"Wests Tigers are most vulnerable"

[carcharias]

A minute ago you claimed they've contributed nothing, now you're talking about who pays for the game?
Their contribution is hundreds of thousands more viewers for Grand Finals (which they've featured in numerous) and State of Origins.

But clearly which page the Melbourne media buries them in the papers is the bigger issue

Yes vic media don't give a shit about NRL
But it is the media pays for the game.

Did you not know that ?



So
A team called storm are invented for Melbourne
Other teams were culled for them.
Perth was one.

They put a team into the most heavily supported AFL area on Earth.
A place that has had insanely parochial supporters for around 90 years.
They live and breathe AFL and in particular their team.

20 years later people are using the "enemy territory" excuse as to why they are nothing to Victoria compared to afl.
AFL teams get more to a team sausage sizzle than storm get to games.

Who was the genius that thought up that location?

 

[Clifferd]

Melbourne contribute to the game as much as much as anyone else mate, and will contribute even further 10+ years down the road.

Rivalries/hatred aside, they must be in the comp.

After all it is "National Rugby League" not "Sydney Rugby League"

 

[carcharias]

Melbourne contribute to the game as much as much as anyone else mate, and will contribute even further 10+ years down the road.

Rivalries/hatred aside, they must be in the comp.

After all it is "National Rugby League" not "Sydney Rugby League"

So tigers get culled and the NRL make up a team that they have to prop up for 20 years to be viable .
Sweet with you?

In 10 years time
Storm will be without
Bellamy Cronk smith and Slater
If they are playing like the tigers now how do you think the crowds will be going?

Nobody goes to games now
Why would adding a team to a place where people couldn't name 10 current players be a good idea?

 

[Clifferd]

So tigers get culled and the NRL make up a team that they have to prop up for 20 years to be viable .
Sweet with you?

In 10 years time
Storm will be without
Bellamy Cronk smith and Slater
If they are playing like the tigers now how do you think the crowds will be going?

Nobody goes to games now
Why would adding a team to a place where people couldn't name 10 current players be a good idea?

Melbourne aren't afraid to show their love for RL. Their sold out MCG for origin shows it. Their 500k+ viewers for GFs and origin shows it. Their 20k+ membership base shows it.

Yes, you are right in saying Melbourne have had a consistent purple patch and when/if they suddenly go to shit their crowds would be even worse. But on the crowd thing anyway, it's a rugby league cultural thing. It's not like every single RL club (barring Brisbane) is killing it so it's more a fan engagement issue

Culling Melbourne would be going backwards, not forwards. Not one single team in the nrl needs to destroyed. Relocated? maybe, but only with a solid strategic plan in place.

 

[carcharias]

Melbourne aren't afraid to show their love for RL. Their sold out MCG for origin shows it. Their 500k+ viewers for GFs and origin shows it. Their 20k+ membership base shows it.

Yes, you are right in saying Melbourne have had a consistent purple patch and when/if they suddenly go to shit their crowds would be even worse. But on the crowd thing anyway, it's a rugby league cultural thing. It's not like every single RL club (barring Brisbane) is killing it so it's more a fan engagement issue

Culling Melbourne would be going backwards, not forwards. Not one single team in the nrl needs to destroyed. Relocated? maybe, but only with a solid strategic plan in place.

I'm saying I'd cull them before tigers
I'd cull warriors first of all if I had to pick any team
....and I'm saying we don't need anymore teams.

 

[MilkShark]

We need less teams. Benji Marshall is a starting half for the Broncos dammit.

Wheres the talent?

 

[BuffaloRules]

We need less teams. Benji Marshall is a starting half for the Broncos dammit.

Wheres the talent?

How does a Sharks/Dragons merge sound for starters?

 

[Clifferd]

I'm saying I'd cull them before tigers
I'd cull warriors first of all if I had to pick any team
....and I'm saying we don't need anymore teams.

Fair enough, must have misread

NZ are in a similar boat to Melbourne in terms of importance, just are less successful

 

[Perth Red]

400k watching in Victoria v 50k watching in the shire. Hmmm who brings the value? Storm most watched team on paytv, one of the strongest corporate sponsorship revenues, membership starting to embarrass 100 year old heartland teams. Only a complete numpty would think having a successful club in the countries second biggest city isn't a good thing, but then these are sharks fans arguing the case lol

Just be thankful sharkies the game is artificially manipulated to give little fish like you a shot at the silverware.

