New Zealand 2 will deal a massive blow to NZ rugby

[Matiunz]

Graham Lowe adds a lot of credibility to the bid

Maybe 30 years ago but his stock has fallen significantly post brain tumour, catastrophically bad stint as Warriors part owner that almost killed off the club and generally seen as the grumpy old man that does nothing but shit on NZ league in his opinion columns. The fact he was booted out of commentating with the current standard of NZ league commentary should also speak volumes(they need to try and get SJ on board there)
Would have been a better option than Monie as Warriors inaugural coach but since well past his use by date

 

[The Great Dane]

If the bid was looking for a brand that will appeal outside just the South Island, they've done well..

* It's the current Wellington team nickname, so has some appeal to the league establishment there (presumably co-opted in, too)

* Orca have a range that covers pretty much all of NZ's coastline, not just limited to the South Island like Kea

* Black, white & teal spring to mind as a colourset option, but the key here is that they have plenty of scope for something that's "province neutral" - key for uniting a potential fanbase through the South Island and at least some of the North.

[Edit] I seem to remember an advert for the old "Wellington Dolphins" bid in the early 1990s that had a black & teal jersey mock-up, which was oddly split diagonally between black & teal sections.

Nah keep the colour scheme simple and just go black and white.

• Nobody in the NRL is using the black and white scheme, so the team can corner the market.

• It's inoffensive. So much so that normies would happily wear it in their day-to-day lives without the fear of standing out.

• It synergises with the mascot perfectly.

• It's super easy to create great jerseys and integrate sponsors with a black and white scheme.

It ticks all the boxes without the need to throw in teal or the traditional Canterbury red into a league that's already oversaturated with blue and red schemes.

As an alternative they could achieve the same outcome with black, white, and silver if they want something a bit more extravagant than just black and white, but you've got to be super sparing with silver or it looks crap.

The Raiders are the only team I've seen pull black and silver off really well, but they basically wear black t-shirts and restrict the silver to their helmets, pants, and namesets, which an NRL side couldn't copy for obvious reasons.
Then again, silver shoulder or arm bands, collars and cuffs, and other super simple and traditional designs like that would result in some of the nicest jerseys in the NRL, if they integrate the sponsors well.

If they simply must add another colour to the scheme then maybe a sea green, but there's no need.

 

[The Great Dane]

Maybe 30 years ago but his stock has fallen significantly post brain tumour, catastrophically bad stint as Warriors part owner that almost killed off the club and generally seen as the grumpy old man that does nothing but shit on NZ league in his opinion columns. The fact he was booted out of commentating with the current standard of NZ league commentary should also speak volumes(they need to try and get SJ on board there)
Would have been a better option than Monie as Warriors inaugural coach but since well past his use by date

A lot of the people involved have dodgy records, Chalmers and Searle being chief amongst them.

The NRL would want to make certain to do their due diligence before handing them a license, but it'd be silly to rule them out just because of their past. Who knows, this one might be the idea that blows up big for them.

 

[Gobsmacked]

Nah keep the colour scheme simple and just go black and white.

• Nobody in the NRL is using the black and white scheme, so the team can corner the market.

• It's inoffensive.

• It synergises with the mascot perfectly.

• It's super easy to create great jerseys and integrate sponsors with a black and white scheme.

It ticks all the boxes without the need to throw in teal or the traditional Canterbury red into a league that's already oversaturated with blue and red schemes.

If they simply must add another colour then maybe a sea green, but there's no need.

Even Grey isn't used. A half Black and half Grey could be cool

 

[Gobsmacked]

A lot of the people involved have dodgy records, Chalmers and Searle being chief amongst them.

The NRL would want to make certain to do their due diligence before handing them a license, but it'd be silly to rule them out just because of their past. Who knows, this one might be the idea that blows up big for them.

They can't be that bad if they're still working with a calibre of people that could put together a bid like this.
Most of the bankers who caused the GFC kept their jobs.. shit happens.

 

[The Great Dane]

They can't be that bad if they're still working with a calibre of people that could put together a bid like this.
Most of the bankers who caused the GFC kept their jobs.. shit happens.

Chalmers has a history of massively over promising and underdelivering. Without going into detail, alongside Lowe he's f**ked over both the NZRL and Bradford Bulls in the past.

Searle lead the Titans bid, was their first CEO, and completely bankrupted them in the 5 years he was in charge. Most of the off-field struggles the Titans have faced throughout their existence can be traced back to decisions he signed off on.

The above shouldn't be a reason to put a line through them though. Their prior experience could be invaluable if they've learnt from it, and as far as I'm aware both have been reasonably successful in other areas of their lives.

BTW, you'd be surprised how far incompetent people can get in life. A bit of charisma and acting confident can get some people very far in life.