Phil Rothfield- Nine Sydney teams is too many

[POPEYE]

You quote Jabba IBM like he's the only person who could have envisaged the scenario or stated the obvious . . . you need to come up with quotes from people with a more discerning imagination

 

[butchmcdick]

 

[Galeforce]

lol...I don't mean to be rude but some posters are obviously 'armchair' business owners.
Some clubs are run better than others, that's all, but overall I feel the game is strengthening...Sharks are coming good.
As others have said it's just about how it's run, Rothfield is just talking crap.

Smith has the right idea, all clubs must be financially stable when the next club is introduced...so that when the new club inevitably struggles, there is something to fall back on.
More clubs = more revenue, yes this is true but it's also more expenses and RISK.
And, you can't just expect a new club to come in and turn the same numbers as a well established club, it doesn't work like that.

Perth is the last place I'd think the NRL would expand, Brisbane's 2nd team should be next - This is strong heart land, increasing population, financial availability....then the revenue off this can then start to think about WA.
Even this is still a few years away.

To pull off a Perth team requires a lot of planning and stability and the game isn't anywhere near that.
PR you seem to think the NRL is rolling in cash lol.

I think you are taking an armchair view.
Most likely this would have been a view of some AFL folks when they decided to include Sydney Swans into the AFL a couple of decades ago.You cannot plan for a team to be fully planned/ fully stable when going into opposition heartland.
NRL needs "financial" backers in Perth ( i think they have that) , they need a stadium ( they have that , better than Tigers/Manly / Sharks home grounds for starters) , they need attendance ( they have shown from the limited games played there over the recent years).
This is a sound base to start developing the game which will take at least a decade to further grow junior teams into local population. this takes time , to penetrate schools/weekend competitions. Having a presence there by having a senior team , is the best way to support this junior development. It will not work the other way.

Investment in a Perth team , expands the game as a truly National game East to West , right now it is an Eastern Australian sport only.This would increase TV viewer audience potentials as well as Sponsor promotion interest.The NRL spending any money to prop up a Perth startup is wiser than propping up a Tigers team in Sydney for starters.

If Perth cannot get the financial backers to keep a team in perth i would be surprised. I travelled to Perth many times when the NRL started the Perth team there in the 90's and was surprised by the local interest there at the time.The decision to cut the Perth team was a short term political decision to close the Super war.It was dumb and short sighted.

 

[Saint Doc]

I'm not against a Perth team but everyone has to stop thinking about it in terms of dots on a map.

Yes, the other 4 sports have gone a "dots on the map" approach, but it doesn't always work.

The AFL is doing well...but would they be doing better if they expanded to WA-3, Tassie or Bendigo rather than GC-GWS?

The soccer folk put dots on a map at NQLD and GC...in retrospect was that a better idea than the Wanderers and Melbourne City who took their place? Obviously no

Super Rugby have put dots on a map with their franchises. Again, nice theory. But would West Sydney, Central Coast, NSW Country etc been more successful options than say Rebels?

If Perth is the place that will grow the game financially the best, then go for it. But if Brisbane2, NZ2, CQ, or a Pacific Nation will do that better, then I don't care if all our dots are on one side of Australia. Has the Perth dot made soccer or union more popular than league?

 

[Galeforce]

I'm not against a Perth team but everyone has to stop thinking about it in terms of dots on a map.

Yes, the other 4 sports have gone a "dots on the map" approach, but it doesn't always work.

The AFL is doing well...but would they be doing better if they expanded to WA-3, Tassie or Bendigo rather than GC-GWS?

The soccer folk put dots on a map at NQLD and GC...in retrospect was that a better idea than the Wanderers and Melbourne City who took their place? Obviously no

Super Rugby have put dots on a map with their franchises. Again, nice theory. But would West Sydney, Central Coast, NSW Country etc been more successful options than say Rebels?

If Perth is the place that will grow the game financially the best, then go for it. But if Brisbane2, NZ2, CQ, or a Pacific Nation will do that better, then I don't care if all our dots are on one side of Australia. Has the Perth dot made soccer or union more popular than league?

dots matter when there is a population and infrastructure around that dot.
Perth population just hit $2m ( same as brisbane) and is the fastest growing capital city in Australia. Why would you not want to invest your game in that. Important to get there and start getting the youngsters into the game , that requires a NRL team there to support investment in the growth of juniors , which takes time.


http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/wes...y/news-story/7ddd25a210184b7c344a7dc00d7b48f5

 

[coolumsharkie]

This f**king bullshit again? Rothfield and every other merkin who keeps bringing this up can go f**k themselves.

Let's look at the recent history of the current 9 Sydney clubs 1998-2015 (the NRL era; the result of 3 mergers, 2 clubs being killed off, and one coming back).

Canterbury - 2004 Premiers; 1998, 2012*, 2014* runners-up; 2003, 2006, 2009 preliminary finalists; 1999, 2001, 2007, 2013, 2015 finalists.

