New Zealand - what should the plan be?

[greenBV4]

I've thought for a while that the best outcome for RL in NZ would be for the NZRL to join the ARLC, i.e. effectively be taken over by the ARLC and NRL. Most people, both Kiwi and Aussie, don't want to hear that though.

To make the pill easier to swallow the ARLC could rebrand to something like the PRLC (P being pacific)?

This body would essential be the ARLC, would oversee the NRL (which if it does end up having multiple international teams could also end up with a rename) as well as overseeing NZ and all the pacific nations as well

The ARLC would then still exist as a sub-commision, along with a a pacific island commision
ARLC then splits into the states, and the pacific island one into the countries

Each national team and grassroots is still administered by its local commission, but is overseen by the PRLC

Edit:
Actually after typing this I realised a better way to put it could just be for Asia-Pacific Rugby League Commission to have more controlling power and money, place the NRL directly under them and downgrade the ARLC to just running the national team and grassroots in Australia

 

[greenBV4]

As for NZ teams
I think there definately needs to be a second team, I reakon based in christchurch and marketed as "everything south of Auckland" - until an eventual 3rd team based in Wellington comes in. and then NZ is set for the forseeable future.

I would also think that NZ is one of the few places a relocated team could work as they are less likely to have the same biases against them. Based purely off cosmetics (and not delving deeper into anything) Manly in their Maori Jersey they've had the last few years could work in Wellington, and the "Canterbury" Bulldogs in Christchurch - obviously new teams would be the best options but end of the day we can;t have that many teams.

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

What if the South Pacific Cyclones were a nomadic team playing a couple of games in Wellington, a couple in Christchurch, a couple in another NZ city and the rest in Port Moresby?

 

[greenBV4]

What if the South Pacific Cyclones were a nomadic team playing a couple of games in Wellington, a couple in Christchurch, a couple in another NZ city and the rest in Port Moresby?

Where would they train? Where would the players and staff live?

Thats a lot of travelling which would be a disadvantage to the team, as well as travel expenses

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

Where would they train? Where would the players and staff live?

Thats a lot of travelling which would be a disadvantage to the team, as well as travel expenses

Auckland.

 

[greenBV4]

Auckland.

Regardless of where thwy are based thats a lot of travelling, and nz and png don't really have any links, as well as a 10 hour flight distance (and that's on the rare direct flight)

If your going to have a png split team it would be better off based in aus, Cairns or Darwin (I'd go Darwin to stick it in the AFLs face in the only true "undecided" state/territory)

A wandering pacific team based in auckland would be better off serving the closer islands with more ties, Tonga, Samoa, Cooks etc

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

Regardless of where thwy are based thats a lot of travelling, and nz and png don't really have any links, as well as a 10 hour flight distance (and that's on the rare direct flight)

If your going to have a png split team it would be better off based in aus, Cairns or Darwin (I'd go Darwin to stick it in the AFLs face in the only true "undecided" state/territory)

A wandering pacific team based in auckland would be better off serving the closer islands with more ties, Tonga, Samoa, Cooks etc

You make great points.

 

[Perth Red]

I know it could be too limiting maybe but given the way the nz Tongans have got behind their national team I wonder if there is enough of them to get behind a nz based tongan nrl club? I don’t think having some generic islander team would work at all, anymore than having a team that represented three states of Australia! If there is enough backing for a tongan nz team, they could play in the tongan colours, be linked back to the grassroots in Tonga, take games on the road around nz, target a tongan heritage squad etc etc, Then that is the way to go imo. A clear differentiator from the warriors so your not cannabilising a club that isnt exactly strong.

 

[The Great Dane]

What if the South Pacific Cyclones were a nomadic team playing a couple of games in Wellington, a couple in Christchurch, a couple in another NZ city and the rest in Port Moresby?

Where would they train? Where would the players and staff live?

