NRL state of play: NRLW Magic Round, expansion and pathways

[Perth Red]

I agree that the Qld Cup is a great comp with decent public interest.

But there are quite a few clubs that have ambitions of playing at a higher level, including the PNG Hunters.

The NRL is perfectly positioned to have a national second division, which could include PNG, Ipswich, Brisbane Tigers, Sunshine Coast, North Sydney Bears, Newtown Jets, Perth etc.

It would be a step up in professionalism from the current semi professional state leagues.

Sadly nrl won’t want to pay the bill or take any focus aw@y from the nrl by having a genuine national second division .

 

[Iamback]

National Rugby League reserves affiliations - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

This is the current state of affairs. As I said, I see Sydney clubs trying to get affiliated with qld cup teams as they need to get better pathways.

Roosters have their own NSW Cup team so that is wrong.

Linking up to send a few guys down for pre-season to then play those guys in a stand alone reserve grade could still happen with a National Reserve grade.

That is all most of those are.

 

[Iamback]

Expand from the current 15 teams?

Funding for QCup expansion should go towards setting up a team in Darwin or maybe a top grade team for Wide Bay Bulls, not muddying the waters with NRL branded reserve grade sides.

tell that to the QRL. I guess they want to keep those fringe guys in QCup

 

[jim_57]

tell that to the QRL. I guess they want to keep those fringe guys in QCup

“We were asked to be part of a review panel that included the NRL, QRL and Hostplus Cup sides when the Cowboys and Titans wanted to have teams in the Hostplus Cup," Hatcher said.

"The costings were done by the NRL. The project was delivered to the NRL, which included the need to fund the two additional sides.

"We said we needed an answer by June 30 but got rejected by Andrew Abdo. He keeps talking about 'vertical integration', which is a virtual NRL reserve grade that a handful of clubs in Sydney want, but the majority don't."
QRL Chairman


Sounds like Titans and Cowboys pushing it and the QRL asked for funding to cover it since it’s the NRL’s brain child. Last paragraph seems to indicate the QRL are against it.

 

[Iamback]

“We were asked to be part of a review panel that included the NRL, QRL and Hostplus Cup sides when the Cowboys and Titans wanted to have teams in the Hostplus Cup," Hatcher said.

"The costings were done by the NRL. The project was delivered to the NRL, which included the need to fund the two additional sides.

"We said we needed an answer by June 30 but got rejected by Andrew Abdo. He keeps talking about 'vertical integration', which is a virtual NRL reserve grade that a handful of clubs in Sydney want, but the majority don't."
QRL Chairman


Sounds like Titans and Cowboys pushing it and the QRL asked for funding to cover it since it’s the NRL’s brain child. Last paragraph seems to indicate the QRL are against it.

As I said. The alternative is both go to NSW Cup, So of course QRL want to get it done.

As for those 2 clubs, They are seeing the benefit from having reserve grade under the same umbrella.

It would be hard to get combinations etc across several teams

 

[jim_57]

As I said. The alternative is both go to NSW Cup, So of course QRL want to get it done.

As for those 2 clubs, They are seeing the benefit from having reserve grade under the same umbrella.

It would be hard to get combinations etc across several teams

More likely they’ve just seen the writing on the wall with the NRL wanting a reserve grade. The Queensland Cup system has worked fine until this latest brain fart has tried to reinvent the wheel for them.

Didn’t seem too hard when Broncos, Storm and Cowboys won their 11 combined premierships with fringe players spread across 2-3 QLD Cup feeder teams.

 

[Dogs Of War]

More likely they’ve just seen the writing on the wall with the NRL wanting a reserve grade. The Queensland Cup system has worked fine until this latest brain fart has tried to reinvent the wheel for them.

Didn’t seem too hard when Broncos, Storm and Cowboys won their 11 combined premierships with fringe players spread across 2-3 QLD Cup feeder teams.

