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

[Santino Patane]

Why? If you’re a gun 16 year old in Rockhampton you’ll be spotted and signed to an nrl club same as now. If you keep developing and shine at 22 in the new national comp you’ll get a reserve grade contract at an nrl club. Nothing changes as long as theres good scouting, connections still.

Do you think a Nicho Hynes would get picked up if it were all in house with an NRL club? Maybe they 16yo won’t be missed in your proposed Reggie’s/2nds but will the later bloomer get through? My instincts say no.

 

[mongoose]

That's way too simplistic.

Assuming that it's got the right business partners and support from broadcasters and/or streaming services, I have no doubt that a national second division RL competition (or Aussie Rules for that matter) could be a more successful product than some other sports.

I'd back, e.g., North Sydney Bears vs Wynnum Manly to both out rate and out draw the Macarthur Bulls vs CC Mariners or Illawarra Hawks vs Brisbane Bullets for example, or any programs that broadcaster are putting on TV before the footy on a weekend, assuming that the competition they are playing in has a good structure and is promoted well.

But that's just the problem; even if you ignore the fact that the NRL is notoriously anti-entrepreneurial, and that such a competition would be expensive to set up and take time to bare fruit, I highly doubt that they have it in them to structure it properly or promote it well. They'd insist on the NRL clubs fielding teams in it for example, which would be instant death of the competition as a commercial product, because people would be primed to treat it as a poor man's NRL instead of it's own unique thing.

Also, despite ample evidence of well run lower tiers being highly successful in other nations (soccer pyramids for example), the media in this country seems to be convinced that there's no interest in anything other than the top tier when it comes to sport. So that'd be another hurdle.

I am all for a national 2nd tier comp made up of QLD cup, Non NRL branded NSW cup and expansion clubs. With a reserve grade its going to basically be a 3rd tier comp though. I just think this reserve grade comp is going to suck a lot of money out of the game with not much left to grow anything underneath the NRL clubs.

 

[Wb1234]

I am all for a national 2nd tier comp made up of QLD cup, Non NRL branded NSW cup and expansion clubs. With a reserve grade its going to basically be a 3rd tier comp though. I just think this reserve grade comp is going to suck a lot of money out of the game with not much left to grow anything underneath the NRL clubs.

Why is having stronger nrl clubs a bad thing ?

Having continuous stream from juniors to first grade

and ideally all games played on one day

 

[Colk]

I am all for a national 2nd tier comp made up of QLD cup, Non NRL branded NSW cup and expansion clubs. With a reserve grade its going to basically be a 3rd tier comp though. I just think this reserve grade comp is going to suck a lot of money out of the game with not much left to grow anything underneath the NRL clubs.

Exactly what the model should be.

Put them in two seperate divisions to reduce costs, have these sides able to trade and transfer between the NRL sides like a true minor league and hey presto you have the second tier or division

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

@Reflector laughing at my post about Greater Sydney not producing the bulk of the game's best players during the late 70s/80s and 2000s/10s sums up the delusion that runs through the veins of NSWRL fans. Queensland dominated Origin in the 80s with players who were produced in the late 70s. Queensland dominated Origin from 2006 until a few years ago. It's embarrassing how New South Welshmen dispute these irrefutable facts. Peter Sterling was a Queenslander from TOOWOOMBA and a mainstay of the 80s Blues.

NSW had only ever managed to win three series in a row. Queensland won eight straight.

 

[Perth Red]

The current regime is pulling money from all levels beneath NRL and NRLW. It will make life difficult for many regional clubs. I suspect registration costs will rise and price a lot of kids out of the game.

Registration costs are covered by and large by state govt's who offer voucher schemes for kids sport.
In Qlnd for example the Govt pay $150 towards kids registration fee costs.

 

[Perth Red]

Do you think a Nicho Hynes would get picked up if it were all in house with an NRL club? Maybe they 16yo won’t be missed in your proposed Reggie’s/2nds but will the later bloomer get through? My instincts say no.