 

[Clifferd]

delete

 

[POPEYE]

C'mon fellas, give Melbourne a break, they're trying their best to keep up with memberships, not easy in the harshest RL climate in Australia . . . how are they going with that by the way

Doing all they can to stop Benny ruling the RL world, keeping the Big Numbered players out of his grasp has got to be worth a few kudos . . . crikey, imagine the Bronco's roster without Bellamy to rattle his chain

You've got to give Melbourne some credit for refusing to poach established 1st graders, the Storm might be cheats but they're the only club that doesn't thieve players other clubs want to keep . . . fair go, cheats aren't worse than thieves are they

 

[MilkShark]

How does a Sharks/Dragons merge sound for starters?

Terrible, we are one of the very few financially viable clubs in the comp.

The dragons are dead in the water.

 

[BuffaloRules]

Terrible, we are one of the very few financially viable clubs in the comp.

The dragons are dead in the water.

Yeah Dragons are struggling.. when are they paying back that loan?

But to think that two years ago the Sharks couldn't even get a main jersey sponsor...

You might want to keep in mind that it can be a very short trip from the penthouse to the sh*thouse....

 

[CowboyFuriousFury]

I'm saying I'd cull them before tigers
I'd cull warriors first of all if I had to pick any team
....and I'm saying we don't need anymore teams.

In other words stay insular, never expand while the other codes can expand at will. The nswrl mindset is why the code is forever standing still, other codes have long term vision for a national footprint yet nrl is heartland this and that.

Despite the crowds in the heartland been pathetic after decades of time to develop an fanbase yet perth/adelaide get shafted immediately compare to the constant bailouts the heartlands got.

 

[BuffaloRules]

In other words stay insular, never expand while the other codes can expand at will. The nswrl mindset is why the code is forever standing still, other codes have long term vision for a national footprint yet nrl is heartland this and that.

Despite the crowds in the heartland been pathetic after decades of time to develop an fanbase yet perth/adelaide get shafted immediately compare to the constant bailouts the heartlands got.

Perth (Western) Reds were disloyal merkins that jumped ship to Superleague the first chance they got and in fact before they had even played their first game..

They deserved their fate....

Im all for expansion for the NRL, but it doesn't guarantee anything....

"Other codes" like Soccer and Union have expanded from very small bases and still struggled and cut teams...

AFL pumps in tens of millions a year behind their expansion in NSW and Qld... it doesn't come without a price...

 

[carcharias]

400k watching in Victoria v 50k watching in the shire. Hmmm who brings the value? Storm most watched team on paytv, one of the strongest corporate sponsorship revenues, membership starting to embarrass 100 year old heartland teams. Only a complete numpty would think having a successful club in the countries second biggest city isn't a good thing, but then these are sharks fans arguing the case lol

Just be thankful sharkies the game is artificially manipulated to give little fish like you a shot at the silverware.

Saw about 30 of them at the GF
They killed Perth you realise?

 

[Perth Red]

News ltd and ARL killed Perth. Storm were just the beneficiaries of that dumb ass decision.

 

[POPEYE]

C'mon Sharkies, winners should be a little more gracious, even if for some inexplicable reason the RL world has turned against the 'most wanted team to win a cup'. I'm a Melbourne supporter(follower) and I'd like nothing more than to see Flanno win 2 cups in a row

Then again, if that does come about what are we to expect, twice as much indignation, twice the denigration of the team you beat. If Cronulla supporters react to the media this badly maybe they deserve to be 'picked on'

. . . crikey, sounds almost serious doesn't it

 

[hutch]

Once Bellamy and the accountant and friends are gone, then so will Melbourne. You can count on it.

If you truly believe this, you are a special kind of stupid also.

 

[CowboyFuriousFury]

The fact afl has 2 teams in qld/nsw meanwhile nrl has none in wa/sa show how far behind nrl is with expansion. For afl to have the same number of team in Brisbane sums up the expansion mindset. To think 2 afl teams in non heartland sydney and only 1 nrl team in Brisbane heartland sums it up.