Tasmania is getting really pissed off with the AFL, it is time for the NRL to act

[Perth Red]

It does in a range of ways at both state and federal level. New stadia, school program grants, health promotion grants, sponsorship from a variety of Govt funded programs such as Quit smoking, the AIS etc etc.

I suppose the main difference is that at NRL and AFL level it is a business and Govts are not in the habit of funding profit margins of business (well only ones that suit them or the ministers wife are on the board of!). Main funding goes to amateur and junior level.

 

[Cloud9]

Tasmanians are even more feral than Victorians

 

[bartman]

Does Rugby League (or even AFL for that matter. Clearly the two most popular sports by attendance in Australia) get ANY government funding? Or is it all given to rubbish olympic sports so we have the wonderful prestige of winning medals?

Not sure about AFL, but Gallop and Co were in Canberra last month seeking exactly that, and being told by various pollies that league had to lift its game, and get its reputation out of the gutter to get any slice of govt cash.

 

[Didgi]

We need to get way way way better broadcast and T.V money before we can start thinking about expansion, and there is no better way to advertise the game than to stick it on FTA.

The next deal needs to look at coverage in every state in Australia.

 

[GC_Gladiator]

Tasmania has produced champions in Australian rules football time and time again, yet the AFL will not give Tasmanians what they have craved for decades, that being a team in the national competition.

Sounds very similar to NRL's relationship with the Central Coast.

I think a team in West Brisbane and Central coast takes priority.

 

[LeagueXIII]

Why do we need a team in Tassie, why don't we just play a couple of games a year there to maximise return, show the game at a decent hour and nurture it's awareness.

 

[Loudstrat]

Norfolk Island is also neglected, not just by AFL, but also SANZAR and Soccer Australia. There is a market just RIPE to be picked.

 

[myanonymoususername]

There is basically zero interest in RL in Tassie. 100 years or so of Australian Football tradition is never going to be overtaken by the NRL. That, plus the small population and limited commercial prospects makes it just not worth bothering with.

I was in Tassie on GF day last year. I was surprised to see it on TV live - but none of the people I was with at the time gave a rats arse about it. Lucky for me there was no AFL on at the same time - I wouldn't have got near a TV.

 

[adamkungl]

Why do we need a team in Tassie, why don't we just play a couple of games a year there to maximise return, show the game at a decent hour and nurture it's awareness.

Even this could be a stretch....I have never heard ANYTHING to suggest there is even a niche interest in Rugby of any form in Tasmania, unlike Perth and to a lesser extent even Adelaide and Darwin

 

[nqcowboy87]

where the hell is tasmania:lol::lol:

 

[mightybears]

If the population, sponsors etc are deemed too small by the AFL why on earth would the NRL consider it?

 

[Lockyer4President!]

I say the next 2 teams in should be Central Coast and WA (Locky, I'm stealing your banner! It's awesome!). Tasmania offers nothing!

Cheers mate. It's the first sig I've made so I'm very happy to see someone else using it.

 

[Jatz Crackers]

You cant play footy in Ugg boots.

But if we did give Tassie a team would they nod both their heads in approval ?

 

[Cloud9]

You cant play footy in Ugg boots.

But if we did give Tassie a team would they nod both their heads in approval ?

The players would be from interstate/overseas.

Their supporters might have two heads.
All of them would be related to Truganini.

 

[shaggy]

first they need a local league

 

[Dutchy]

There is no league coverage in the media what so ever.

Every time I have been down in Tassie, bought the Sunday and Monday papers to check footy results, its 2 lines, even pig racing gets more paper space.

 

[Mr Saab]

Yeah, we should expand the game and introduce the Hobart He Men.....The mascot can be Skeletor and Man At Arms

it might boost the Tv rights deal by 50k.

 

[butchmcdick]

There is no league coverage in the media what so ever.

Every time I have been down in Tassie, bought the Sunday and Monday papers to check footy results, its 2 lines, even pig racing gets more paper space.

To be fair tassie has always been a hot bed of pig racing.

 

[Different kind of Rabbit]

Tasmania :lol: :crazy:

Would be a complete waste of time and money.

It would be an interesting exercise to put an NRL team down there though simply to see how quickly afterwards an AFL team would be set up. I reckon Demtriou would be down there the day after an NRL franchise were announced.

Never going to happen of course. You'll see an NRL team playing out of every other state (and territory) in Australia before you'll see one out of Tasmania.

 

[Bluebags1908]

first they need a local league

Spot on. NRL's aims for Tassie should be simple and realistic - to simply re-start up a local comp down there and develop a local following. They don't even have a local comp down there any more and the profile of the NRL would be non-existant.

All the NRL needs to do to increase their profile x 1000 in Tassie is to simply have a Sydney team move 1 x home game to Tassie each year and make it a long-term commitment for say 5 years or so... similar to what Cronulla and Southers are doing in Adelaide and Perth.

After establishing an annual NRL match on the Tassie sporting calendar the sports profile will increase tenfold and the game will develop a small cult folowing and no doubt a local comp will follow.

Maybe they can have the annual NRL match at the same time of year each year.