If he was tearing it up in NRL2 then yes I'm sure he'd be offered a contract with an NRL club.

 

[Colk]

If he was tearing it up in NRL2 then yes I'm sure he'd be offered a contract with an NRL club.

It would be less of a chance, much less. For example they would pick up a reserve grader from another club before they would pick up a third grader.

 

[Perth Red]

It would be less of a chance, much less. For example they would pick up a reserve grader from another club before they would pick up a third grader.

but surely if he was showing promise in the NRL2 he would be signed up to reserve grade next? No different to now really except hed move club rather than just move contract.

 

[Colk]

but surely if he was showing promise in the NRL2 he would be signed up to reserve grade next? No different to now really except hed move club rather than just move contract.

That’s the thing though you are adding another barrier when you don’t need to. It would require a fair degree of capital investment and commensurate wages to convince a player to stay in a third grade competition who misses out on getting picked up by a NRL club when they are over the age of 20, when they could just play Rugby Union or better yet play in the Super League.

The idea of a seperate third grade competition just doesn’t make much sense when you could just expand or reconstruct the current second grade competitions and provide that with better investment. The whole national RG idea is essentially akin to the 6 again fiddling.

 

[RL The greatest game]

For the NRL to expand further there is going to have to be a big increase in junior playing numbers. Some clubs need to step up with junior development.

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

Registration costs are covered by and large by state govt's who offer voucher schemes for kids sport.
In Qlnd for example the Govt pay $150 towards kids registration fee costs.

How long have they been doing this?

 

[Perth Red]

How long have they been doing this?

long time, it same in every state with value varying between $100-200. NSW for example gives out two $100 vouchers so kids can take part in two sports a year. I think in most states its ltd to low income families (who have health card or pension concession card) NSW looks like its for anyone (well done to them!)

 

[Reflector]

@Reflector laughing at my post about Greater Sydney not producing the bulk of the game's best players during the late 70s/80s and 2000s/10s sums up the delusion that runs through the veins of NSWRL fans. Queensland dominated Origin in the 80s with players who were produced in the late 70s. Queensland dominated Origin from 2006 until a few years ago. It's embarrassing how New South Welshmen dispute these irrefutable facts. Peter Sterling was a Queenslander from TOOWOOMBA and a mainstay of the 80s Blues.

NSW had only ever managed to win three series in a row. Queensland won eight straight.

Settle down mate, I was laughing at your assumption that NSW could never win 8 series in a row. Likewise, you claimed (a while back) that the 1986 Wynnum team would definitely have beaten the likes of Canterbury, Souths or Parramatta in a combined competition that season. While I agree they would've been up there in a combined comp in '86, imagine somebody stating "Yeah nah, Wynnum would've been no match for the top NSWRL teams that year". Sounds a bit...arrogant?

Qld had great teams in the 80's, and I would actually put their 88-89 squad above any of the 2006-2013 sides based on the quality of the NSW teams they beat.

Then in the 90's the tables turned and (had it not been for the disruption of the SL war, of which Gus was heavily involved in) NSW most likely would've won 6 in a row between 1992 and 97, possibly 98 too if injuries hadn't hobbled their line-up going into the decider.

Then in the mid 2000's the likes of JT, Slater, Cronk, Smith, Inglis all hit their strides as players and were the driving force between the Maroons' streak.

We now see signs of a (still) relatively young NSW crop of players with a big future ahead of them. Whose to say NSW couldn't win 8 series in a row?

That is, of course, if the NRL allowed it. One-sided blowouts would kill ratings, especially north of the border. As a purist, I've seen more than a few matches over the years that felt scripted, and both sides have benefited at different times, depending upon the narrative.

But in a fair dinkum contest where it's genuinely "let the best side win"? No reason whatsoever, based on the odds, to think the Blues couldn't win 8 in a row. My hope is if it happens, they clinch #8 in Townsville. Would have a glorious symmetry to it.