Yep. And not everbody can afford to go to top flight NRL. $10 into a game at this level. Not every club kills the crowds but it's a good afternoon out. This sounds like a good way to take the game away from another level of supporter base and the QRL teams will end up like NSW Cup teams with no crowds and then less money and interest in what they are doing which in turn hurts those development clubs.

I don't see this having the outcome they want.

 

[Iamback]

More likely they’ve just seen the writing on the wall with the NRL wanting a reserve grade. The Queensland Cup system has worked fine until this latest brain fart has tried to reinvent the wheel for them.

Didn’t seem too hard when Broncos, Storm and Cowboys won their 11 combined premierships with fringe players spread across 2-3 QLD Cup feeder teams.

They did have NYC for a lot of that though. Those sides have no say over how the QLD Cup sides play. Meaning you have halfbacks coming in from a side playing a different style.

That is a big issue for someone like GC with such a young team

 

[Mike Oxbigg]

There is literally no advertising for NSW Cup. It was only yesterday I discovered that the Knights and Rabbits NSW Cup game was played a five minute walk from my house; if I had have known I would have been there.

 

[jim_57]

They did have NYC for a lot of that though. Those sides have no say over how the QLD Cup sides play. Meaning you have halfbacks coming in from a side playing a different style.

That is a big issue for someone like GC with such a young team

I’m sure the majority of fringe players likely to play any first grade games train with the first grade squad very regularly so I’m sure they don’t just forget the style when they play for QLD Cup teams. I’m also sure there would be some synergy between the NRL side and their feeder teams.

 

[siv]

He keeps talking about 'vertical integration', which is a virtual NRL reserve grade that a handful of clubs in Sydney want, but the majority don't."
QRL Chairman

I find this comment strange

If you look at from a NRL club perspective, we have 15 of 17 clubs aligned in that manner, with all clubs bar Redcliffe having played national RG or NYC at one stage

His comment is only valid from a Qld Cup perspective

I think the way forward would be for the Cowboys and Titans to just join the NSW Cup which is the defacto NRL reserve grade as the Storm plan to do next year

 

[Iamback]

I’m sure the majority of fringe players likely to play any first grade games train with the first grade squad very regularly so I’m sure they don’t just forget the style when they play for QLD Cup teams. I’m also sure there would be some synergy between the NRL side and their feeder teams.

I’m sure the majority of fringe players likely to play any first grade games train with the first grade squad very regularly so I’m sure they don’t just forget the style when they play for QLD Cup teams. I’m also sure there would be some synergy between the NRL side and their feeder teams.

Townsville is 4 hours from Mackay and Cairns, Not sure how that is suppose to build synergy?

Compare that to the other sides who have assistants aligned to the feeder sides.

Even Redcliffe. Teo is part of the Dolphin's setup

 

[jim_57]

Townsville is 4 hours from Mackay and Cairns, Not sure how that is suppose to build synergy?

Compare that to the other sides who have assistants aligned to the feeder sides.

Even Redcliffe. Teo is part of the Dolphin's setup

Or less than an hour flight, Blackhawks in the same town so not exactly hard to get the playing squad together. Like I said the majority of the first grade squad would train together regularly anyway and the Cowboys would have a close working relationship with the Cutters & Pride to monitor their contracted players. Hardly an issue that has stopped them having success nor the Broncos or Storm.

It’s an idea by Sydney for Sydney because their NSW Cup is pretty much already an NRL reserve grade. The QRL is obviously against it and rightly so because they’ve done well to expand their comp to be fully state wide comp with clubs in all the reasonably sized regional centres. This idea relegates teams that will never have a 1st grade team like Rockhampton, Cairns etc to 3rd grade while giving the places that already have a 1st grade side an obligatory 2nd grade side as well that hardly anyone will watch.

 

[Perth Red]

Or less than an hour flight, Blackhawks in the same town so not exactly hard to get the playing squad together. Like I said the majority of the first grade squad would train together regularly anyway and the Cowboys would have a close working relationship with the Cutters & Pride to monitor their contracted players. Hardly an issue that has stopped them having success nor the Broncos or Storm.

