What has this to do with NRL expansion? Any mods bother looking at this forum?
TBh it is less about AFL, Perth is and will always be AFL heartland, but we can kill RU here. Four of the Western Force U18's have just been picked for the Australian RU U18's squad. They could have been RL players with a NRL club driving the game here. Curtis Rona nearly signed for the Force jnr system but the SG Ball side started and he stook with RL and is likely to be a very good NRL player in the future. I know plenty of RL fans who are Force members just because they won't follow AFL and miss live sport. It is not the main reason to expand to Perth but killing RU here would be a very nice bye product!
Watching the quality of the game once you take the origin players out is like watching paint dry.
Weak, very weak comp we have, hardly any players are worth feeding.
The game needs to cut back Sydney teams, chop it back to 6 teams, and then have teams in every big city, three in Brisbane and two in NZ.
With nobody turning up to the Titans Sharks or Manly games, it is becoming very clear that players are damaging the game not only in stupid remarks, but by past reputations and behaviour.
They make it worse by fueling the fires at Origin. Bird, Gallen, Watmough and Woods and co should be seen not heard. Their remarks and stupid interviews are turning the public away from the game, and minus 10 thousand crowds are becoming a habit.
If Gallen lifts the shield the fairytale and Australia's love affair with the Maroons will be over.
Gallen can offically go down in the history books of killing origin,.
I hope he is not on the Asada list. Heads will roll.
The game cant support 18 teams, we have not got the talent. And we need to grow outside Sydney before every other city loses interest. Brisbane is starting to lose interest in the NRL negative position.
Nominee for most idiotic post of the year.
minus 10 thousand crowds
That is also where places like Perth have an edge over the Central Coast, namely they are not near any other team and being in a different time zone, give the NRL an extra TV time slot to sell to the TV networks, being as they are 3 hours behind the east coast. The Central Coasyt does not give that benefit. That is why places like Perth will be looked on more favourably.
Wasn't sure where to put this post, but it just occurred to me...
If you look at the rosters of most NRL teams, I believe they're mostly getting stronger. There seems to be a lot of good juniors coming through.
Surely we can sustain a couple more teams. I think the time is definitely right for expansion.
My 2 cents worth: A second SEQ team and a second NZ team seems to be the most logical direction, but I would also be happy to see 2 Sydney teams relocate, as well - to Perth and Central QLD. That would shake things up.
imo any out of state bid would be nuts to not try and pick up the bears branding.
The gold coast are such a joke it just isn't funny anymore.