NRL2 Second Division

[siv]

Conferences are unnecessary anyway. Clubs already play their main rivals twice but some others just once. Just keep it as a 18/20/22/24 team comp with one ladder and creatively “double up” the big match ups like we already do.

No need to overcomplicate it, it’s not like it’s currently a full home & away completely “fair” system.

What I do find a benefit of a pool system

The teams you play in the opposite pool can have a home / away arrangement over 2 seasons

Todays format it never happens

 

[MugaB]

What I do find a benefit of a pool system

The teams you play in the opposite pool can have a home / away arrangement over 2 seasons

Todays format it never happens

Yes this, pool system is probably a better name of it, where as conferences seem to be more insular, and are more to do with toping within that conference, rather than climbing the whole ladder... to me its just about the draw only... if there is a way to justify why certain teams play each other once or twice a year

 

[AdelaideSharky]

..& lose some of biggest fan bases in NRL for 6k Perth fans

GROTD is a numpty, glad I blocked that clown ages ago.

 

[Perth Red]

NRL second division discussion for those interested.

If we had the money and if it made more sense than current reserve grade set up then I'd go two conferences, north and south. Ten clubs in each conference. Max player payment of $150k ish a year, priority licenses for clubs not currently in NRL club area. Platform to grow the game in new areas like NZ and Fiji, 2 clubs from PNG, WA and SA then a smattering of existing non tied QRL and NSW cup clubs. Min stadium criteria, NRL grant around $3-4mil a club.

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

If I ran the game I would look at introducing these changes:

Run two national competitions, with a premier league called "NRL" and a second division called "NRL1".

Rationale Sydney.

Introduce Adelaide, Perth and Wellington.

Provide Brisbane with a north vs south derby.

Increase game day squads to twenty-two with up to nine players on the interchange bench, with four being interchanges and the other five used as replacements.

If we wish to generate more money from broadcast rights between 2023 and 2028 we'll need to create a competition like this as we have nothing else to sell. No one is going to pay extra for an 18 team NRLW.

 

[Foreign Legion]

Whos got Gina Rheinharts number?

 

[Perth Red]

NRL second division

Northern Conference
PNG
Fiji
Tonga
Sunshine Coast
Central Queensland
+ 5 other QRL clubs

Southern Conference
Perth
Wellington
Christchurch
Gosford
Melbourne
Wollongong
Jets
Bears
Mounties
Regional Western NSW

$2mill salary cap, $3mill NRL2 Grant, $5mill total club expenditure cap.

 

[Colk]

NRL second division

Northern Conference
PNG
Fiji
Tonga
Sunshine Coast
Central Queensland
+ 5 other QRL clubs

Southern Conference
Perth
Wellington
Christchurch
Gosford
Melbourne
Wollongong
Jets
Bears
Mounties
Regional Western NSW

$2mill salary cap, $3mill NRL2 Grant, $5mill total club expenditure cap.

This has to be a minor league, not a third grade competition.

Continuing on the discussion from the other thread but if this competition is played by blokes who aren’t good enough to play reserve grade, then you can market it however you like but it’s a third grade competition.

If you remove reserve grade and allow these teams to have movement between this competition and first grade, then it could work. You could also play it midweek to generate interest.

 

[MugaB]

This has to be a minor league, not a third grade competition.

Continuing on the discussion from the other thread but if this competition is played by blokes who aren’t good enough to play reserve grade, then you can market it however you like but it’s a third grade competition.

If you remove reserve grade and allow these teams to have movement between this competition and first grade, then it could work. You could also play it midweek to generate interest.

Summer league

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

We cannot have a competition like this if we also have NRL reserve grade.

 

[Perth Red]

This has to be a minor league, not a third grade competition.

Continuing on the discussion from the other thread but if this competition is played by blokes who aren’t good enough to play reserve grade, then you can market it however you like but it’s a third grade competition.

If you remove reserve grade and allow these teams to have movement between this competition and first grade, then it could work. You could also play it midweek to generate interest.

That doesnt solve the problems we have now though, fans not interested in a non legit comp, new cliubs not aligned with an NRL club not being able to join and clubs just existing to be feeders, exactly as it is at moment. If the NRL reserve grade was a mix of U21's and fringe first teamers then they are not in competition with each other and this becomes a legit second tier comp. No one will even watch or care about reserve grade beyond the club so there will be no perception of NRL2 being 'third grade'.

 

[Perth Red]

We cannot have a competition like this if we also have NRL reserve grade.

No reason why we cant. There's probably 100 plus ex NRL players currently playing in Europe who would not be in current 'reserve grade' system but could be playing in this comp. Arguably of better quality than most of whats currently running around in QRL and NSW cup.
Reserve grade should be for the talented kids coming out of U18's/U20's and the 10 or so fringe 1st team players to play in to keep developing and keep match fit if needed for first team.

