NRL2 Second Division

[siv]

Without introducing a conference system to the NRL what hypothetically what would be the maximum number of teams competing in the NRL be?

18 teams? 20 teams? 22 teams?

18 team

2 9 team pools - Sydney / Regional

Each pool plays home & away in one season and the opposite home & away over two years

Played over 25 rounds

Top 8 finals

 

[Brian potter]

18 team

2 9 team pools - Sydney / Regional

Each pool plays home & away in one season and the opposite home & away over two years

Played over 25 rounds

Top 8 finals

Top 8 finals with 4 teams from each conference?

 

[Colk]

18 team

2 9 team pools - Sydney / Regional

Each pool plays home & away in one season and the opposite home & away over two years

Played over 25 rounds

Top 8 finals

That favours Sydney teams way too much

 

[Brian potter]

That favours Sydney teams way too much

Would fans of the Sydney and regional sides tire of playing derby games every week?

I think a healthy balance of splitting the NSW teams up would be the best approach.

Repetitive derby games has taken its toll in super league for example.

 

[Colk]

Would fans of the Sydney and regional sides tire of playing derby games every week?

I think a healthy balance of splitting the NSW teams up would be the best approach.

Repetitive derby games has taken its toll in super league for example.

I don’t like conferences in the NRL. In a second division if you wanted to link up the QLD Cup and NSW Cup then that’s fine but for the NRL I think if you can’t play everybody twice then the fairest system is to play each other once.

The biggest thing though with a Sydney/regional conference is that Sydney teams just don’t have to do anywhere near as much travel.

Say for example the next team is Perth then that conference would have to travel to WA. QLD, VIC and NZ home and away. Sydney teams would essentially travel less than half that. It’s never going to be perfect but you’re deliberately skewering it too much.

 

[Brian potter]

I don’t like conferences in the NRL. In a second division if you wanted to link up the QLD Cup and NSW Cup then that’s fine but for the NRL I think if you can’t play everybody twice then the fairest system is to play each other once.

The biggest thing though with a Sydney/regional conference is that Sydney teams just don’t have to do anywhere near as much travel.

Say for example the next team is Perth then that conference would have to travel to WA. QLD, VIC and NZ home and away. Sydney teams would essentially travel less than half that. It’s never going to be perfect but you’re deliberately skewering it too much.

A conference system in the NRL is only an option going forward as the competition expands beyond 18 teams and with Australian RL fans being apathetic towards P&R into a second Division below the NRL.

cities like Perth, Adelaide, Christchurch and Wellington etc alongside exploding populations in south east Queensland, Auckland and Melbourne even surely make it inevitable that the NRL could expand by anything from 4-6 sides in the next 20-30 years?

 

[TheGrifter]

I don't think conferences would work for the NRL. There's no split that really works well, and it would only be truly necessary if we go beyond 24 clubs or thereabouts.

 

[Brian potter]

I don't think conferences would work for the NRL. There's no split that really works well, and it would only be truly necessary if we go beyond 24 clubs or thereabouts.

How would a 20-22 team competition incorporate a play-off system?

top 8? Top 12?

a lot of teams could be playing for nothing and at a very early stage of the competition which could affect attendances.

 

[Colk]

A conference system in the NRL is only an option going forward as the competition expands beyond 18 teams and with Australian RL fans being apathetic towards P&R into a second Division below the NRL.

cities like Perth, Adelaide, Christchurch and Wellington etc alongside exploding populations in south east Queensland, Auckland and Melbourne even surely make it inevitable that the NRL could expand by anything from 4-6 sides in the next 20-30 years?

I would be very surprised if it went over 20 sides within that timeframe. If it did, it would require a fairly significant increase in the amount of talent coming from the Pacific Nations. There is growth to be gained from those areas, particularly PNG - for a country of nearly 9 million we don’t have a lot of PNG players in the NRL.

In terms of areas, I would target Perth and NZ most definitely. I am not sure about Adelaide - I think it would work but it is not a growing area. Another team in SEQ is a maybe as well as another Kiwi side for team 20. Maybe a relocation?

 

[Pippen94]

Yeah but the problem is the majority of our teams are in one city or one state. That is unlike America where you have one city teams which can be often be a few hours apart. Travel is felt by every team over there.

If you tried to copy that idea in the NRL you would be left with teams having a significant advantage/disadvantage regarding travel; particularly if you suggest a Sydney conference and a non Sydney conference which was thrown around when the idea come out last year.

Teams are disadvantaged now with so many sydney teams. In NFL conference teams have 3 divisional rivals they play twice. Rest are rotated over 4 seasons.

 

[Colk]

Teams are disadvantaged now with so many sydney teams. In NFL conference teams have 3 divisional rivals they play twice. Rest are rotated over 4 seasons.

You should be trying to minimise that disadvantage rather than reinforcing it.

 

[Pippen94]

I don’t like conferences in the NRL. In a second division if you wanted to link up the QLD Cup and NSW Cup then that’s fine but for the NRL I think if you can’t play everybody twice then the fairest system is to play each other once.

The biggest thing though with a Sydney/regional conference is that Sydney teams just don’t have to do anywhere near as much travel.

