NRL Expansion Priorities

[Perth Red]

nobody is saying in top two but within the next 35 years it is very possible. You don;t need many of 7million to afford more than $1 for a ticket, in fact given the stadium is likely to hold 20-30k tops the demnad will mean that PNG's middle classes will be filling it. As for jerseys, 10,000 at $160 or 100,000 at $16 is the same amount, I very much doubt any team would be able to shift as much merch as a PNG NRL side , sure at a lower price but at a much much higher volume.

As said they are not a priority, need to prove themselves at Qland cup level, need to build a stadium, need to develop their jnrs to a much higher level and many other things before consideration but it is certainly long term possible, if there is a will.

No doubt if you had asked a Union fan if Italy would one day play in a 6 nations they would have laughed 20 years ago. Difference is some sports push hard to expand whilst others seem content to be big fish in small ponds.

 

[beave]

You can tell who has spent time in PNG and who hasn't.

PR do you know what the average income in PNG is per capita? It's roughly around $1800 US.

$16 to someone over there would be like $400-450 to one of us.

Their passion for the game can never be questioned but they are way off being anywhere near capable of having an NRL side.

 

[Canard]

nobody is saying in top two but within the next 35 years it is very possible. You don;t need many of 7million to afford more than $1 for a ticket, in fact given the stadium is likely to hold 20-30k tops the demnad will mean that PNG's middle classes will be filling it. As for jerseys, 10,000 at $160 or 100,000 at $16 is the same amount, I very much doubt any team would be able to shift as much merch as a PNG NRL side , sure at a lower price but at a much much higher volume.

As said they are not a priority, need to prove themselves at Qland cup level, need to build a stadium, need to develop their jnrs to a much higher level and many other things before consideration but it is certainly long term possible, if there is a will.

No doubt if you had asked a Union fan if Italy would one day play in a 6 nations they would have laughed 20 years ago. Difference is some sports push hard to expand whilst others seem content to be big fish in small ponds.

Check out post 129 my soap dodging friend.

As for Italy, its a first world country that's average income is more than $1500 per annum.

 

[Benny]

How many new guinea's are going to afford a $160 for a jersey or more than $1 for Ticket to a match?.

The Storm add to the games TV revenue, unfortunately a team in New Guinea doesn't.

I don't want to be negative but let's be realists, can you see the clubs voting to admit a team that would have to be subsided from day 1? And not add to games revenue?

To suggest they are in the top 2 slots for expansion is laughably niave.

Have you ever been to PNG? Quality matches in PNG always sell out and prices aren't cheap (especially for corporate areas). Merchandise which again isn't cheap walks off the shelves like The Team Kumul gear does.

I believe a PNG team in NRL could be success as I believe the Qld Cup team will be.

Though it all starts now for PNG and the NRL if serious about expansion to PNG can help support and speed up the process. Still 5 to 10 years away at a minimum.

 

[Canard]

Have you ever been to PNG? Quality matches in PNG always sell out and prices aren't cheap (especially for corporate areas). Merchandise which again isn't cheap walks off the shelves like The Team Kumul gear does.

I believe a PNG team in NRL could be success as I believe the Qld Cup team will be.

Though it all starts now for PNG and the NRL if serious about expansion to PNG can help support and speed up the process. Still 5 to 10 years away at a minimum.

Yes and my mother lived there for 10 years growing up.

I don't disagree with your assertions, but not cheap in PNG isn't the same as not cheap in Australia.

 

[Perth Red]

You can tell who has spent time in PNG and who hasn't.

PR do you know what the average income in PNG is per capita? It's roughly around $1800 US.

$16 to someone over there would be like $400-450 to one of us.

Their passion for the game can never be questioned but they are way off being anywhere near capable of having an NRL side.

you do know how avg income is worked out don't you? Many people will be on a lot more, and many on a lot less.

The BIG advantage they have is they are RL fanatical and would have a WHOLE country behind one club. As I said they wouldn;t need anymore extra $'s than the Melbourne Storm have had since their admission and the spin offs in terms of playing pool and Int RL would be much much greater than the investment in Victoria.

All a mute discussion point anyway, the way the NRL goes about expansion we will be lucky to see any new teams in the next decade let alone 5/6 which is where PNG club would rank on the priority list.