 

[Canard]

See my post from July quoted below for a bit of a reality check for those with recency bias

Fair enough. I know the feeling well.

A lot is made of the 8 in a row, but 1990 to 2005 was pretty grim for QLD fans, only 3 outright series wins in 15 years (and 2 draws)

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

See my post from July quoted below for a bit of a reality check for those with recency bias

I never said Queensland dominated Origin in the 90s and early 00s.

I said Queensland produced the best players in the late 70s and 80s plus 00s and 10s. The core of players from the dominant Queensland team of 1980-1990 was coming through the grades in the late 1970s. The dominant Queensland side that won 8 straight from 06-13 came through the ranks in the early 00s. You cannot just list the years they won the shield when they were dominating the junior competitions for years.

 

[Santino Patane]

If he was tearing it up in NRL2 then yes I'm sure he'd be offered a contract with an NRL club.

But it would be less likely. Having additional layers to get to might stymie a talents second go. Nicho made it because he caught the eye of the Falcons (Storm feeder) coach whilst playing for Mackay, after his initial run through development squads failed in NSW.

From the little I have known from in house conversations with my own NRL club, NRL development is almost exclusively about identifying young talent and pulling through their own system. What the QLD Cup model does is give much more variety of streams of talent to enter close to NRL grade. Also, (and much more importantly), it gives regions that will never have NRL teams a chance to connect to the NRL.

If I were to be so bold and throw my thoughts out, if the current system had to change (which I’m not convinced it needs to be), I would have no NRL teams in second grade, but build direct relationships with locations not already in, much like what the Storm have successfully done with Sunny Coast and Easts Tigers. Do it in Colks Minor league style and give the fans of divisions something by splitting in two, with a condensed full season go into a larger playoff. Align it all to empower/enable QRL and NSWRL to keep the bodies much closer to the people in strength.

 

[mongoose]

See my post from July quoted below for a bit of a reality check for those with recency bias

95 and 2001 were basically flukes as well. NSW had much better teams those years....

 

[The Penguin #6.]

WA bid success! Perth to remain Australia’s Home of Hockey​

Friday, 2 December 2022

• McGowan Government and Hockey WA put forward winning $135 million proposal to retain Australia's High Performance Hockey Program
• Curtin facility will now be transformed into a world-class, purpose-built hockey centre
• New stadium will have seating for up to 10,000 spectators

The McGowan Government has been successful in its bid to keep Hockey Australia's High Performance Program in Perth.

Hockey Australia today announced Western Australia was successful over two other shortlisted states, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory.

So Hockey Australia put having their High Performance program in your state out to tender and lo and behold W.A. trumps everyone with a $135m bid.

Christ, so how much is a multi-million dollar generating NRL club with the added bonus of more Test matches, Indigenous, Magic etc. etc. in your state. Bloody hell I`ll be pissed if we don`t get on this W.A. Gov`t gravy train.

 

[Bukowski]

WA bid success! Perth to remain Australia’s Home of Hockey​

Friday, 2 December 2022

• McGowan Government and Hockey WA put forward winning $135 million proposal to retain Australia's High Performance Hockey Program
• Curtin facility will now be transformed into a world-class, purpose-built hockey centre
• New stadium will have seating for up to 10,000 spectators

The McGowan Government has been successful in its bid to keep Hockey Australia's High Performance Program in Perth.

Hockey Australia today announced Western Australia was successful over two other shortlisted states, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory.

So Hockey Australia put having their High Performance program in your state out to tender and lo and behold W.A. trumps everyone with a $135m bid.

Christ, so how much is a multi-million dollar generating NRL club with the added bonus of more Test matches, Indigenous, Magic etc. etc. in your state. Bloody hell I`ll be pissed if we don`t get on this W.A. Gov`t gravy train.

But vlandys says its a rusted on afl state. No other sport could possibly survive there.