Cronulla - 1999*, 2001, 2002, 2008 preliminary finalists; 2000, 2005, 2012, 2013, 2015 finalists.

Manly - 2008, 2011 Premiers; 2007*, 2013* runners-up; 2012 preliminary finalists; 1998, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014 finalists.

Parramatta - 2001*, 2009 runners-up; 1998, 1999, 2000, 2005*, 2007 preliminary finalists; 2002, 2006 finalists.

Penrith - 2003* Premiers; 2004, 2014 preliminary finalists; 2000, 2010 finalists.

Souths - 2014 Premiers; 2012, 2013 preliminary finalists; 2007, 2015 finalists.

St. George-Illawarra - 2010* Premiers; 1999 runners-up; 2005, 2006 preliminary finalists; 2001, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2009*, 2011, 2015 finalists.

Sydney Roosters - 2002, 2013* Premiers; 2000, 2003, 2004*, 2010 runners-up; 1998, 2014*, 2015* preliminary finalists; 1999, 2001, 2008 finalists.

Wests Tigers - 2005 Premiers; 2010 preliminary finalists; 2011 finalists.

* = minor premiers

7 of 9 Sydney teams have won a Premiership since the last time the media and Queenslanders went full genius about culling Sydney teams. The two that didn't have combined for 2 grand final appearances, 3 minor premierships, and 9 preliminary final defeats.

But of course we know media memory only goes back 6 months (except for the Queensland media, which never forgets the slightest perceived injustice emanating from Sydney), and an all-Queensland Grand Final clearly means Rugby League in Sydney is dead and there should only be 4 teams in Sydney.



I hope you never see a Perth team come to reality. You don't deserve it for your constant sniping and death-riding of existing teams. Now f**k off and learn what a shower is.

Quality post. Especially the last bit.

 

[Russell Crowe's Band]

Rothfield.
he's a worse advertisement for the shire than the riots.

anyway. I hope the tiges come good

perth will get a team eventually dunno when. have to for the TV factor

 

[otori]

Christchurch Quakes. Jesus that's a great name.

Can't wait till we add the Port Arthur Bullets and Darwin Cyclones.

 

[Lambretta]

Buzzard Rothfield is on to something for once in his ill spent life. Wests Tigers needs to be liquidated.

Next we need to move a Sydney team to Cairns. The Far North Queensland Sharks would be the best decision ever made.

Cronulla Sutherland could then merge with St George-Illawarra to make up a mighty Combined Southeast Sydney-Illawarra South Coast.

Add Perth Reds, Brisbane Bombers and Wellington Orcas immediately and you have the best 18 team footy competition in Australia.

In five years time add Adelaide Crows and PNG Hunters and you have a masterpiece of 20 team international club football competition

In ten years time you add Fiji Bati and Christchurch Christians and you have a powerful 22 team competition. Rename it the South Pacific Rugby League.

In fifteen years time add a fourth south Queensland team and a central Queensland team and you have the ideal 24 team international competition.

Far out, you know nothing about Rugby League in Australia
Firstly you want games played in a swamp (Cairns)

Then you don't even know that the Adelaide's team are called the f**king Pandas

https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/...1yEKTsSEhEouM946h2gXDYLF6DwDq8c5IVE8pT2dbcqgA

 

[LineBall]

100% on the money with this comment. Super League and the Swans and Waraturds gutted the Support for Manly on account of fan disillusionment and we went from one of the best attended to our current state. No management team has sought to fix this problem however, which is a shame. There are an absolute truckload of Manly fans on both the beaches and the North Shore that need proper engaging, and the club should be held to account for that. We've got the numbers for a decent following, but no one is tapping in to it.

Culling the Tigers is madness, but it's probably time to bite the bullet and move lockstock to a big staduium and wear the consequences for a decade or so.

T-BA, would the Eagles be better off in the future rebranding as, God forbid, a Northern Sydney or North Sydney team? I know that most bears fans would not switch loyalty to the Eagles, but they have the whole area north of the bridge that they should be targeting as their support base. Linking themselves to the Manly area only could be alienating potential fans in the future. Representing a larger area may also give them some bargaining power with future stadium deals etc.

 

[Bobby DIGital]

Rothfield is correct at the crux of the matter. But like another poster said, he's only bringing this up now cos his Sharks have risen from the most eligible team to be relocated.

I would like to see 2 teams relocated. One has to come from Western Sydney. 4 clubs is too many for the region, despite the large fan bases of Wests, Parra & The Dogs.

The other team to be relocated would be either Cronulla or Manly. Although Manly are the only team in the northern part of Sydney, so ideally you'd like to keep them. But their stadium is in need of the bulldozer Bozo Fulton said he wished ran over Harrigan. Or was it a cement truck? Either way, they need both of them at Brookvale.

I don't see it happening unless things get extremely dire for one of these clubs. If the NRL relocated a club with a large fan base, it would set them back a few years. They'd lose the majority of that club's fan base and have to start over. I don't think they'll risk it anytime soon.

