NRL's growth mindset points to 18th team. And it ain't Perth.

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

Absolutely, totally & utterly 100% agree with you.

There's a place for suburban teams playing in rinky suburban grounds with hills & very little cover from the elements.

It's called 2nd tier.

About time the game's ambitions were higher than just being a Sydney comp with other clubs tacked-on.

Actually, the time for that change was the '90s, so we're well overdue.

You are correct.

The ARLC need to accept that it now has competition from AwFuL, soccer and to a much lesser extent, onionball for corporate support and fans. There's only a finite amount of diehard RL fans and that number appears to be shrinking. Sydney's NRL clubs are cannibalising one another to the benefit of other codes and they are struggling to survive.

Of the three teams in eastern Sydney, Roosters have the most security and are in the Australia'd most sought after real estate, so I would keep them. Manly should have been relegated to the NSW Cup decades ago. Let the Roosters become the team representing the rich affluent areas of the city, Northern Beaches and North Shore. Market them as Sydney's glamour club to make them appealing to every fence sitting snob from the Northern Beaches and North Shore. Then the Swans will finally have a team to compete with for the swinging fan.

Souths will probably go back to being battlers when Crowe calls it stumps. A Western Australian helped to resuscitate them, so send them over to Perth. They've played games there and the Rabbitoh gimmick fits in nicely with the anti-east coast sentiments that are popular in Perth. Labor just won a landslide over there by having a Premier who used this mindset to good effect. West Coast Rabbitohs can depict Western Australians as rabbitohs and east coasters as feral rabbits.

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

Illawarra had no choice financially and St George gained the south coast junior nursery. It was a no-brainer really.

All they did was delay the inevitable. Both clubs were dying. When they merged they became a powerful club, but since then they have gone back to being battlers. Relocation is probably their only option if their fortune doesn't turn around.

Sharks are in a strong position now that they're asset rich and have the potential to absorb the Southern Sydney/Illawarra area to become a mighty club.

 

[Perth Red]

All they did was delay the inevitable. Both clubs were dying. When they merged they became a powerful club, but since then they have gone back to being battlers. Relocation is probably their only option if their fortune doesn't turn around.

Sharks are in a strong position now that they're asset rich and have the potential to absorb the Southern Sydney/Illawarra area to become a mighty club.

Sharks are not asset rich, they've just sold off most of their assets as they were desperate for cash after years of running up big losses. If they can wisely use this new cash reserve to stave off their losses is yet to be seen. It certainly didn't help them in 2019 when they made a $3million loss. Its the best chance they will ever have of being a sustainable club but time will tell if they are smart enough or not. I certainy wouldn't say they are in a strong position to be taking overs territories.

 

[The_Frog]

All they did was delay the inevitable. Both clubs were dying. When they merged they became a powerful club, but since then they have gone back to being battlers. Relocation is probably their only option if their fortune doesn't turn around.

On field performance is to a certain degree cyclical, and they're going through a rough patch right now, but the brand is strong throughout the RL world.

Let the Roosters become the team representing the rich affluent areas of the city, Northern Beaches and North Shore. Market them as Sydney's glamour club to make them appealing to every fence sitting snob from the Northern Beaches and North Shore.

.

I like this idea, but not so sure Manly fans will go for it.

 

[Chief_Chujo]

All they did was delay the inevitable. Both clubs were dying. When they merged they became a powerful club, but since then they have gone back to being battlers. Relocation is probably their only option if their fortune doesn't turn around.

Sharks are in a strong position now that they're asset rich and have the potential to absorb the Southern Sydney/Illawarra area to become a mighty club.

I agree with a lot of what you post mate. But ditching one of the most storied and biggest brands in RL in favour of the f**king Sharks is quite the take.

 

[Jamberoo]

More kids play RL touch footy in victoria than kids play ozkick in nsw.

Do you have a source for that - I find it hard to believe, but am happy to be proven wrong.

I live in Melbourne and have never seen or heard of any kids playing touch RL. I thought it was a social thing for adults as I know a few older blokes that have given it a try (when I asked if it was league or union and they did not know which was amusing). There are no RL clubs anywhere near where I live so I have never seen anyone playing RL live in Victoria other than NRL/SOO.

Is there touch union as well? I googled Touch Football VIctoria and it seems Harlequin RU club is involved which is confusing.