 

[Perth Red]

The year was 1991 and rugby league was heading into an exciting new era. What should have been the beginnings of national domination quickly became a rabble over the coming decade.
While researching the year 1991 for my radio program I was shocked to find that there were sixteen first grade clubs in the ’91 competition.
Remember that number.
Back then the Canberra Raiders were the defending premiers, Brisbane Broncos were on the cusp of greatness and others like the Gold Coast and Newcastle were the early lab rats for the game’s development.
What makes many shake their heads is the fact that 22 years on, rugby league has the very same number of clubs going around in the National rugby league.
Granted we have had a Super League war and even reached 20 clubs at the turn of the century, but while rugby league does so many other good things you wonder when our game will be allowed to grow once more.
It doesn’t matter how many statistics NRL CEO David Smith can rattle off about everything else going on in the sport, we want to see this national competition truly become national.
In ’91, the AFL had fifteen teams.
Now they have eighteen, including the Gold Coast Suns, two sides in Adelaide, two sides in Perth and a second Sydney side in the supposed heartland of rugby league.
I won’t even bother mentioning the teams that lined up for the 1991 National Soccer League but have a look at them go now. Sure, you can argue the A-League only has ten sides going around. But have a look at where they’re situated around the country.
No more excuses rugby league.
We want expansion.
While the Super League war set the game back many years, you wonder how and why the Western Reds were booted from the newly formed NRL in 1998. Balmain, Western Suburbs and North Sydney all survived the chop.
That didn’t last long.
Rugby league should have never left Perth.
That’s why it’s imperative we hand the next license to the Western Australians with a big fat sorry to go with it. In fact, guarantee them the spot now and give them every chance of building their franchise.
It is a travesty the game turned its back on Perth.
A team that did make the cut in ’98 and played in the inaugural NRL season were the Adelaide Rams.
South Australians had their first taste of top flight rugby league in, you guessed it, 1991. A crowd of over 28,000 watched the St George Dragons take on the Tigers. Fast forward a few years to 1997 and the Rams averaged over 15,000 fans for regular season matches.
The frustration in fans is there for all to see and we haven’t even mentioned central Queensland, a second team in Brisbane, Central Coast NSW, Wellington or the Sunshine Coast of Queensland.
We can argue with rival codes and their fans until we’re blue in the face that we are a national game.
Billion dollar television deals, viewers tuning in in their millions and impressive youth participation are wonderful things. But we want more. We need more.
The question is how long until Dave Smith and his colleagues put the national into rugby league.
http://www.theroar.com.au/2013/11/08/frustrated-fans-want-nrl-expansion/

 

[Ourimbah Magpies]

I'll say it now PNG will never EVER have an NRL side. Its good that they have a side in the QLD Cup this season though. WA should also be asked to field a side in either the QLD or NSW Cups. Sure we'll hand WA an NRL license because its in a remote location of Australia and slap bang in the middle of AFL territory but ?. Yes they play NRL games over there that have drawn crowds but lets see that on a regular basis don't just hand out licenses to a side that will have to be made up 100% of NSW, QLD and NZ residents.

 

[parrawentyfan]

Yes a 3rd sydney team seems to fit better I think with all the clubs in sydney we have.

In a perfect Nrl would the relocation of teams would be the way to go.

Northern sea eagles - based in the central coast - should of would of could of worked .
West coast reds - return of the reds to Perth
Adelaide sharks - sharks relocate to Adelaide
St George Illawarra - relocated to Wollongong full time
South Queensland crushers - 2nd Brisbane team
Western sydney panthers - west tigers & panthers merge
Southern jets - bring back the jets & merge with souths
Sydney bulldogs - merge dogs & roosters
Brisbane broncos
Gold Coast titans
North Queensland cowboys
Canberra raiders
Newcastle knights
Melbourne storm
Auckland warriors
Wellington

Eels?

 

[Perth Red]

Nothing to with remoteness, everything to do with:

The Committee for Perth say new projections that at least 3.9 million people will call Perth home by 2050 - and possibly as many as 5.4 million - should be a "game changer" in how the city is planned

http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/wes...ralias-best-city/story-fnhocxo3-1226783153597

Give us more games and we'll keep filling nib! It's hard to show how we will get regular crowds without regular games!

 

[Tone83]

As if they're gonna ditch the 100 year old extremely popular south sydney rabbitohs just to merge in the jets, lol. Also the bulldogs and roosters are both doing fine.

Adelaide in no way want or deserve an NRL team. The sharks should piss off though.

