http://www.nzherald.co.nz/league/news/article.cfm?c_id=79&objectid=10790261
The Warriors' new ownership team has made every post a winner so far, even if the opening day extravaganza at Eden Park fell flatter than a wayward skydiver as the Manly Sea Eagles made Brian McClennan's side pay for a stream of errors.
Owen Glenn and Eric Watson are an odd couple but they have been united and equal in the business of making sensible public statements over the past week.
Their pronouncements are spot on - not only hitting the mark, but choosing the right marks to hit. In a matter of days, they have exposed the New Zealand Rugby Union for the poorly run anachronism that it is, reignited the vital stadium debate, and now stirred the campaign to get a second NRL side in this country.
How refreshing to hear these influential owners getting involved in important debates - the charismatic new part-owner Glenn is a natural in this department and a welcome addition to the sporting landscape, but Watson has been disappointingly remote since taking over a beleaguered club more than a decade ago.
When the new ownership deal was announced, Watson delivered the first blow, pushing for Auckland to "get the stadium it deserves" and questioning why Dunedin has one while the major city doesn't.
Influential people need to keep pushing this point, and not only in public. Dare it be said here yet again, but professional sport in Auckland will never soar to the heights possible until this disaster of a stadium situation is sorted out.
Glenn then weighed in, stating the blindingly obvious in criticising a lack of corporate nous and professionalism in the flailing NZRU, specifically over its ham-fisted attempts to attract private money.
He followed that up with a call for a second NRL team to be established in New Zealand, revealing he had already talked to the Australians and also a "consortium" - headed by former NZRU chief executive David Moffett - that wanted to base a team in Christchurch.
The time is right for the NRL to strike here. The NRL is being run by a new independent commission which will have a great deal more broadcasting money to work with, even if some of the predictions around this new windfall may be exaggerated.
With the Warriors well established, having finally got their recruitment and development in order, a second team will establish a brilliant New Zealand rivalry and help the game rise throughout the country.
Whether Glenn should be involved in two franchises is debatable. Independent teams, with no conflicts of interest, would be preferable. A fierce rivalry will be all the better for not having a common owner.
Moffett is, to my mind, as good as any to lead a bid for a second NRL team.
For starters, he has remarkably wide experience, heading the NZRU, Welsh rugby and the NRL.
Unlike so many people involved with New Zealand rugby over the years, he also has the ability to communicate in a way that engages the public. Whether he has the right people around him remains to be seen.
However, Moffett's intention to station the team in Christchurch must be open to question. While it would be nice to think this is possible, the after effects and aftershocks of the earthquake tragedy cannot be ignored. There is no getting around the fact that a Christchurch-based team would struggle to get leading players and their families to live there, and there is no way that a new team will get off the ground without a platoon of imports. Indeed, there are no NRL-class players in Christchurch which means the entire squad would initially be imported.
Even some of the Crusaders rugby players and family members have been understandably twitchy about returning.
Oh, to be proved wrong on this count, of course. To appear to kick Christchurch while it is down is hardly a pleasant business. But there are too many uncertainties - including financial - regarding Christchurch.
At the very least, there should be hefty debate about where to situate a new team. Hamilton would be my choice. It has the best stadium in the country (along with Otago's glasshouse, although the new one in Christchurch will be ideal), its proximity to Auckland would bring a host of benefits including in finance and player recruitment, and the Waikato and Bay of Plenty areas are a hotbed of football talent.
To promote the Christchurch option is a very New Zealand way of looking at what needs to be seen via an Australian perspective. There may be sentiment and politics attached from a New Zealand point of view, but it would be very surprising if the NRL regarded earthquake-ravaged Christchurch as an attractive option, let alone the automatic one.
The city does not have enough of a strong, deep-seated league history to overwhelm legitimate doubts or have even been an automatic choice in the first place.
