The financials for the Bulldogs don't stack up.
“The scheduling is so important for a club like the Bulldogs,” he said. “For us, like most Sydney clubs, you look at the draw and cross your fingers you play all your big Sydney rivals. From a commercial point of view, it can make or break your year depending on who you play.
“If you can guarantee you can play home and away against all the Sydney clubs, that makes a lot of sense for a club like Canterbury.”
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/sp...oumWoFlkJbkG-yGEVO8-BFRgvSgqTEX42vF2PgxQfXqKM
Bulldogs are wedged between Tigers territory. They have no room to grow and will get left behind over the coming decades. Ditto Sharks.
Roosters don't need to convert rusted-on Manly fans from Northern Beaches to absorb the area. Target the kids who don't have any animosity towards any clubs and in 20 years time their supporter base will double.
I'm thinking long term, which is what the game needs to do if it wants to thwart off AwFuL's incursions into Brisbane and Sydney.