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New Zealand 2 will deal a massive blow to NZ rugby

Wb1234

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33,111
Yeah he's the next big thing, but how often does the next big thing actually turn out to genuinely be the next big thing?!

He's also already turned down more lucrative offers from RL, specifically from the Roosters, at least a couple times, and I see no reason why that suddenly changes now unless RL offers massive overs or he starts struggling in RU, neither of which would be ideal.
He’s on 300k
Suaali is on 1.8 million

he trained with the chooks over summer

chooks could offer him the 800k suaali was on and some of that comes off the cap
 

The Great Dane

First Grade
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7,957
Given Wellington’s crowd average has been around the 5k mark it’s amazing soccer has added another nz team

a second nz nrl side should be a non brainer with the warriors averaging four times that and their tv deal with the nrl worth more than the entire a league tv deal with paramount and ten
You obviously don't know who their owner Bill Foley is.

He's an American billionaire with a proven track record as a competent owner of successful sports teams. The NRL could only dream of attracting private owners of his calibre, and his involvement bodes well for the Auckland A-league club's future. Even if he just uses them as a farm club for Bournemouth, Auckland FC should be better off than pretty much every other A-league side bar Melbourne City.
 

The Great Dane

First Grade
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7,957
He’s on 300k
Suaali is on 1.8 million

he trained with the chooks over summer

chooks could offer him the 800k suaali was on and some of that comes off the cap
800k sounds very much like massive overs to me... It doesn't make him an established first grader either, and he's already turned down RL, including the Roosters, more than once as I said.

Losing him would hurt Australian RU, but it's already bleeding out and whether he stays or goes will have little impact on that. Jorgensen hopping codes wouldn't even make a pin drop in the RU scene internationally either.
 

Wb1234

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800k sounds very much like massive overs to me... It doesn't make him an established first grader either, and he's already turned down RL, including the Roosters, more than once as I said.

Losing him would hurt Australian RU, but it's already bleeding out and whether he stays or goes will have little impact on that. Jorgensen hopping codes wouldn't even make a pin drop in the RU scene internationally either.
His dad made a decent convert and he’s better than his dad
 

Wb1234

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You obviously don't know who their owner Bill Foley is.

He's an American billionaire with a proven track record as a competent owner of successful sports teams. The NRL could only dream of attracting private owners of his calibre, and his involvement bodes well for the Auckland A-league club's future. Even if he just uses them as a farm club for Bournemouth, Auckland FC should be better off than pretty much every other A-league side bar Melbourne City.
Yep I can see all those Māoris and islanders flocking to watch a game of soccer

twiggy is a billionaire and it hasn’t stopped the force from being watched by a man and his dog

if the guy has so much money perhaps he can find a stadium upgrade
 

The Great Dane

First Grade
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7,957
Yep I can see all those Māoris and islanders flocking to watch a game of soccer
Firstly, there's no reason why Polynesians can't enjoy soccer. Secondly, they don't need them to make the club successful anyway.

Averaging around 10k (8-12k), semi-regularly producing juniors they can trade for decent transfer fees, and doing alright on the pitch is enough to make an A-league side a success.
twiggy is a billionaire and it hasn’t stopped the force from being watched by a man and his dog
Twiggy has been an utterly useless owner. He's done literally nothing with the Force aside from keeping them alive when they were kicked out of SR.

He wasn't even responsible for their re-entry, covid was, and it seems as though he quickly got bored of them once his crusade to get them back into SR was complete. He's been largely MIA for years, and hasn't improved the standards of the joint in any particularly significant way.

The Vegas Golden Knights have had nothing but success under Bill Foley's ownership, and so far he's proved to be a shrewd business man and owner who's made good appointments for the most part, and known when to inject himself and when to delegate, which is a very rare quality in an owner.
He's also building a portfolio and network of soccer clubs, which is good for a club like Auckland in a minor competition. That doesn't guarantee success at Auckland of course, nor Bournmouth or FC Lorient FTM, but they're good signs that at least he's capable of it.
if the guy has so much money perhaps he can find a stadium upgrade
There's been very tentative talks of the possibility of them building their own built for purpose stadium, but setting that aside, they'll likely use either Mt Smart or North Harbour, neither of which need upgrades to host an A-league side. The odds of any significant stadium upgrades that benefit the NRL are slim at best.
 
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flippikat

First Grade
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5,159
Further to my previous post about the new Auckland A-League club, NZ Football is already eyeing a THIRD A-League club for NZ - this time in the South Island (likely Christchurch).

 

Perth Tiger

Bench
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3,215
You obviously don't know who their owner Bill Foley is.

He's an American billionaire with a proven track record as a competent owner of successful sports teams. The NRL could only dream of attracting private owners of his calibre, and his involvement bodes well for the Auckland A-league club's future. Even if he just uses them as a farm club for Bournemouth, Auckland FC should be better off than pretty much every other A-league side bar Melbourne City.
If he has interests in NZ sounds like someone the NRL should be wining and dining in Las Vegas to see if he is interested in backing a NZ NRL team
 

The Great Dane

First Grade
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7,957
Absolutely! I wonder if he'd be keen on owning an NRL expansion team here?
I doubt it.

NRL doesn't have the profile internationally to be on his radar, it'd be a more expensive project, and there's little chance of it ever making a return. It'd just be a money pit in a sport he doesn't care about.
 

Gobsmacked

Bench
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3,073
I doubt it.

NRL doesn't have the profile internationally to be on his radar, it'd be a more expensive project, and there's little chance of it ever making a return. It'd just be a money pit in a sport he doesn't care about.
Huh?
Every NRL club is profitable .
17 million grant, 12 million cap... do the math.
The NRL is literally the only Comp in the world that offers a guaranteed return. Add in the exponential growth that it's going through...
And the A league isn't a big brand by any stretch of the imagination.
There's 2 things:
Auckland is an international city for which He's probably fond of and Soccer is probably a game he's fond of.
 

Wb1234

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33,111



He added “the reason NZR’s leadership are joyful” is because they are “desperate” to revitalise Super Rugby in 2026 when the current TV deal expires.

“They need fewer Aussie teams and two or three new teams from the Americas, Japan and even potentially South Africa,” Reason wrote.
 

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