New Zealand 2 will deal a massive blow to NZ rugby

[Wb1234]

The rivalry already exists between Auckland & Christchurch on MANY levels.

Blue & White vs Red & Black

North Island vs South Island

Metropolitan multicultural city vs Big rural-adjacent city

Put a Christchurch team into the NRL, and you'll see NZ's biggest sporting rivalry - bar none - come into the league.

This article did say he’s ok with a team on the South Island as opposed to Wellington provided it has decent

 

[docbrown]

Warriors: All this belongs to me!

NRL: Can we just play with this tiny bit of Wellingto--

Warriors: --NO! It's MINE!

NRL sulks

Warriors: Fine... whatever... you can play with Perth Red instead. He's broken and I don't want him any way...

NRL: Eww... no!

 

[MugaB]

Breaking news, local businessman is afraid of competition and would like to maintain his de facto monopoly!

I have my own misgivings about NZ compared to other expansion options, but that's just the stereotypical "whatabout muh juniors" BS, and no different to the Broncos spending 30 years sabotaging expansion in Brisbane.

In the modern age addressing his concerns requires well funded and culturally relevant pro sides and competitions to push interest, and the only way you achieve that in NZ with RL is more NRL sides spread across the country.

How you go about funding those sides and building them towards self sustainability is a legitimate concern, but those sides are a necessity if you want significant growth in NZ that has a long term impact on the market from the grassroots up.

Well said dane, as much he makes a few points regarding warriors absence during covid, he is just pondering and worried about a rival, if anything it will boost the game there

 

[Gobsmacked]

The Broncos never wanted a rival , had it in written contract! Now they do, they haven't lost 1 fan and it's pretty obvious who they host for a home fixture given the choice.

NRL clubs are the last people we should take advice from when it comes to expansion.

 

[jim_57]

Isn’t that the “alpha male” who was involved in the Matt Lodge drama? Such a sharp mind and no bias whatsoever, let’s do what he says.

A South Island or Wellington team would certainly shake things up at the Warriors. Sure they might lose some merch sales in those cities and be competing for juniors but they would gain a derby game that you’d think would get 35-40k at Eden Park or sell out Mt Smart at a premium cost.

 

[docbrown]

Isn’t that the “alpha male” who was involved in the Matt Lodge drama? Such a sharp mind and no bias whatsoever, let’s do what he says.

A South Island or Wellington team would certainly shake things up at the Warriors. Sure they might lose some merch sales in those cities and be competing for juniors but they would gain a derby game that you’d think would get 35-40k at Eden Park or sell out Mt Smart at a premium cost.

It'd be different if the second team was in Auckland but the Warriors aren't capitalising on their potential in the other areas of New Zealand. Instead of looking at it as dividing a pie, they need to look at it as growing the overall pie. In the end your slice will be bigger than the pie you originally had as more people want pie.

 

[Pneuma]

People trying to frame the Warriors as selfless heroes is so weird to me.

Everything the Warrior did they did to save their own hide, not as some selfless act to "save the game" or whatever.

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with that and I commend them for their perseverance. Many other clubs in the league would have quickly folded under the pressure they sustained. But in saying that, the NRL would have had them replaced in a heartbeat had they folded, and RL would have kept ticking along just fine without the current owners of the Warriors.

Odds are that the Warriors themselves would still exist as well, as the most likely scenario would have been the owners losing unsustainable amounts of money on the club, failing to find a suitable buyer during the pandemic, then choosing to hand ownership of the club and license back over to the NRL. At which point the NRL would have bankrolled them until after the pandemic, got them in good shape, then sold them on to new owners like nothing had ever happened.

I read your posts just before I fall asleep. Perfect cure for insomnia.

 

[Pneuma]

My argument is simple;

A. It's ludicrous on face value to suggest that their actions "saved the game" or whatever.

B. Giving them adulation and special treatment is unwarranted, and would have necessitated further negative impacts on other stakeholders in the game all of whom suffered serious impacts from the covid lockdowns as well.

Almost every businesses in the entire world suffered because of covid and had to go to extreme measures to sustain their businesses, including all the other NRL clubs and players to varying degrees, and the Warriors don't deserve any more congratulations or special treatment than anybody else for doing what they had to do to get by.

I also fundamentally disagree with the premise that doing what is expected of you in the job you signed up for is a "sacrifice". Especially when you are a person whom is paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to play a game, and whom almost certainly could have got out of your contract given the circumstances.

If anybody deserves adulation for surviving the lockdowns it's the little mum-and-pop businesses, not multi-million dollar professional football clubs.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Even a Wellington team wouldn’t really compete with the Warriors for bums on seats. It’s a 7-8hr drive away, so Wellington or Christchurch really makes no difference in that respect.
the only locations in NZ that would really cut into Warriors territory would be Auckland or Hamilton.

 

[Wb1234]

Club rugby is doing really well in nz

 

[Brian potter]

Club rugby is doing really well in nz

Club rugby league that is

 

[Brian potter]

Moana pasifika need to be based in Apia full-time to maximise more 4 figure crowds.

 

[Brian potter]

 

[The Great Dane]

Moana pasifika need to be based in Apia full-time to maximise more 4 figure crowds.

This is actually a great illustration of why a Pasifika side that plays games all over the PI's is a terrible idea.

 

[Gobsmacked]

Union in England facing trouble also.

Salary cap ‘killing the reputation of Premiership’, warns Bristol’s Pat Lam | Bristol | The Guardian

Bristol’s Pat Lam has said clubs losing their biggest names threatens the English game’s status and also suggested a draft system for academy players

amp.theguardian.com

 

[Bukowski]

Club rugby is doing really well in nz

That's great, hopefully they continue to win.

 

[docbrown]

Actually this video inadvertently makes the case for why Christchurch would get a team before Wellington, even though the North Island has the edge population wise.

The cake tin is dreadful. Without a decent crowd atmosphere any second New Zealand team will end up like Super Rugby sides.

 

[Gobsmacked]

Actually this video inadvertently makes the case for why Christchurch would get a team before Wellington, even though the North Island has the edge population wise.

The cake tin is dreadful. Without a decent crowd atmosphere any second New Zealand team will end up like Super Rugby sides.

Yeah, I'm more supportive of a Christchurch team now too. Can't beat new stadiums. NRL games always get good crowds down there despite what we're told...

 

[Colk]

Yeah, I'm more supportive of a Christchurch team now too. Can't beat new stadiums. NRL games always get good crowds down there despite what we're told...

If you were going to put a new side there you’d put it there. The new stadium built there looks amazing (from the plans)

 

[Brian potter]

Another all NZ stupor rugby clash fails to beat a NZ league warriors home game crowd.

15 April 2023	Hurricanes	17–33	Chiefs	Sky Stadium, Wellington	hide
	14:35 (GMT +12)[n 1]	Try: Devan Flanders 12' Cam Roigard 29' Con: Jordie Barrett (2/2) 13', 29' Pen: Jordie Barrett (1/1) 20'		Try: Daniel Rona 9' Pita Gus Sowakula 47' Cortez Ratima 64' Damian McKenzie 77' Con: Damian McKenzie(2/4) 48', 65' Pen: Damian McKenzie(3/4) 27', 60', 67' Cards: Bryn Gatland 74' Naitoa Ah Kuoi 80+1'	Attendance: 16,577[17] Referee: Jordan Way(Australia)