Thats a lot of travelling which would be a disadvantage to the team, as well as travel expenses

The whole point of the South Pacific Cyclones is to be a "nomadic team" that is based in Wellington but splits it's games between Wellington and Fiji, with the potential to include other cities in NZ and the PI's in the future.

That's the whole reason why it's a total fantasy of bid that has no hope.

 

[The Great Dane]

I know it could be too limiting maybe but given the way the nz Tongans have got behind their national team I wonder if there is enough of them to get behind a nz based tongan nrl club? I don’t think having some generic islander team would work at all, anymore than having a team that represented three states of Australia! If there is enough backing for a tongan nz team, they could play in the tongan colours, be linked back to the grassroots in Tonga, take games on the road around nz, target a tongan heritage squad etc etc, Then that is the way to go imo. A clear differentiator from the warriors so your not cannabilising a club that isnt exactly strong.

Creating teams that target small ethnic minorities is just bad business, it's literally choosing to restrict your appeal to a small market of people. Not to mention the undeniably dodgy ethics and histories of ethnic clubs... We don't want to repeat what has happened in soccer in the past.

Creating teams that appeal to as many people as realistically possible just makes more sense in almost every way.

 

[Perth Red]

Creating teams that target small ethnic minorities is just bad business, it's literally choosing to restrict your appeal to a small market of people. Not to mention the undeniably dodgy ethics and histories of ethnic clubs... We don't want to repeat what has happened in soccer in the past.

Creating teams that appeal to as many people as realistically possible just makes more sense in almost every way.

so how do you create a point of difference from the warriors? If you’re a rl fan in nz why wouldn’t you be a warriors fan already, what’s another nz club based in Auckland going to offer that the warriors don’t?

 

[The Great Dane]

so how do you create a point of difference from the warriors? If you’re a rl fan in nz why wouldn’t you be a warriors fan already, what’s another nz club based in Auckland going to offer that the warriors don’t?

Geographical and/or cultural divides, and the majority of the founding support of almost all expansion teams is made up of people whom support other teams picking up the new team for whatever reasons.

I mean you're a Storm fan, why would you drop them for a new Perth team?

I was a Bears fan, why did I drop them for the Raiders?

 

[Perth Red]

Geographical and/or cultural divides, and the majority of the founding support of almost all expansion teams is made up of people whom support other teams picking up the new team for whatever reasons.

I mean you're a Storm fan, why would you drop them for a new Perth team?

I was a Bears fan, why did I drop them for the Raiders?

for me it’s obvious, it would be my home town team.
If you put another club in Auckland where’s the fans coming from to support it? Warriors crowd are pretty low, is there really another 15-20k RL fans in Auckland who care enough about the game to attend, but for some reason don’t currently attend warriors games?

 

[The Great Dane]

for me it’s obvious, it would be my home town team.
If you put another club in Auckland where’s the fans coming from to support it? Warriors crowd are pretty low, is there really another 15-20k RL fans in Auckland who care enough about the game to attend, but for some reason don’t currently attend warriors games?

I never said anything about Auckland.

 

[Matua]

I know it could be too limiting maybe but given the way the nz Tongans have got behind their national team I wonder if there is enough of them to get behind a nz based tongan nrl club? I don’t think having some generic islander team would work at all, anymore than having a team that represented three states of Australia! If there is enough backing for a tongan nz team, they could play in the tongan colours, be linked back to the grassroots in Tonga, take games on the road around nz, target a tongan heritage squad etc etc, Then that is the way to go imo. A clear differentiator from the warriors so your not cannabilising a club that isnt exactly strong.

They wouldn't get that much support being taken around NZ, there's not that many Tongans out of Auckalnd. I'm not going to support a Tongan team in any way shape or form after they've been actively messing with league in NZ for 3 or 4 years now.

 

[T to the T]

Another NRL team in Wellington, also representing the South Island, 'IF' the league goes to 20 teams would probably be the best move. I don't think there is the support to extend much further. Talent pool, as deep as it is in Aotearoa, doesn't always translate into support sadly.