Say for example the next team is Perth then that conference would have to travel to WA. QLD, VIC and NZ home and away. Sydney teams would essentially travel less than half that. It’s never going to be perfect but you’re deliberately skewering it too much.

You don't understand conferences. None of you do but keep arguing

 

[Pippen94]

You should be trying to minimise that disadvantage rather than reinforcing it.

Sydney teams would play the same number of games against Sydney teams. You just don't understand conferences

 

[Pippen94]

I don't think conferences would work for the NRL. There's no split that really works well, and it would only be truly necessary if we go beyond 24 clubs or thereabouts.

NSW vs rest is perfect split. Conference final in Sydney & in Brisbane when qld team makes final makes perfect sense. Traveling grand final then brings money in. Not understanding conferences in probably why there's such opposition in Australia

 

[Colk]

Sydney teams would play the same number of games against Sydney teams. You just don't understand conferences

Instead of throwing insults at people (which you commonly do) how about coming with a cogent argument as to why a Sydney conference vs regional conference wouldn’t be reinforcing the disadvantages that teams outside of Sydney have regards to travel.

Take for example a 9 team Sydney conference vs a 9 team regional conference, a Sydney team would have to travel outside of Sydney only 5 times max in 25 games. A team outside of Sydney would have to travel between 12-13 times. How is that not a disadvantage?

This is why conferences wouldn’t work in the NRL. It is a dumb idea suggested by and for the benefit of Sydney teams.

 

[Perth Red]

Travel and tv coverage would heavily favour an all Sydney conference. Dumb idea, which doesn’t surprise me given who proposed it!

 

[Pippen94]

Instead of throwing insults at people (which you commonly do) how about coming with a cogent argument as to why a Sydney conference vs regional conference wouldn’t be reinforcing the disadvantages that teams outside of Sydney have regards to travel.

Take for example a 9 team Sydney conference vs a 9 team regional conference, a Sydney team would have to travel outside of Sydney only 5 times max in 25 games. A team outside of Sydney would have to travel between 12-13 times. How is that not a disadvantage?

This is why conferences wouldn’t work in the NRL. It is a dumb idea suggested by and for the benefit of Sydney teams.

4 team divisions

 

[MugaB]

NSW vs rest is perfect split. Conference final in Sydney & in Brisbane when qld team makes final makes perfect sense. Traveling grand final then brings money in. Not understanding conferences in probably why there's such opposition in Australia

No its not, its a terrible idea, you need to make conferences as even as possible, having a conference full of sydney teams is no better than what used to happen back when nswrl and brl were around, all the talent from elsewhere came to the sydney teams...
Conference should split sydney in half geographically using latitude...north of accor stadium in one conference, south of accor stadium in the other, that way every sydney side still has to travel to melbourne, auckland and act regardless within their own conference, or Qld far north Qld and possibly perth in the other conference, instead of the bulk of sydney vs sydney and fk all interstate and the other is full travel... not fair

I made a map of this split last week

And depending on who the 18th team is, you can shift the tigers to the north conference if it was an NZ team or Adelaide etc
But for the moment i just made the 18th team as the Perth Bears

 

[Pippen94]

No its not, its a terrible idea, you need to make conferences as even as possible, having a conference full of sydney teams is no better than what used to happen back when nswrl and brl were around, all the talent from elsewhere came to the sydney teams...
Conference should split sydney in half geographically using latitude...north of accor stadium in one conference, south of accor stadium in the other, that way every sydney side still has to travel to melbourne, auckland and act regardless within their own conference, or Qld far north Qld and possibly perth in the other conference, instead of the bulk of sydney vs sydney and fk all interstate and the other is full travel... not fair

I made a map of this split last week
View attachment 65827
And depending on who the 18th team is, you can shift the tigers to the north conference if it was an NZ team or Adelaide etc
But for the moment i just made the 18th team as the Perth Bears

No its not, its a terrible idea, you need to make conferences as even as possible, having a conference full of sydney teams is no better than what used to happen back when nswrl and brl were around, all the talent from elsewhere came to the sydney teams...
Conference should split sydney in half geographically using latitude...north of accor stadium in one conference, south of accor stadium in the other, that way every sydney side still has to travel to melbourne, auckland and act regardless within their own conference, or Qld far north Qld and possibly perth in the other conference, instead of the bulk of sydney vs sydney and fk all interstate and the other is full travel... not fair

I made a map of this split last week
View attachment 65827
And depending on who the 18th team is, you can shift the tigers to the north conference if it was an NZ team or Adelaide etc
But for the moment i just made the 18th team as the Perth Bears

Everybody assuming teams would play everybody in conference twice. That doesn't happen in NFL. Just play 3 divisional rivals twice. Can rotate fixtures to even out process. Teams like Townsville & Perth etc will deal with this anyway. Nothing is truly far

 

[Colk]

Everybody assuming teams would play everybody in conference twice. That doesn't happen in NFL. Just play 3 divisional rivals twice. Can rotate fixtures to even out process. Teams like Townsville & Perth etc will deal with this anyway. Nothing is truly far

Again what’s the point? There is really nothing to be gained from this conference idea.

Get to 20 teams and play each other once. If you want to make it 20 rounds make the last round based on the results of the previous 19 rounds.