I don't think another team in the next few years is the way to do it. Set up the systems first, otherwise you'll just have another Melbourne Storm leaching off already developed talent. I don't understand why Perth weren't told they'll be in the comp in five years, set up systems in Perth and South Africa and have at least ten players ready to roll in 2030.
What promising kids are there now that aren’t signed? Same goes for Perth. Who will they be missing out on by waiting? Took Melbourne 30 years to bother with local juniors. The players worth a damn are already in a system somewhere.
So what would you be selling to a 16yo by setting up these pathways for a team that would not exist for 5 years? hey come train really hard and in half a decade you may have a slim chance of playing for someone. have you ever worked for a company that promised such a promotion?
You’d be skipping the generation that are already signed by the Warriors and setting up for the next one. You can’t tell me you believe a 2nd NZ team wouldn’t be filled with already regular first graders from other clubs for another few years. They’re not going to get those players immediately anyway, as it’s going to be a new licensed team that will have to create their own systems.
I mean yeah of course they are going to be filled with existing first graders - you'd want them to be competitive. