Rank the Brisbane bids

[Diesel]

I suspect there is more than just 4 bids.
Going by what we know;
Firehawks
Dolphins
Western Corridor
....
Daylight
....
Bombers

 

[flippikat]

My thoughts at this stage...

1 - Brisbane Firebirds.
I can't find many negatives. A good north-south rivalty with Broncos and orange-dominated colours is pretty distinctive (especially given the Wests Tigers seem reluctant to use orange). Even though it springs from a Qld Cup club, I haven't heard a lot of anti-Easts sentiment.. so they seem well positioned to reach beyond their core supporter base.

2 - Western Corridor / Jagera / Jets
I like the aboriginal theme to their bid.. done well, it could be the Aussie version of the Warriors (only with more wins... hehehe). The fact they're wanting to play out of Suncorp is a big plus.. if the NRL puts a 2nd Brisbane team anywhere else than Suncorp, it's crazy.
Love the prospect of a green team in the NRL that's not bright lime green, and not green battling with red.
The only drawbacks I can see is suburban-isation and the ownership structure.
Maybe they could be a little too suburb-centric for a 2nd team.. but I have a suspicion that if they get the nod, they'll try a similar north-south positioning to a Broncos/Firebirds rivalry, but maybe as a north-east/south-west skew. The community ownership idea is risky and unproven in the NRL too, and surely that gives League HQ some pause for thought.

Then a fair gap back to...

3 - Brisbane Bombers
I don't doubt these guys have financial nous.. but the branding - everything from the AFL-clone name, to the nondescript logo, to the murky colours - is horrid. Their best bet is to unite with one of the two above and add their money & management smarts to a far better branded bid - or if they're determined to go it alone, find some branding that's inspiring!!

4 - Redcliffe Dolphins
I'm not saying no - just "not now". If the 2nd Brisbane-area team is one of the 3 above - especially if its Jagera or Firebirds, setting up north/south of the river as a rivalry - then the THIRD team to join those two should be the Dolphins, splitting games between Redcliffe & Sunshine Coast - with derbies at Suncorp.
Now is not the time to bring in a club that's waaaay up the north side of the city, but once there's two teams in Brisbane, they could have a role as a regional club, akin to St George-Illawarra reaching south from Sydney to Woollongong.

 

[blue bags]

bring in 2 new Brisbane teams, with broncos, titans, cowboys, will be 5
18 teams, 9 games a week, Brisbane done, and roasting, move on
Brisbane can deal with it, the centre of rugby league
then Perth, Adelaide, 20 teams
10 games a week. its easy
sorted

 

[flippikat]

bring in 2 new Brisbane teams, with broncos, titans, cowboys, will be 5
18 teams, 9 games a week
then Perth, Adelaide, 20 teams
10 games a week. its easy

If they added Firebirds or Jagera (either could be the South side team, even if one skews south-west), and Redcliffe (covering Sunshine Coast too), SE Qld is set.

It's a pretty compelling idea. Question is can the region handle 2 new top tier teams at once?

 

[Reflector]

1) Redcliffe:

Geographically makes the most sense (locks in the northside of Brisbane/ Peninsula/ Sunshine Coast for a junior base and also a support base long-term). Dolphins could split their home games between Dolphin Oval and Suncorp, with the lower drawing games going to Dolphin Oval and the bigger half of the fixtures (vs Broncos, Cowboys, Souths, Bulldogs, Tigers etc) at Suncorp

2) Firehawks:

Like Redcliffe, admitting a QRL side to the NRL is a great step for the NRL in Qld. Presents Brisbane with a team who have a real point of difference to the Broncos and will offer a great alternative for those who follow RL in Brisbane/ SEQ but never liked the Broncos for being too "corporate"

3) Western Corridor:

Geographically makes sense, but population-wise there's not enough in this area to warrant support. Also going against this bid is it has no ties to the games' traditions in Qld or Brisbane pre-Broncos so will struggle for a real point of difference to the Broncos.

4) Brisbane Bombers:

A plastic franchise competing for the same area and market as the Broncos, but with no history and little to distinguish it from the Broncos. The only real plus to this bid is having more games at Suncorp. I could easily see the Bombers bid becoming the NRL equivalent of Melbourne City in the A-League: in the shadow of their much more successful neighbours and (for the most part) a "who gives a f**k" fixture. The Central Coast Bears make more sense than the Bombers.

 

[blue bags]

If they added Firebirds or Jagera (either could be the South side team, even if one skews south-west), and Redcliffe (covering Sunshine Coast too), SE Qld is set.