Merging tigers and panthers is actually an ok idea, the tigers are f**ked. Could also just dump the tigers.

The south qld crushers failed for a reason and will fail again, a different SQ team? absolutely.

The raiders have to be the most f'd up club in the comp and you're not proposing to ditch or even merge them? How did you come up with this?

If it was just based on personal satisfaction I'd like the change the st george dragons into the illawara bell ends and replace their red v with a red wang, crudely drawn, but it's not about what you or me want, it's what makes sense.

 

[The Great Dane]

As if they're gonna ditch the 100 year old extremely popular south sydney rabbitohs just to merge in the jets, lol. Also the bulldogs and roosters are both doing fine.

Adelaide in no way want or deserve an NRL team. The sharks should piss off though.

Merging tigers and panthers is actually an ok idea, the tigers are f**ked. Could also just dump the tigers.

The south qld crushers failed for a reason and will fail again, a different SQ team? absolutely.

The raiders have to be the most f'd up club in the comp and you're not proposing to ditch or even merge them? How did you come up with this?

If it was just based on personal satisfaction I'd like the change the st george dragons into the illawara bell ends and replace their red v with a red wang, crudely drawn, but it's not about what you or me want, it's what makes sense.

Business wise we are completely stable and only getting better and better financially, so no we are not the most f#cked up club in the NRL and a couple of dickheads with talent screwing up in a row will never make any club the worst in the NRL. In fact ATM the Raiders Group are absolutely rolling in cash, though obviously all that money is not generated by the actual football (in fact none of it is generated by the actual football club at the moment) and obviously the football club doesn't have access to all that money.

Also on a separate note the Roosters are not doing fine, once uncle Nick dies they're f#cked unless they make massive changes to their business structures or find another wealthy backer to take over once Politis passes away.

 

[Ourimbah Magpies]

My sister has lived in Perth CBD for over 25 years she also worked in the Sydney CBD for 10 years, when she came over mid last year she was stoked to see rugby league again having come from a league mad family. She honestly can't believe they are talking expansion into WA. And trust me she would love to see league back there again, but she said that she is in the absolute minority. As a current NRL player, would you like to see a WA team in, hell yeah another place to travel but would they make the move their fulltime ?, its a long way from home and most players struggled massively when playing with the Western Reds.

 

[Kurt Angle]

Then your sister had better get out of the CBD, and talk to people in the outer suburbs.

Mark Geyer stated he found Perth a fantastic place to live.

I moved herein 1999, and by 2003 I thought RL was dead in Perth, that there was no way for it to come back. The last two administrations have moved mountains here.

One major corporate backer, and a Perth side will be bigger than the Raiders or Cowboys at the very least.

 

[Perth Red]

Lol, yeh it's such a tough place to live! I wonder how every other code in Australia manages to have a prof team in Perth?

Shows your ignorance, a number of western reds players continued living here after their demise and still call the place home.

Of course perth isn't a RL city, never will be but 2nd biggest code in a city of 2million growing quicker than any other city? He'll yes!

 

[Ourimbah Magpies]

I believe all potential NRL bids should atleast have a side in either the NSW or QLD Cups, see how they compete in those competitions and go from there. Silly argument comparing other codes popularity in Perth, rugby union has survived because there is a big South African presence in WA, soccer is a national game and AFL is their main game. So rugby league is coming along in leaps and bounds in WA, what time is the NRL featured on tv ?, is State of Origin even on before 12 midnight ?. Every sport has a minority following no matter what state you are talking about. If I was a player would I want a Perth team in the NRL, hell yeah its another place to travel to and if you are Todd Carney or Russell Packer you could get on the piss big time and the locals wouldn't know any different.

 

[Ourimbah Magpies]

Then your sister had better get out of the CBD, and talk to people in the outer suburbs.

Mark Geyer stated he found Perth a fantastic place to live.

I moved herein 1999, and by 2003 I thought RL was dead in Perth, that there was no way for it to come back. The last two administrations have moved mountains here.

One major corporate backer, and a Perth side will be bigger than the Raiders or Cowboys at the very least.

Mate, I've been over to Perth many times and stayed at my sisters house first in Cottesloe and in later years at Scarborough, I loved the place except for one thing...I virtually had to wait to come home for my rugby league fix or read the little square in the middle of the paper if I was lucky to spot it.