It’s an idea by Sydney for Sydney because their NSW Cup is pretty much already an NRL reserve grade. The QRL is obviously against it and rightly so because they’ve done well to expand their comp to be fully state wide comp with clubs in all the reasonably sized regional centres. This idea relegates teams that will never have a 1st grade team like Rockhampton, Cairns etc to 3rd grade while giving the places that already have a 1st grade side an obligatory 2nd grade side as well that hardly anyone will watch.

Does removing two or three nrl fringe players really diminish the QRL clubs and comp that much? If anything it will give it more credibility if its not falsely manipulated by whose got what NRLs club back ups playing that weekend.
If done right there could a genuine second grade comp in nsw and qlnd better than we have now (reserve grade isnt second grade really, no one cares about it)

 

[Iamback]

Or less than an hour flight, Blackhawks in the same town so not exactly hard to get the playing squad together. Like I said the majority of the first grade squad would train together regularly anyway and the Cowboys would have a close working relationship with the Cutters & Pride to monitor their contracted players. Hardly an issue that has stopped them having success nor the Broncos or Storm.

It’s an idea by Sydney for Sydney because their NSW Cup is pretty much already an NRL reserve grade. The QRL is obviously against it and rightly so because they’ve done well to expand their comp to be fully state wide comp with clubs in all the reasonably sized regional centres. This idea relegates teams that will never have a 1st grade team like Rockhampton, Cairns etc to 3rd grade while giving the places that already have a 1st grade side an obligatory 2nd grade side as well that hardly anyone will watch.

Hence the reason before this year they now only use Blackhawks as their reserve grade side.

They don't sene guys to the Cutters or the Pride.

Cowboys
Titans
Redcliffe

Will be in finals every year, The rest will be cashed up Brisbane teams, Is that any better for Cairns, Mackay etc then being in an equal slightly lower tier?

 

[jim_57]

Does removing two or three nrl fringe players really diminish the QRL clubs and comp that much? If anything it will give it more credibility if its not falsely manipulated by whose got what NRLs club back ups playing that weekend.
If done right there could a genuine second grade comp in nsw and qlnd better than we have now (reserve grade isnt second grade really, no one cares about it)

If we’re talking 18 NRL teams then that’s 324 a week taken out of NSW & QLD Cup. If anything there probably be more disruption to NSW & QLD Cup sides as players drop in & out. Those players will be fringe 2nd graders instead of fringe first graders now though.

 

[jim_57]

Hence the reason before this year they now only use Blackhawks as their reserve grade side.

They don't sene guys to the Cutters or the Pride.

Cowboys
Titans
Redcliffe

Will be in finals every year, The rest will be cashed up Brisbane teams, Is that any better for Cairns, Mackay etc then being in an equal slightly lower tier?

That move was a step towards the NRL’s planned reserve grade from memory. Some good it did the Blackhawks who finished 12th and it’s hardly helped the Cowboys this year for that matter.

Redcliffe have sent plenty of players to CQ this year too, they don’t seem too fussed on the “all players playing under the one umbrella” system.

 

[Perth Red]

If we’re talking 18 NRL teams then that’s 324 a week taken out of NSW & QLD Cup. If anything there probably be more disruption to NSW & QLD Cup sides as players drop in & out. Those players will be fringe 2nd graders instead of fringe first graders now though.

nsw cup is effectively nrl reserve grade, creating a new nsw cup that is a genuine second grade without nrl club interference and that incorporates the nsw regional cities would be a positive.

 

[Wb1234]

nsw cup is effectively nrl reserve grade, creating a new nsw cup that is a genuine second grade without nrl club interference and that incorporates the nsw regional cities would be a positive.

Merge it with qld cup

 

[Perth Red]

Merge it with qld cup

I think for cost and logistics you can keep them separate conferences under one brand.
10 teams in NSW and 10 teams in Qlnd. Add in Perth, Fiji, Wellington, Christchurch, Geelong, another PNG club etc into relevant conferences. Could still be a showcase for young talent for NRL clubs to scout from juts not NRL contracted players.