on the button here. The Broncos are supported from Logan to the Sunshine Coast, and out through the Darling Downs. I don’t have specific data (would be great to get from the Broncos directly) but you just have to look at where the public transport heads to in what quantities post game to know that it isn’t a team just supported by the inner city.

This is also a key reason if there’s another team in Brisbane it can not (and won’t) be a locality based team. The whole point is to fill the gaps of support and these gaps are spread evenly throughout the entire greater Brisbane area.

Despite popular belief, the NRL have good data on how and where support and potential growth is, and would actually use it to decide future expansion. The main issue is if they have the spine to risk angering some strong voices in the comp...

i doubt it, that’s 3million people reach and they are only getting 30-35k people turn out. Surely if they were drawing people from that far out, Suncorp would be sold out every game?

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

i doubt it, that’s 3million people reach and they are only getting 30-35k people turn out. Surely if they were drawing people from that far out, Suncorp would be sold out every game?

It's better to watch it on TV, so most of their fans do that. You'll see plenty of people walking around in Broncos gear all through Logan and southern Brisbane, but most don't bother to attend the games for one reason or the other. What I am saying is they have 35k fans who prefer to watch the game at Lang Park, but there are hundreds ot thousands who would rather go to the pub or bring a mate around to watch it on TV while they have a piss up. Tradies who are buggered after a hard day of work would rather watch the game while knocking back a few cans of piss, then going to bed so they can wake up early the next morning. I find most Broncos fans who go to Lang Park are retirees or have an office job.

 

[Santino Patane]

i doubt it, that’s 3million people reach and they are only getting 30-35k people turn out. Surely if they were drawing people from that far out, Suncorp would be sold out every game?

That’s my point exactly, it’s not that everyone in that area supports the Broncos, but they are evenly spread through most of SEQ, being the big/only dogs for over 30 years. The Broncos never tried to appeal to a suburb/area (they actually try to appeal to all of Queensland as stated in their team song). Brisbane 2 will fill some of the gaps.

 

[titoelcolombiano]

You're right about people travelling far and wide to Lang Park. Many of the Broncos' fans are based in Ipswich and Logan. My fear is with Brisbane becoming so densely populated without much upgrade to the roads and transport, it'll increase the travelling distance from Logan/Ipswich to Lang Park. Over time a stadium will need to be built in Logan and in Moreton Bay.

I can't disagree with the localised stadiums over time. My goal by 2050 for SE QLD at NRL level would be:

Redcliffe Dolphins (North - playing out of a 25 - 30k Dolphin Stadium)
Brisbane Broncos (City - playing out of Suncorp)
Ipswich Jets (West - playing out of a 25 - 30k Ipswich or Springfield Stadium)
Gold Coast Titans (South - playing out of Robina)

 

[titoelcolombiano]

i doubt it, that’s 3million people reach and they are only getting 30-35k people turn out. Surely if they were drawing people from that far out, Suncorp would be sold out every game?

Not all RL fans are Broncos fans - that is what Brisbane 2 (in whichever form it takes), needs to target.

 

[mongoose]

I can't disagree with the localised stadiums over time. My goal by 2050 for SE QLD at NRL level would be:

Redcliffe Dolphins (North - playing out of a 25 - 30k Dolphin Stadium)
Brisbane Broncos (City - playing out of Suncorp)
Ipswich Jets (West - playing out of a 25 - 30k Ipswich or Springfield Stadium)
Gold Coast Titans (South - playing out of Robina)

I think Brisbane should copy the AFL centralised model. Not sure why people are so hell bent on it replicating Sydney....

Broncos and Brisbane 2 to play out of Suncorp
GC Titans play out of Robina

Then down the track bring in Sunshine Coast team playing out of upgraded Kawana stadium.

 

[titoelcolombiano]

I think Brisbane should copy the AFL centralised model. Not sure why people are so hell bent on it replicating Sydney....

Broncos and Brisbane 2 to play out of Suncorp
GC Titans play out of Robina

Then down the track bring in Sunshine Coast team playing out of upgraded Kawana stadium.

Not sure how four clubs spread over three cities by 2050 in SEQ is replicating Sydney

 

[Perth Red]

ARL Commission boss Peter V’landys has blasted suggestions expansion will be delayed by 12 months, declaring the target date is “definitely 2023” in the strongest sign yet the NRL will launch a second Brisbane team.

The Sunday Mail can reveal broadcasters Channel 9 and Fox are backing V’landys’ vision for a 17-team competition as the NRL ramps-up plans to grow the sport with a counter-strike on the AFL in Queensland’s sporting turf war.

The NRL‘s forensic analysis of expansion has reached the pointy end with V’landys to receive an interim report in May, which will give the ARL Commission eight weeks to decide whether to unveil a fourth Queensland team by July.

There were fears the COVID pandemic would force the NRL to delay expansion until 2024 — or pull the pin altogether — because of the fiscal threat to the existing 16 clubs.

The anti-expansion sentiment has been fuelled by revelations 12 of the NRL’s 16 clubs, including the Titans, have paid almost $100,000 for the Gemba Group to undertake a detailed study of whether a 17-team league is viable.

But V’landys has scuppered growing speculation the NRL is going cold on expansion, insisting he is not wavering in his plan for the code to have a second Brisbane teamto create a blockbuster rivalry with the Broncos in 2023.

“Who starts these rumours? Talk of expansion being put back to 2024 is complete crap,” V’landys said.

“Where people start these things has got me stuffed.

“If the numbers stack up, 2023 is the expansion year.

“I expect to receive the interim report in May and that will give us all the facts and figures.

“While we haven‘t had an interim report completed yet, the report will not give specific recommendations, it will provide data, which will give management important information regarding the merits of expansion.