The closest they can get is to slowly transition the Dragons into a team playing 12 home games in Illawarra. If they do that, they could structure the draw so the Dragons get 8 away games in Sydney. That way their fans could follow them around the city. The NRL could do the same thing with Manly and Gosford, but their fans don't want to travel over the bridge.

Each club has it's own advantages and disadvantages. It would be a tough decision.

 

[Perth Red]

I'm not against a Perth team but everyone has to stop thinking about it in terms of dots on a map.

Has the Perth dot made soccer or union more popular than league?

Hello Dave G! Its not about "dots on a map" or "fishing where the fish are" lol. Putting a team in Adelaide next season would be a dot on the map exercise. Continuing to build on the strongest state for RL outside NSW and Qland with a quickly growing population with a time defined goal of launching an NRL club there is just good strategic business planning.

Answer to your last question is yes absolutely. Jnr Union playing numbers tripled since Force admitted, WA Gvt has built them a $12million state of the art centre of excellence base, they are now hosting at least one Wallabies game a year and the media profile has for Union has grown significantly. Until we got the SG ball team we were losing all our top 16-18 year old RL jnrs to their academy. So yes the ARU investing ion Union in WA and the admission of the Force into the soon to be Super 18 has had a significant growth impact for that game, sadly.

Soccer has always been popular here but before Sage took over and did his best to destroy the Glory with his poor management they were one of the biggest clubs in Australian soccer and jnr soccer numbers are bigger than any codes in WA.

 

[Captain Apollo]

The other team to be relocated would be either Cronulla or Manly. Although Manly are the only team in the northern part of Sydney, so ideally you'd like to keep them. But their stadium is in need of the bulldozer Bozo Fulton said he wished ran over Harrigan. Or was it a cement truck? Either way, they need both of them at Brookvale.

It was a cement truck.

 

[Perth Red]

Seems Smith agrees with Slothfield lol.

BUZZ: But you’ve got too many Sydney clubs. That’s why the crowds aren’t growing.
SMITH: Yes, they’ve been there a long time.
BUZZ: You’re going to have to make a tough call one day.
SMITH: What we’re doing with the clubs is working with them closely. It’s no secret the majority are not profitable. We’re looking at funding models now. The litmus test will be in about 10 years when we have the stadiums and the right funding.

 

[DiegoNT]

It's no secret that their is too many sydney teams.
It's how do we go about fixing that problem without losing a mass of fans and in some cases a huge junior base.
Mergers, relocation and straight exemption have already in the past shown to be ineffective.

 

[The Rosco]

It's no secret that their is to many sydney teams.
It's how do we go about fixing that problem without losing a mass of fans and in some cases a huge junior base.
Merges, relocation and straight exemption have already in the past shown to be ineffective.

English class wasn't one of your favourites, was it Diego ?

 

[roostersrule2]

English class wasn't one of your favourites, was it Diego ?

He's a Souffs fan, man.

He's trying.

 

[DiegoNT]

He's a Souffs fan, man.

He's trying.

Thanks
Honestly i loved school
Grade 2 was the best 3 years of my life

Didn't like high school though. Souths got the wooden spoon both years i was in grade 8

 

[alien]

T-BA, would the Eagles be better off in the future rebranding as, God forbid, a Northern Sydney or North Sydney team? I know that most bears fans would not switch loyalty to the Eagles, but they have the whole area north of the bridge that they should be targeting as their support base. Linking themselves to the Manly area only could be alienating potential fans in the future. Representing a larger area may also give them some bargaining power with future stadium deals etc.

they could have always stayed as northern eagles and continued playing home games at gosford and brooky, even if norths weren't a part of it

 

[siv]

Rothfield is correct at the crux of the matter. But like another poster said, he's only bringing this up now cos his Sharks have risen from the most eligible team to be relocated.

I would like to see 2 teams relocated. One has to come from Western Sydney. 4 clubs is too many for the region, despite the large fan bases of Wests, Parra & The Dogs.

The other team to be relocated would be either Cronulla or Manly. Although Manly are the only team in the northern part of Sydney, so ideally you'd like to keep them. But their stadium is in need of the bulldozer Bozo Fulton said he wished ran over Harrigan. Or was it a cement truck? Either way, they need both of them at Brookvale.

I don't see it happening unless things get extremely dire for one of these clubs. If the NRL relocated a club with a large fan base, it would set them back a few years. They'd lose the majority of that club's fan base and have to start over. I don't think they'll risk it anytime soon.

The closest they can get is to slowly transition the Dragons into a team playing 12 home games in Illawarra. If they do that, they could structure the draw so the Dragons get 8 away games in Sydney. That way their fans could follow them around the city. The NRL could do the same thing with Manly and Gosford, but their fans don't want to travel over the bridge.

Each club has it's own advantages and disadvantages. It would be a tough decision.

Why not Easts ? No juniors with only Politis going for them