 

[The Great Dane]

The thing is Perth and the other Sydney clubs including the Sharks, made the decision to go over to SL.Murdoch("I prefer AFL") would have been stuffed ,if they gave him the middle finger.The code would have had those mlllions in the Bank.
And we would have retained reasonably good leaders in Arko and Quayle to steer the good ship X111
If they hadn't, I doubt SL would have gotten off the ground and Perth would be still in the comp.

So the decision to create SL,(and we can argue whether before or after was worse) was the worst decision made in the code since its inception.
We had at times ordinary CEOS following.I'm still trying to figure out exactly what Moffett did, except pedalling a Malvern Star around France.

NO SL MEANT ,NO MASSIVE DISRUPTION, NO ROBBING OUR FORT KNOX,NO DISGRUNTLED FANS AND BEST OF ALL NO MURDOCH .You know it makes sense.

Somebody needs to read up on their history of the EPL lol.

No SL and the ARL has a crisis of clubs going bankrupt before 2000, and would be f**ked as a result anyway.

 

[Perth Red]

Do you have a source for that - I find it hard to believe, but am happy to be proven wrong.

I live in Melbourne and have never seen or heard of any kids playing touch RL. I thought it was a social thing for adults as I know a few older blokes that have given it a try (when I asked if it was league or union and they did not know which was amusing). There are no RL clubs anywhere near where I live so I have never seen anyone playing RL live in Victoria other than NRL/SOO.

Is there touch union as well? I googled Touch Football VIctoria and it seems Harlequin RU club is involved which is confusing.

Its highly unlikely, AFL throw a lot of money at Auskick and in Qlnd in 2019 had 29k kids take part. Touch only had 133 school teams in the schools comp and 30 jnr teams in its full comp.

Source: Touch tfa_annual-report-2020_12.pdf (touchfootball.com.au)
Auskick: AFL participation in Queensland reaches record high - AFL Queensland


Re union, yeh before the NRl got back into bed with Touch Footy the RFU tried to lay claim to it!

 

[Chief_Chujo]

Its highly unlikely, AFL throw a lot of money at Auskick and in Qlnd in 2019 had 29k kids take part. Touch only had 133 school teams in the schools comp and 30 jnr teams in its full comp.

Source: Touch tfa_annual-report-2020_12.pdf (touchfootball.com.au)
Auskick: AFL participation in Queensland reaches record high - AFL Queensland


Re union, yeh before the NRl got back into bed with Touch Footy the RFU tried to lay claim to it!

With the AFL numbers, if you so much as look at a sharon you are counted as a participant. This has been proven time and time again. They send development officers to primary schools for a few sessions and count every kid in the school as a "participant" in the offical numbers. They got spanked in Sydney trying to pull this grift years back when pushing for more ovals.

I've got no idea what the numbers for touch are in Vic. Can't imagine they are huge tbh. But quoting the AFL's participant numbers in NSW/QLD is useless in any comparison as they are full of shit.

 

[mongoose]

Its highly unlikely, AFL throw a lot of money at Auskick and in Qlnd in 2019 had 29k kids take part. Touch only had 133 school teams in the schools comp and 30 jnr teams in its full comp.

Source: Touch tfa_annual-report-2020_12.pdf (touchfootball.com.au)
Auskick: AFL participation in Queensland reaches record high - AFL Queensland


Re union, yeh before the NRl got back into bed with Touch Footy the RFU tried to lay claim to it!

I'm pretty certain there is no form of touch which has scrums or unlimited touches (union rules). Touch and oztag are both Rugby League offshoots, there is no touch rugby union.

 

[MugaB]

I'm pretty certain there is no form of touch which has scrums or unlimited touches (union rules). Touch and oztag are both Rugby League offshoots, there is no touch rugby union.

And line outs!!!

 

[LeagueXIII]

Do you have a source for that - I find it hard to believe, but am happy to be proven wrong.

I live in Melbourne and have never seen or heard of any kids playing touch RL. I thought it was a social thing for adults as I know a few older blokes that have given it a try (when I asked if it was league or union and they did not know which was amusing). There are no RL clubs anywhere near where I live so I have never seen anyone playing RL live in Victoria other than NRL/SOO.

Is there touch union as well? I googled Touch Football VIctoria and it seems Harlequin RU club is involved which is confusing.

I live in Melbourne also, I've never seen any kids play touch football.

 

[LeagueXIII]

Problem with Sydney rather then build it up to be strong, we want to clear everybody out.

