Rationalisation of Sydney

[Stallion]

North Sydney sea Eagles or just north Sydney eagles playing out of the north Sydney oval.

It just wouldn't work. These clubs are longtime historical rivals. This is very much a part of the fabric in this region. Traditional rivals are cherished and respected.

 

[Walter sobchak]

It just wouldn't work. These clubs are longtime historical rivals. This is very much a part of the fabric in this region. Traditional rivals are cherished and respected.

That’s fair enough but even to the extent of the bears not having a team or maybe even manly not having a team also?

 

[The Great Dane]

I absolutely hate it how we let TV dictate to us on expansion and rationalisation. I am also curious as to why a TV company would not want an extra game. Is it because they know and fear that Fox will likely get it? Or that, extra game maybe sold to another FTA network?

They're struggling financially because of the increasing competition from the internet, so if they can get away with the NRL rationalising the product and making it a more appealing product for advertisers without having to pay for the changes then they are all for it.

Because sport is the only thing on TV that's holding relatively steady ratings anymore I reckon that If push came to shove they or other broadcasters would be more than happy to pay for another match a week, but if they can get away with new clubs in the markets they prefer without having to pay anything extra for it then they'd be stoked, and I can't blame them for that.

 

[Stallion]

That’s fair enough but even to the extent of the bears not having a team or maybe even manly not having a team also?

Yes. It's a wrong fit for the code. These clubs thrive on their historical rivalry. It's a very cultural aspect with the northern Sydney area. Might add that the population of northern Sydney through to the Central Coast demands two top flight clubs.

 

[Walter sobchak]

Yes. It's a wrong fit for the code. These clubs thrive on their historical rivalry. It's a very cultural aspect with the northern Sydney area. Might add that the population of northern Sydney through to the Central Coast demands two top flight clubs.

Ideal world would see the bears back in the NRL playing out of north Sydney oval and the sea eagles moving upto the central coast.

 

[The Great Dane]

Relocations of the sort that are being discussed here are expensive, they are extremely damaging, and take an extremely long time to cement themselves if they do ever successfully cement themselves.

Outside of in markets that are so big that it doesn't matter if you disenfranchise half the fan base (e.g. large American cities) I've never heard of one being successful except maybe the Wasps RFC (though their situation is a little different to what is being talked about, and it's early days) and the Swans, and I'm not convinced that they Swans couldn't fall apart if they weren't constantly successful.

Unless it's a clean split (i.e. the clubs cut all ties with their old markets, go through full re-brands, etc) all you are going to achieve by relocating Sydney clubs or the Titans is disenfranchising everybody, and having a bunch of broke clubs all over the country with next to no fan base would leave the NRL worse off then the position that it's currently in.

 

[The Great Dane]

Ideal world would see the bears back in the NRL playing out of north Sydney oval and the sea eagles moving upto the central coast.

I don't know on what planet that would be an ideal world, but it's not the planet that we currently reside on.

In an ideal world the Sea Eagles would realise that being a suburban Manly club isn't sustainable anymore and that they need to refocus on engaging, and representing, the whole of Northern Sydney if they are going to be sustainable long term.

Any talk of another NRL club either in Sydney or within it's radius is madness that'll only lead to further splitting the fan base and sponsorship and corporate money, and thus weakening all the clubs in Sydney further.

You'd simply be trading 9 mostly small and unstable clubs in Sydney for 10 even smaller ones.

 

[Walter sobchak]

I don't know on what planet that would be an ideal world, but it's not the planet that we currently reside on.

In an ideal world the Sea Eagles would realise that being a suburban Manly club isn't sustainable anymore and that they need to refocus on engaging, and representing, the whole of Northern Sydney if they are going to be sustainable long term.

Any talk of another NRL club either in Sydney or within it's radius is madness that'll only lead to further splitting the fan base and sponsorship and corporate money, and thus weakening all the clubs in Sydney further.

You'd simply be trading 9 mostly small and unstable clubs in Sydney for 10 even smaller ones.

Ideally the dragons would move to Wollongong fulltime and 1 or more of wests, roosters and Canterbury relocate to Perth and Adelaide. That is if the NRL doesn’t expand to 18.

 

[BuderusIsaBeast]

Cronulla and Manly if deemed no longer good enough for the NRL should keep their identity and drop down to the NSW Cup.

Brisbane 2 and Perth should have their own identity.

NSW Cup could feature a strong core of old Sydney clubs who are simply not able to compete in a national competition.

North Sydney Bears, Newtown Jets, Manly Sea Eagles, Cronulla Sharks, Wests Magpies, Balmain Tigers

 

[Walter sobchak]

So do people expect expansion to come in the form of culling teams and or relocation rather than the NRL expanding to 18?

 

[taipan]

Several teams in the inner city area
Roosters, souths, dogs, dragons, cronulla, from ANZ to Allianz to
Kogarah, and to some extent tigers in Leichardt
Only really 3 in the west, parra, penrith, and tigers in parra and in campbelltown.
I'd be trying to bump 2 inner city teams
Souths, and Roosters

If Cronulla's inner west,I'm taking up latte sipping and getting a hyphenated surname and attending any protest march I think fit.In fact I'm getting a red bandana, and calling myself sh*t-head.

 

[taipan]

Cronulla and Manly if deemed no longer good enough for the NRL should keep their identity and drop down to the NSW Cup.

Brisbane 2 and Perth should have their own identity.

NSW Cup could feature a strong core of old Sydney clubs who are simply not able to compete in a national competition.