It's a pretty compelling idea. Question is can the region handle 2 new top tier teams at once?

you could have 3 south east Queensland. Brisbane games on the weekend
Friday, Saturday. Sunday,
saturated , sorted
the fans would love it, same for TV

 

[The Great Dane]

2 - Western Corridor / Jagera / Jets
I like the aboriginal theme to their bid.. done well, it could be the Aussie version of the Warriors (only with more wins... hehehe). The fact they're wanting to play out of Suncorp is a big plus.. if the NRL puts a 2nd Brisbane team anywhere else than Suncorp, it's crazy.
Love the prospect of a green team in the NRL that's not bright lime green, and not green battling with red.
The only drawbacks I can see is suburban-isation and the ownership structure.
Maybe they could be a little too suburb-centric for a 2nd team.. but I have a suspicion that if they get the nod, they'll try a similar north-south positioning to a Broncos/Firebirds rivalry, but maybe as a north-east/south-west skew. The community ownership idea is risky and unproven in the NRL too, and surely that gives League HQ some pause for thought.

Then a fair gap back to...

Unless something has changed, which it might have in the time since I had a good look at their bid, they've always planed to petition the government to build them a stadium closer to home. Last I remember they were talking about Springfield.
So in their perfect world playing at Suncorp would only be temporary.

Also there's absolutely nothing Indigenous about Jets lol.

3 - Brisbane Bombers
I don't doubt these guys have financial nous.. but the branding - everything from the AFL-clone name, to the nondescript logo, to the murky colours - is horrid. Their best bet is to unite with one of the two above and add their money & management smarts to a far better branded bid - or if they're determined to go it alone, find some branding that's inspiring!!

The only thing 'bad' about their brand is that the name is already used by Essendon, aside from that it'd be one of better thought out pro-sports brands I've ever seen.

Orange and blue are literally the same colours that the Firehawks plan to use and I don't see what is 'murky' about them, and there's nothing nondescript about their logo at all, in fact if they get the nod it'd be one of the better thought out and interesting logos in Australian sport.

The real problem with their brand seems to be that most Australians these days are so ignorant of their own history that they don't know who Charles Kingsford Smith is and as such don't understand the symbology of the logo, but you can't really blame the Bombers for that can you.

 

[flippikat]

The only thing 'bad' about their brand is that the name is already used by Essendon, aside from that it'd be one of better thought out pro-sports brands I've ever seen.

Orange and blue are literally the same colours that the Firehawks plan to use and I don't see what is 'murky' about them, and there's nothing nondescript about their logo at all, in fact if they get the nod it'd be one of the better thought out and interesting logos in Australian sport.

.

Yeah they're also blue and orange, but the dark (almost navy) blue veers them into the same space as the huge number of black & navy -dominated teams we already have. That's what I mean by murky. If the Firebirds are keen on something closer to royal blue (as a trim colour for home & main colour for alternate), then IMO that stands them away from Tigers, Panthers, Roosters, Cowboys, Storm with their navy or black designs.

The orange of the Bombers bid appears to be a lot more burnt-orange than the Firebirds too. I'm not a fan of that.

Yes, the Warriors, Bulldogs and Eels have mid or royal blue as a main colour, but it's a much less crowded space.

As far as the logo & Kingsford-Smith go, I honestly think it's lost on a lot of people - especially outside Brisbane. IMO It just doesn't have the immediacy of the other bid names/logos. As they say in politics, "if you're explaining, you're losing".

 

[flippikat]

Unless something has changed, which it might have in the time since I had a good look at their bid, they've always planed to petition the government to build them a stadium closer to home. Last I remember they were talking about Springfield.
So in their perfect world playing at Suncorp would only be temporary.

Also there's absolutely nothing Indigenous about Jets lol.

Heres my source: article recently on NRL.com says Jagera plan on playing at Suncorp, nothing to suggest it's a temporary home either..

https://www.nrl.com/news/2020/06/08/nrl-expansion-team-could-have-indigenous-name/

From what I gather the transport (especially public transport) links are good between Ipswich and Suncorp, so that could be their home ground with no problem.

As an aside, I wonder if the stadium owners would look at changing the seat colours to something a bit more 'club neutral' if/when the Broncos share that home ground?

As for the name, I imagine they'd go the same route as Brisbane Easts Tigers (Qld cup to *hopefully* NRL) and Port Adelaide Magpies (SAFL to AFL) before them, and adopt a formal bid name that's not the Jets - not out of HAVING to avoid duplicating an existing team (as the other two have), but because they WANT to distinguish the branding as separate to the Qld Cup team as an outreach beyond their Ipswich base.