 

[flippikat]

Problem with Sydney rather then build it up to be strong, we want to clear everybody out.

No. There's just two different perspectives on what it takes for Sydney to be strong.

Traditionalists argue that keeping all the current Sydney teams "as is" keeps Sydney strong.

Those of us who argue for rationalisation believe that quality over quantity is the way to keeping Sydney strong. A smaller number of clubs that are all financially sound.

That's not to say that if Sydney suddenly went down to 4 teams, they'd all be playing finals
footy every year.. form will still ebb and flow, and premiership windows will open and close, but the remaining Sydney clubs will be far better placed to financially weather a lean era.

 

[LeagueXIII]

Sydney HAS rationalised from 12 clubs to 8, Half each for tigers and dragons, and its weaker and you want to it to lose more.

Tradition has huge value.

We can have both growth and traditional clubs.

The AFL have done it right and look how they have grown.

 

[flippikat]

Sydney HAS rationalised from 12 clubs to 8, Half each for tigers and dragons, and its weaker and you want to it to lose more.

Tradition has huge value.

We can have both growth and traditional clubs.

The AFL have done it right and look how they have grown.

Not a valid comparison. AFL doesn't have regional teams like the Knights & Cowboys, nor does it have an NZ team.

To get the same sort of footprint in the state capitals as they do, PLUS keeping Sydney "as is", we'd need to go to 20+ clubs.

I'm not saying we get rid of regional clubs or Auckland - as they are the one thing we have over AFL, but it does put extra pressure on Sydney's competition profile.

 

[MugaB]

The ratio of sydney centric teams, to interstate/regional is half, if we expand to around 20 teams the ratio wont look as bad, its just perception really..
I personally think only one sydney relocation is needed, one that provides zero contribution to the league and its catchments, basically that of the whole greater sydney area, and thats the roorters, every other club either provides junior talent, and is productive in its area, or has a specific necessity for the league, whilst being an important cog in rugbyleague in sydney, all except for easts, who aren't nessesarly dependant on being in Sydney, they can be relocated and still be same as it ever was, no other club can survive a relocation, nor be successful without their catchment, and local memberships, i think 7 teams works in a 20 club competition, thats maybe 20 years from now

 

[mongoose]

No. There's just two different perspectives on what it takes for Sydney to be strong.

Traditionalists argue that keeping all the current Sydney teams "as is" keeps Sydney strong.

Those of us who argue for rationalisation believe that quality over quantity is the way to keeping Sydney strong. A smaller number of clubs that are all financially sound.

That's not to say that if Sydney suddenly went down to 4 teams, they'd all be playing finals
footy every year.. form will still ebb and flow, and premiership windows will open and close, but the remaining Sydney clubs will be far better placed to financially weather a lean era.

I am not even for forcing rationalization on Sydney. I just don't think the NRL should be trying to strengthen its heartlands at the expense of expanding to non-heartland areas. If people in NSW and QLD don't already follow League they never will.

 

[LeagueXIII]

Not a valid comparison. AFL doesn't have regional teams like the Knights & Cowboys, nor does it have an NZ team.

To get the same sort of footprint in the state capitals as they do, PLUS keeping Sydney "as is", we'd need to go to 20+ clubs.

I'm not saying we get rid of regional clubs or Auckland - as they are the one thing we have over AFL, but it does put extra pressure on Sydney's competition profile.

Geelong is a regional club.

The AFL has managed to protect the history of all their clubs, whilst also expanding.

RL should have done it the same way. Mergers never work. In hindsight we could have had the Bears on the CCoast. Tigers in Brisbane. Wests as they are.


Whats wrong with 20 Plus clubs....as i said grow the game

 

[LeagueXIII]

The ratio of sydney centric teams, to interstate/regional is half, if we expand to around 20 teams the ratio wont look as bad, its just perception really..
I personally think only one sydney relocation is needed, one that provides zero contribution to the league and its catchments, basically that of the whole greater sydney area, and thats the roorters, every other club either provides junior talent, and is productive in its area, or has a specific necessity for the league, whilst being an important cog in rugbyleague in sydney, all except for easts, who aren't nessesarly dependant on being in Sydney, they can be relocated and still be same as it ever was, no other club can survive a relocation, nor be successful without their catchment, and local memberships, i think 7 teams works in a 20 club competition, thats maybe 20 years from now

merge the roosters with the bears and call them the northern bears...norths bears for short....they can cover inner sydney...northern sydney...and central coast.