North Sydney Bears, Newtown Jets, Manly Sea Eagles, Cronulla Sharks, Wests Magpies, Balmain Tigers

And of course if other clubs not deemed good enough for NRL, the same will apply ? Not my club........
Say for example clubs currently at the top end of the ladder with a few lean years, losing money and crowds dwindling.I mean if the Knight's fans remain disillusioned and stay away in numbers than what?
Brisbane 2 may well end up with Titan's size crowds just to keep 9 happy.Hell Brisbane 1 have a whole town and player pick and they scraped into the 8.

Anyway it'll be good to see Sydney become a much weakened rugby league town.Then 9 will start crying about Sydney Tv ratings.
All these NSW Cup clubs with huge crowds, whose original fans have hardly followed en masse. Yep that'll solve the problem.

 

[MugaB]

If Cronulla's inner west,I'm taking up latte sipping and getting a hyphenated surname and attending any protest march I think fit.In fact I'm getting a red bandana, and calling myself sh*t-head.

Who said that, i mentioned that there was too many teams pocketed in the inner city area, from dogs, souths, easts, dragons and sharks. And to some extent tigers when in Leichardt.

Take out/relocate souths and easts, sydney actually is geographically spread out nicely, whilst dragons and sharks being the only two very close teams, more games in Wollongong, thins that out.
Id be seriously looking at central coast as a team, bears or otherwise but only after souths and roosters are relocated.

Again i cannot stress relocating a struggling team will not work, it has to be a team that is successful, that needs no direct junior/catchment ties, like the roosters or the storm (not that you would) i mean storm are basically in SEQ grabbing from the Qcup pool, and roosters bascally do the same in NSW,
Both teams could be based in Darwin and Adelaide, or Mars and it would be absolutely no different.
I think with Souths being where they are could benefit by being the Broncos rival,
If they become South Brisbane Rabbitohs too

 

[Stallion]

Ideally the dragons would move to Wollongong fulltime and 1 or more of wests, roosters and Canterbury relocate to Perth and Adelaide. That is if the NRL doesn’t expand to 18.

Expanding to 18 is the wise and prudent way to go!

 

[Stallion]

Ideal world would see the bears back in the NRL playing out of north Sydney oval and the sea eagles moving upto the central coast.

Yes. Geographically speaking. That makes sense. Historically speaking the Bears have a track record and some tangible signs of acceptance and intention with the Central Coast given the Superleague pressure of the past. Remembering a very well funded financial backer John Singleton was all for the Central Coast Bears but was frustrated by a 'sit on hands ' rugby league administration. At the time supporter groups and a fan base was being harnessed with momentum but the rugbyleague ignored this relatively win/win scenario for the code and its fans.

 

[mongoose]

I have my doubts that Brisbane would embrace a relocated Sydney team. Brisbane League fans have learned to hate every club south of the Tweed. It would just be a very strange situation if say the Tigers or Sea Eagles suddenly become South Brisbane Tigers/Sea Eagles. They would have to really tinker with the branding and probably jersey colors to give it more of a QLD feel. It would probably have to be a merger with the QLD cup side to have any chance of success and the ties to Sydney would have to be well hidden.

 

[Stallion]

I have my doubts that Brisbane would embrace a relocated Sydney team. Brisbane League fans have learned to hate every club south of the Tweed. It would just be a very strange situation if say the Tigers or Sea Eagles suddenly become South Brisbane Tigers/Sea Eagles. They would have to really tinker with the branding and probably jersey colors to give it more of a QLD feel. It would probably have to be a merger with the QLD cup side to have any chance of success and the ties to Sydney would have to be well hidden.

Correct. No chance of being accepted. Brisbane is big enough to have a 2nd top flight club in its own right. The 'relocation chatter ' suits the Broncos as its a total shit fight. It's running interference on the right way to go which is an additional club or two for the competition.

 

[Stallion]

I don't know on what planet that would be an ideal world, but it's not the planet that we currently reside on.

In an ideal world the Sea Eagles would realise that being a suburban Manly club isn't sustainable anymore and that they need to refocus on engaging, and representing, the whole of Northern Sydney if they are going to be sustainable long term.

Any talk of another NRL club either in Sydney or within it's radius is madness that'll only lead to further splitting the fan base and sponsorship and corporate money, and thus weakening all the clubs in Sydney further.

You'd simply be trading 9 mostly small and unstable clubs in Sydney for 10 even smaller ones.

Wrong! The population from the Illawarra , metropolitan Sydney and through to the Central Coast is growing and can easily sustain established recognisable and familiar top flight NRL clubs. You are clearly not looking at the amount of people and the density of this massive population base. Ten top flight clubs can easily and successfully cater this massive population area. Established clubs are an asset not a disadvantage.

 

[Stallion]

That’s fair enough but even to the extent of the bears not having a team or maybe even manly not having a team also?

They should both exist. That's the right way to go.

 

[BuderusIsaBeast]

And of course if other clubs not deemed good enough for NRL, the same will apply ? Not my club........
Say for example clubs currently at the top end of the ladder with a few lean years, losing money and crowds dwindling.I mean if the Knight's fans remain disillusioned and stay away in numbers than what?
Brisbane 2 may well end up with Titan's size crowds just to keep 9 happy.Hell Brisbane 1 have a whole town and player pick and they scraped into the 8.

Anyway it'll be good to see Sydney become a much weakened rugby league town.Then 9 will start crying about Sydney Tv ratings.
All these NSW Cup clubs with huge crowds, whose original fans have hardly followed en masse. Yep that'll solve the problem.

Nothing personal mate, your team was in the article. If that in theory happened to the Knights than absolutely they would be in trouble. However realistically the team who won 3 wooden spoons in a row and still averaged top 4 crowds will be just fine