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

No reason why we cant. There's probably 100 plus ex NRL players currently playing in Europe who would not be in current 'reserve grade' system but could be playing in this comp. Arguably of better quality than most of whats currently running around in QRL and NSW cup.
Reserve grade should be for the talented kids coming out of U18's/U20's and the 10 or so fringe 1st team players to play in to keep developing and keep match fit if needed for first team.

It would be like the BRL between 88 and 97. The best players would be plucked out of it at a young age to play reserve grade for an NRL club, where no one gets to see them play bar a few hundred people who bother to turn up early on game day.

I'd rather see these players ply their trade in a genuine second tier competition. An NRL squad should be no bigger than 25 and the season reduced to 18 rounds to avoid player burn out. Increase the interchange bench so all 25 can get game time, or at least have 22 of the 25 eligible for game time.

With the HIA being a major factor in every game we need to get away from having just 4+1 interchanges because it doesn't cover all positions. We're the only sport that I can think of that doesn't provide back up for all players in the event of injury. If some one from the backline gets injured then a forward has to go into the backline, which usually leads to two or three positions getting repositioned and buggering the forward rotation. For example, if a winger gets knocked out then the centre will go to wing and a second rower will go to centre. If a halfback gets taken out them a second rower, lock forward or fullback will go to pivot. It ruins contests and is a crowd killer that turns viewers away.

 

[Dark Corner]

But what would get bums on seats a Manly Reserve grade game or a 2nd Division Mackey Cutters 1 st grade game on a Friday evening or Sunday afternoon.
Me I would support a club not a 2nd team.

 

[Perth Red]

It would be like the BRL between 88 and 97. The best players would be plucked out of it at a young age to play reserve grade for an NRL club, where no one gets to see them play bar a few hundred people who bother to turn up early on game day.

Few are watching QRL or NSW cup now. No one wants to watch a rigged contest (except wrestling fans weirdly)

 

[Colk]

That doesnt solve the problems we have now though, fans not interested in a non legit comp, new cliubs not aligned with an NRL club not being able to join and clubs just existing to be feeders, exactly as it is at moment. If the NRL reserve grade was a mix of U21's and fringe first teamers then they are not in competition with each other and this becomes a legit second tier comp. No one will even watch or care about reserve grade beyond the club so there will be no perception of NRL2 being 'third grade'.

You obviously don’t know how a minor league works because you keep fixating on this idea that is exactly the same as the current QLD Cup. It is not.

If you reduce the NRL squad to 25 for example these players playing in this minor league comp wouldn’t be NRL contracted. They could be picked up via transfer/loan/trade etc by any NRL club and that’s the point.

The only way your idea works is like a minor league. Nobody is going to follow a third grade however you want to class it (which it is)

 

[Canard]

Few are watching QRL or NSW cup now. No one wants to watch a rigged contest (except wrestling fans weirdly)

Nobody wants to watch 2nd tier sport in Australia, as our population is too small and the market is saturated at the top end.

Rigged contest has nothing to do with it.

 

[Canard]

No reason why we cant. There's probably 100 plus ex NRL players currently playing in Europe who would not be in current 'reserve grade' system but could be playing in this comp. Arguably of better quality than most of whats currently running around in QRL and NSW cup.

That's because the ESL is better quality then the NSWRL and QRL, and there is enough money there to make it attractive.

Players of this quality aren't going to play for the Mandurah Pirates for $50k a season when the can earn 10 times playing for Hull or Huddersfield.

 

[TheGrifter]

No reason why we cant. There's probably 100 plus ex NRL players currently playing in Europe who would not be in current 'reserve grade' system but could be playing in this comp. Arguably of better quality than most of whats currently running around in QRL and NSW cup.
Reserve grade should be for the talented kids coming out of U18's/U20's and the 10 or so fringe 1st team players to play in to keep developing and keep match fit if needed for first team.

I think the idea of a full 17 team NRL reserve grade is dead - QRL don't want it and they have killed it. The compromise was this proposed reserve grade knockout cup, which would involve all NRL clubs at reserve grade strength plus stand-alone Qld / NSW Cup sides.

 

[Colk]

I think the idea of a full 17 team NRL reserve grade is dead - QRL don't want it and they have killed it. The compromise was this proposed reserve grade knockout cup, which would involve all NRL clubs at reserve grade strength plus stand-alone Qld / NSW Cup sides.

Thank god on the first thing. Hopefully they work out a better solution with the existing NSW and QLD Cup sides not directly aligned with the NRL sides