You don't think QLD fans would feel the same way about the NRL "wanting it back to the NSWRL" if the Bears (11th NSW team) are admitted?
For those games, maybe. What about the rest of the season? Fact is Manly and Newcastle (at least) don't want them in. You have to ask yourself why? Nobody has yet to be able to answer it...
Except that the Bulldogs are the number 1 club in NSW. Why do we need more competition in an over saturated market?
I guess because we should not be making decisions that weaken existing clubs? Or at least that may well be the IC's thinking.
Has anyone thought about a set up similar to GWS with Canberra (yes I know that is bad to mention) but the AFL have embraced the reality of multi City teams with a primary base and it seems to be working a treat.
The Jets (or whatever you want to call them) could be based out of Brisbane but play up to 4 games in CQ (one of which would be preseason). It gives the new team a chance to spread its financial and supporter base. It could have an academy etc. The Comets could also be a feeder team for them.
One of the things the NRL continue to ignore is the potential of multi-base clubs.
AFL is helping those teams out, and looking to increasingly do so.
Also the expansion is costing very little, those 3 expansions are being covered by state Govt's and sponsors. Clubs benefit, their game benefits and they continue to push the line of a National game to the media and TV execs.
One of the troubled clubs you mentioned is receiving $18million from the Tassie Govt to play games there. Ask yourself why cant the Cronulla Sharks get a same deal from the SA govt to play 4 games a year in Adelaide, or Sths in Perth or NQ in Darwin?
How come the AFl is so proactive in securing deals and tying up areas yet we flounder along hoping that a club or some well meaning volunteers will develop the game in an area?
http://www.newsroom.nt.gov.au/index.cfm?fuseaction=printRelease&ID=6156
Are Ipswich planning on drawing support from places like Toowoomba and Warwick?
GWS expansion will cost them a lot, it'll either fail or kill the swans (won't happen). You can't take AFL or Melbourne culture and just put it in the area determined by the AFL as "greater western Sydney". They have given a team to this area that they didn't want, playing them out of another area that isn't the greater western Sydney. Taking a proportion of that teams home games interstate and making them wear different colours while in another state with a name that i was told was to "appeal to americans". AFL has tried to have their cake and eat it too and we'll just sit back and watch it fail. GWS alone will cost the AFL bucketloads each year. Let alone giving away memberships to the GCS and other marketing things that i have heard from out of family on the GC.
The CC isn't an oversaturated market. It has zero NRL sides. Country NSW only has 1 NRL side. South East Queensland already has 2...
I think there are enough people in Brisbane for the Jets to gain plenty of support. There is only one team for 2 million Brisbanites. Sydney has 9 teams.
Even the AFL say they are pouring $20 million into GWS In the short term.
Yet has only 3 teams for an entire state. NSW already has 10.