Nrl plans for a 20 team comp

[titoelcolombiano]

The way it seems Perth Bears are team 18 with PNG locking up team 19 spot.
I do think there is a case to have 22 teams in total or mergers are needed if 20 teams is the go.

Team 20 - South island NZ
Team 21 - Central Queensland
Team 22 - Adelaide

i for one would not mind in seeing Sydney teams reduced to form super teams

Souths & Cronulla merger - Souths Sharks
Roosters & Manly merger - Sydney City Sea Eagles
Canterbury & Wests merger - Inner West Bulldogs
Parra & Penrith - Western Sydney Panthers

that will take current number to 13 teams add 5 teams ( new total 18 teams)

17 week comp
top 8 finals series
mid season rep season break
no byes

To quote Phil Gould, "no, no, no, no, no"

We've just spent 25 years recovering from the fallout of the SL War. All the teams are staying.

 

[AdelaideSharky]

Technically not culling, mergers aren't getting culled

Tbf the mergers from 1999 (plus Souths getting kicked out at the same time) did significantly weaken the game and giftwrap supporters to the other codes.

It's no secret the Swans benefitted greatly from the Super League war and the mergers that followed on from that.

It's pretty well known the bulk of the Swans fanbase comes from the North Shore (Bears) and the inner west (those Balmain fans who disagreed with the Wests merger).

It's pretty scandalous that 25 years on people still haven't learned the lessons from that period.

 

[MugaB]

Tbf the mergers from 1999 (plus Souths getting kicked out at the same time) did significantly weaken the game and giftwrap supporters to the other codes.

It's no secret the Swans benefitted greatly from the Super League war and the mergers that followed on from that.

It's pretty well known the bulk of the Swans fanbase comes from the North Shore (Bears) and the inner west (those Balmain fans who disagreed with the Wests merger).

It's pretty scandalous that 25 years on people still haven't learned the lessons from that period.

All agreed, still mergers are not culling, and not my preference either, and none of this will happen under PVLs reign anyways, so it a moot point to talk about it

 

[T to the T]

All agreed, still mergers are not culling, and not my preference either, and none of this will happen under PVLs reign anyways, so it a moot point to talk about it

Mergers are culling. Western Suburbs Magpies and Balmain Tigers no longer exist in the NRL.

 

[MugaB]

Mergers are culling. Western Suburbs Magpies and Balmain Tigers no longer exist in the NRL.

They way that that merger carries on, yes, you're rght, the tigers should be in majority gold jersey, not black...

 

[Matt_CBY]

Nah. They’ve got the balance right. IMO.

 

[AdelaideSharky]

They way that that merger carries on, yes, you're rght, the tigers should be in majority gold jersey, not black...

Same with the Dragons. Everyone carries on as though it's the old St George. The Illawarra Steelers is an absolute afterthought in that club despite giving the Dragons the lion's share of players and juniors.

 

[Matt_CBY]

St George fans will argue that’s because Illawarra Steelers sold their share to WIN Corp.

I’d argue that WIN corp just own the Illawarra share on the Steelers behalf.

 

[MugaB]

Same with the Dragons. Everyone carries on as though it's the old St George. The Illawarra Steelers is an absolute afterthought in that club despite giving the Dragons the lion's share of players and juniors.

Correct, but other that the word Illawarra in the title and away strip here and there, there's bugger all in that form of the steelers, maybe just need a bit more representation when in Wollongong, with wearing red away moreso

 

[AdelaideSharky]

Correct, but other that the word Illawarra in the title and away strip here and there, there's bugger all in that form of the steelers, maybe just need a bit more representation when in Wollongong, with wearing red away moreso

The old Steelers jersey should be the away one and for WIN Stadium home games imo.

The old Illawarra logo on the sleeve like Wests does with the magpie too.

As it is that club should be playing all their games in Wollongong imo.

 

[Perth Red]

Problem is corporates are in Sydney not Wollongong. So they need a foot in both regions. St George is the iconic branding but Wollongong is going to be their home when the new centre at innovation campus is finished.
Ideally they’d play 7games at WIN and 5 select games at allianz With reciprocal membership deal. These games should be V souths, roosters, eels, tigers, bulldogs. Gives Sydney dragons fans value 10 game sydney membership and gong fans a 7 game local membership
Heritage round game v sharks at kogorah if they have to.