 

[Kurt Angle]

I never said the coverage was all encompassing. RL coverage in even Canberra can be a bit muted, however if you are going to find it, it ain't going to be in Cottesloe or Scarborough. These are the respective equivalents of Mosman who have an aversion to the working class nature of RL) and Bondi (full of backpackers).

Try places like Rockingham and Joondalup for a reasonable set of juniors. Clarkson HS (past Joondalup) I believe has put RL on their specialist sporting programs.

RL also has some heritage here.

Prior to SL in 1994, the AFL's presesnce is QLD was 3,000 at Carrara to watch the Bears. Perth had 70 schools playing it, teams scattered all over Perth, but particularly the South of the river suburbs.

Fremantle, Willagee, Applecross, South Perth, Belmont, Cannington, Armidale, Rockingham. The local gf was played live on FTA.

Luc Longley played RL before he played basketball. There is a history of the game here, much richer than AFL in QLD, and the most common response outside of code warriors is "Why did they close it down?" in reference to the Reds.

It may not be the favourite sport of many, but the parochialism here will be enough to support it. They understand the NRL is a big sport, they will want to be a part of it and a team with a national presence will easily garner support greater than the Wildcats, and in the vicinity of the Glory.

RU is close to dead in the water here. They do get good crowds, but it is absolutely invisible outside of the rusted on's. With recent chatter about cutting back from 5 to 4 SR teams, I would say the Force are treading water.

RL on TV in Perth

Friday - 5:30-9:30 on Gem (then I have time to go to the pub. i have it better than when I was in Sydney)
Sunday - mixed times, but b/w 2-4pm Sunday on Gem.

Fox, many pubs (outside of Cottesloe and Scarborough) advertise they broadcast it inside.

SOO has been live for at least the past two years.

Grand final has been live at least since 2009.

31,000 to watch Sea Eagles vs Warriors, when it was quickly shunted from Mackay to Subiaco is a good crowd.

I remember a Roosters vs Dragons pre-season trial here, $50 seats for lower bowl donw the side line, $30 behind the posts, and it got 15,000.

RL holds the ground record at NIB stadium.

A perth side has two things going for it already, without speculating what long term growth would be.

1) it will draw better crowds than at least the 4 lowest crowds in the NRL. I would fathom 16-17,000 is not unrealistic.

2) It has a VERY valuable TV slot that is a live game at 9:30pm due to the timezone.

Either Friday nights, or the third game on super saturday being live.

The locals don't have to being apeshit about the game, as long as 15-20,000 show up, and the TV slot is MORE valuable selling live games back to the punters on the east coast at 9:30pm.

The Pirates will ge their money because the logo on their shirt will be spotted by 1mil+ eyeballs on the east coast for a LIVE game.

A West Aussie company like Bunnings is a perfect fit for them.

 

[beave]

I think they're a shoe in mate, anyone who says otherwise has some serious problems. The only question is when do you introduce them? Perhaps included for the 2016 season so that by the time negotiations for the next tv rights are done during the 2017 season for 2018, the pirates have already played a season and you would think shown a decent tv viewer rate in the west being a new team and also that live 9:30pm (friday/saturday) 6:30pm sunday slot into the east coast keeping punters interested in a live game should see a decent enough rise in viewing rates. All they need to be is semi competitive and they will draw crowds and viewers. Having them in the comp for the last 2 years of the current tv deal could really sling shot the tv rights $$$ for the next tv deal.

 

[Perth Red]

I believe all potential NRL bids should atleast have a side in either the NSW or QLD Cups, see how they compete in those competitions and go from there. Silly argument comparing other codes popularity in Perth, rugby union has survived because there is a big South African presence in WA, soccer is a national game and AFL is their main game. So rugby league is coming along in leaps and bounds in WA, what time is the NRL featured on tv ?, is State of Origin even on before 12 midnight ?. Every sport has a minority following no matter what state you are talking about. If I was a player would I want a Perth team in the NRL, hell yeah its another place to travel to and if you are Todd Carney or Russell Packer you could get on the piss big time and the locals wouldn't know any different.

Yet more ignorance, NRL is on live in WA, as is SOO. Perth is also full of kiwis, qland'ers and nsw folk, not to mention us northern poms. Hence the 20k turning out to NRL games. Where do you think Perths burgeoning population is coming from?

I find it sad you have so little believe in RL as a quality sport that people will enjoy watching.