 

[Marlins]

1.Dolphins
2. Western Corridor
3. SQLD Crushers
4. Fire hawks
5. Brothers
6.The bears
7. Bombers

 

[The Great Dane]

Heres my source: article recently on NRL.com says Jagera plan on playing at Suncorp, nothing to suggest it's a temporary home either..

https://www.nrl.com/news/2020/06/08/nrl-expansion-team-could-have-indigenous-name/

From what I gather the transport (especially public transport) links are good between Ipswich and Suncorp, so that could be their home ground with no problem.

As an aside, I wonder if the stadium owners would look at changing the seat colours to something a bit more 'club neutral' if/when the Broncos share that home ground?

From your own source-

"We are happy to play out of Suncorp Stadium until the State and Federal Government believe it is justifiable to put a new stadium out where there is going to be 700,000 people," Johnson said.

They're still looking to get their own stadium built, they're just reading the room and being coy about it.

As for the name, I imagine they'd go the same route as Brisbane Easts Tigers (Qld cup to *hopefully* NRL) and Port Adelaide Magpies (SAFL to AFL) before them, and adopt a formal bid name that's not the Jets - not out of HAVING to avoid duplicating an existing team (as the other two have), but because they WANT to distinguish the branding as separate to the Qld Cup team as an outreach beyond their Ipswich base.

They've shown no interest in replacing the Jets brand, and I doubt that they ever will because part of the reason why Ipswich agreed to merge their bid with the Western Corridor bid was because they agreed to keep the Jets brand.

If there were serious talk about a new brand the Jets wouldn't have agreed to the joint bid.

 

[The Great Dane]

Yeah they're also blue and orange, but the dark (almost navy) blue veers them into the same space as the huge number of black & navy -dominated teams we already have. That's what I mean by murky. If the Firebirds are keen on something closer to royal blue (as a trim colour for home & main colour for alternate), then IMO that stands them away from Tigers, Panthers, Roosters, Cowboys, Storm with their navy or black designs.

The orange of the Bombers bid appears to be a lot more burnt-orange than the Firebirds too. I'm not a fan of that.

Yes, the Warriors, Bulldogs and Eels have mid or royal blue as a main colour, but it's a much less crowded space.

Mate, the difference in shade between their colours is at best negligible, and as such if you are going to argue that the Bombers colours are bad because they clash with half the teams in the league then you have to argue the same for the Firehawks, because they're going to clash with them as well.

As far as the logo & Kingsford-Smith go, I honestly think it's lost on a lot of people - especially outside Brisbane. IMO It just doesn't have the immediacy of the other bid names/logos. As they say in politics, "if you're explaining, you're losing".

Branding isn't politics, and that saying is an indictment on the average voter, not the politician.

Branding is about having something interesting that draws you in, and there's nothing more interesting than a good story, and Kingsford-Smith, his connection to Brisbane, and his history, is a good story.

 

[Pippen94]

Mate, the difference in shade between their colours is at best negligible, and as such if you are going to argue that the Bombers colours are bad because they clash with half the teams in the league then you have to argue the same for the Firehawks, because they're going to clash with them as well.

Branding isn't politics, and that saying is an indictment on the average voter, not the politician.

Branding is about having something interesting that draws you in, and there's nothing more interesting than a good story, and Kingsford-Smith, his connection to Brisbane, and his history, is a good story.

It's not 1950 anymore - Brisbane is a diverse place with people from all backgrounds particularly the fast growing southern part. Branding should appeal to all demo graphics

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

Yeah they're also blue and orange, but the dark (almost navy) blue veers them into the same space as the huge number of black & navy -dominated teams we already have. That's what I mean by murky. If the Firebirds are keen on something closer to royal blue (as a trim colour for home & main colour for alternate), then IMO that stands them away from Tigers, Panthers, Roosters, Cowboys, Storm with their navy or black designs.

The orange of the Bombers bid appears to be a lot more burnt-orange than the Firebirds too. I'm not a fan of that.

Yes, the Warriors, Bulldogs and Eels have mid or royal blue as a main colour, but it's a much less crowded space.

As far as the logo & Kingsford-Smith go, I honestly think it's lost on a lot of people - especially outside Brisbane. IMO It just doesn't have the immediacy of the other bid names/logos. As they say in politics, "if you're explaining, you're losing".

The last time I heard the name Kingsford-Smith was when I was a kid back in the 90s.