“We will make the decision on expansion as an ARL Commission, not some report.”

V’landys has no issue with NRL clubs funding a separate report but ultimately the Gemba Group’s expensive study of expansion is a pointless toothless tiger.

Several political heavy-hitters have told The Sunday Mail expansion is a fait accompli and will be formally rubber-stamped by the ARL Commission in July.

One Sydney-based club chairman has identified Brisbane’s western corridor as a key battleground to combat the AFL, whose Brisbane Lions will celebrate the opening of a $70 million facility, known as The Reserve, in Springfield later this year.

V’landys and NRL figureheads are mindful of the AFL’s incursions into the western Brisbane region and are ready to fight fire with fire in the battle for the hearts and minds of a traditional rugby league area.

Critically, the two media monoliths that bankroll the NRL, Channel 9 and Fox, see value in a second Brisbane team.

Channel 9 sources have told The Sunday Mail the media giant has no concerns with V’landys’ plan to expand to 17 teams.

While Pay-TV operator Fox are locked in until 2027, Nine’s NRL contract ends in 2022 and a second Brisbane team is viewed as a ratings bonanza as the free-to-air network considers an extension for 2023 and beyond.

The Broncos are historically a ratings powerhouse for Channel 9, who could be guaranteed a weekly Friday night game at Suncorp Stadium with two Brisbane teams.

“It would be ridiculous to start a new 17th team the second year (2024) into a broadcast cycle. It’s definitely 2023,” V’landys said.

“I am dealing with the broadcasters on this at the moment so there’s a few variables to work through.

“The broadcasters have been excellent about this, they have been great, they understand the benefits of expanding the game.

“The decision (on expansion) will be made with a view to 2023 ... there will be no delay for 2024.”

Last year, Foxtel Group CEO Patrick Delany told The Sunday Mail in a rare interview that he would relish the creation of a new cross-city NRL rivalry in Brisbane.

“I would like to see a second Brisbane team because it brings intracity rivalry opportunities with the Broncos,” he said.

“The Broncos are the Broncos. They are a huge brand. But if you have a second Brisbane organisation with another tribe and you build a rivalry like the old ‘Silvertails versus the Fibros’ with Manly and Wests, it adds to the whole excitement of the NRL.

“If you look at the proportion of population between NSW and Queensland, quite clearly one (NRL) team in Brisbane is underserving.

“In terms of expansion, so long as a new NRL team is put in the right place, in and around a tribe of supporters, then it will work.”

V’landys and NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo have been visiting clubs to discuss the pros and cons of expansion.

Roosters supremo Nick Politis last month backed the NRL’s expansion plans and another Sydney club, the Bulldogs, are also in favour of a second Brisbane team.

“A trust-us model doesn’t appeal to me, but if the research is there, well let’s do it and have a second Brisbane team,” Bulldogs CEO Aaron Warburton said.

“If we are making decisions without really clear data, I would be uncomfortable.

“But if the data shows us that expansion is the right thing to do, then I‘m 100 per cent behind it.

“I understand the need to grow the game and do the right thing by our sport and our Queensland audience.

“The opportunity cost to the NRL is what is concerning a number of the other teams. There might be upside in expansion, but what is the opportunity cost if the Titans or Broncos lose a percentage of their supporter base to a second Brisbane team?
“It would be huge for Brisbane to have another NRL team especially with the city set to get the Olympics (in 2032).
“I’m not here to try and protect the Bulldogs’ interests. If expansion is going to grow the game and there is a greater purpose for a second Brisbane team, then I’m all for it.”

https://www.couriermail.com.au/spor...iiM8nyD_uuhkGFVzxvPFIu3tB7SAc3W7fiKnwvzPminV0

 

[Perth Red]

Couple of interesting things in that article:

1. clubs don’t trust the nrl and want their own expansion report lol
2. Western Brisbane looks to be where the nrl are concerned about the afl, maybe suggesting jets are front runners?
3. Rumour mill seems to be the decision on expansion is already made and they are looking to justify it
4. Tv are happy to see it but no suggestions they are willing to cover the $13mill plus cost of it.

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

I think Brisbane should copy the AFL centralised model. Not sure why people are so hell bent on it replicating Sydney....

Broncos and Brisbane 2 to play out of Suncorp
GC Titans play out of Robina

Then down the track bring in Sunshine Coast team playing out of upgraded Kawana stadium.

Because Brisbane's infrastructure is the worst in the country. Commuting times in Brisbane are worse than Sydney. It's far easier to get into Melbourne's sports district from its outer LGAs than it is to get to Lang Park from Moreton Bay, Logan or Ipswich.

RL fans in Brisbane are getting forced out to the fringe LGAs of greater Brisbane. Travelling more than an hour into Lang Park from these areas is going to prevent most people from these areas from attending most games.

 

[Perth Red]

Because Brisbane's infrastructure is the worst in rhe country. Commuting times in Brisbane is worse than Sydney. It's far easier to get into Melbourne's sports district from its outer LGAs than it is to get to Lang Park from Moreton Bay, Logan or Ipswich.

sounds like a good reason to choose the club that can best attract fans from a 30km radius of Suncorp then? No outer suburbs are going to get a $250mill stadium so if you are saying people can’t travel very far in brisbane then we’d better choose a bid that is most appealing to the population closest to Suncorp, given that will be there home.

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

sounds like a good reason to choose the club that can best attract fans from a 30km radius of Suncorp then? No outer suburbs are going to get a $250mill stadium so if you are saying people can’t travel very far in brisbane then we’d better choose a bid that is most appealing to the population closest to Suncorp, given that will be there home.

Yes. Firehawks are the best option as they're an inner city club.