Let's give the kiddies of Adelaide, Perth & Melbourne another option

[Redsfan]

Yeah, thug lyfe.

 

[1 Eyed TEZZA]

But that would require the NRL to recognise that there are kids playing sport outside of NSW and Q'land!

They do, thats why we have Canberra, Melbourne and New Zealand in the competition.

 

[Perth Red]

Canberra - just another regional area of NSW
Melbourne - Yeh the NRL has gone great guns over the last 12 years engaging kids to play the game in Melbourne! It's only in the last couple of years that the Storm/NRL have realised that plonking a team in a city isn't enough.
NZ- Aside from allowing the Warriors to stay in the comp what exactly has the NRL done to develop jnr NZ players?

 

[1 Eyed TEZZA]

But that would require the NRL to recognise that there are kids playing sport outside of NSW and Q'land!

Just on this post, is that why the AFL have/are putting teams here?

 

[mbitsko]

Big enough ? Have a look at the heights of AFL players, minimum 180cm and many over 190cm. Like basketball it is a game for less than 0.1% of the population who grow to this height.

Rugby League on the other hand can have a mix of short players, tall players, heavy players and light players. You don't have to be a freak of nature to make it at the elite level, skills are what are required instead, tackling instead of pushing, catching instead of fumbling, and a level of fitness that requires you stay on the field longer than 2 minutes before you're interchanged.

AFL 2009 grand finalists, Geelong and St Kilda have 11 players on their current lists under 180cm. Best on ground in the grand final, Paul Chapman is 179cm. Smallest player on the field in the grand final, Shannon Byrnes is 174cm. Geelong's height and weight range of their current list is 108kg-64kg and 206cm-174cm. St Kilda's is 105kg-68kg and 208cm-175cm.

For comparison; Parramatta's 2009 squad had a height range of 194cm-174cm and a weight range of 107kg-79kg. (5 players under 180cm)

"When the facts change, I change my opinion. What do you do?"

 

[bobmar28]

Just on this post, is that why the AFL have/are putting teams here?

It's what they said on the AFL freindly ABC radio a few months back.