The Bombers could make their bid stronger by taking on the Diehards name of Valleys. Brisbane Diehards sounds much better. Valleys wore royal blue and were the most successful club in the history of Australian rugby league. They could keep Kingsford-Smith as the logo or use an armoured warrior like Valleys. I wouldn't use Kingsford-Smith as it will be lost on most people.

.

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

It's not 1950 anymore - Brisbane is a diverse place with people from all backgrounds particularly the fast growing southern part. Branding should appeal to all demo graphics

Agree. There's no better history to fall back on than the BRL and its clubs. Kingsford-Smith doesn't resonate with modern rugby league fans in Brisbane. Putting him on the logo was a stupid move.

It's best to let the people of Brisbane decide what brand they want to support. They're the ones who will be asked to give up their time and money to support the club. Opinions from people who live thousands of kilometres away is all well and good, but they don't know the local culture and they're not going to have any emotional or financial investment in the club.

 

[flippikat]

Mate, the difference in shade between their colours is at best negligible, and as such if you are going to argue that the Bombers colours are bad because they clash with half the teams in the league then you have to argue the same for the Firehawks, because they're going to clash with them as well.

Branding isn't politics, and that saying is an indictment on the average voter, not the politician.

Branding is about having something interesting that draws you in, and there's nothing more interesting than a good story, and Kingsford-Smith, his connection to Brisbane, and his history, is a good story.

I find the difference between the Bombers logo shades of blue and orange and the mock-up Firehawks jersey much more than "negligible" - but that's the rub, two people may not see the same shades in the same way. (The way that the same turquoise can be called blue by someone, and green by someone else). It's awfully subjective, so I can only call it as I see it.

As far as branding goes, you have a point - interesting can pull people in.. but we're talking about a sports team here, not a documentary or museum exhibition - I think the average fan is gonna want something more immediate, more universal, more INSTANTLY understood.

 

[flippikat]

(re: Jets NRL bid playing out of Suncorp)

They're still looking to get their own stadium built, they're just reading the room and being coy about it.

(Re: replacing Jets name with something else for the NRL bid)

They've shown no interest in replacing the Jets brand, and I doubt that they ever will because part of the reason why Ipswich agreed to merge their bid with the Western Corridor bid was because they agreed to keep the Jets brand.

If there were serious talk about a new brand the Jets wouldn't have agreed to the joint bid.

Fair points, but I have to say if they play the first couple of seasons at Suncorp, then retreat to their own digs in Ipswich it'd better be a damn good stadium - because the gameday revenue from Suncorp surely would be compelling.

As far as the name goes, yeah that does kinda baffle me.. "Jagera Jets" kinda cuts across itself.. is it Indigenous, or is it planes?? It's a muddle.. and one that they really need to iron out. I don't sense the degree of dislike for the Jets that I do for the Dolphins, so maybe they could appeal pretty widely? *shrugs* It just seems right now that the Firebirds bid seems the best bet.

 

[Pippen94]

Redcliffe & Easts bids being held to different standards. Yes Easts will change branding but everybody will still know they're Easts & still be seen as same inner city club. Easts hope to attract support in large area south of river which is home to at least 4 BRL teams depending how you look at it. Same posters are criticizing Dolphin's aim to represent Morton Bay which has no top flight team in any sport - aside from dolphins - & is probably made up of many redcliffe fans

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

Redcliffe & Easts bids being held to different standards. Yes Easts will change branding but everybody will still know they're Easts & still be seen as same inner city club. Easts hope to attract support in large area south of river which is home to at least 4 BRL teams depending how you look at it. Same posters are criticizing Dolphin's aim to represent Morton Bay which has no top flight team in any sport - aside from dolphins - & is probably made up of many redcliffe fans

I put the Dolphins' bid at the front of the queue for this reason. A team up in Moreton places zero pressure on the Titans and helps create a beach side derby between the two. It will get more people going to NRL games if Dolphins Stadium is upgraded. A family who lives in the Sunny Coast will be unlikely to attend 12 games a year at Lang Park, but they might make the journey down To Redcliffe to see the Dolphins.

 

[blue bags]

I put the Dolphins' bid at the front of the queue for this reason. A team up in Moreton places zero pressure on the Titans and helps create a beach side derby between the two. It will get more people going to NRL games if Dolphins Stadium is upgraded. A family who lives in the Sunny Coast will be unlikely to attend 12 games a year at Lang Park, but they might make the journey down To Redcliffe to see the Dolphins.

thats right , its about the fans , crowds, family's . kids , then sponsors , and after that winning games, the future brighter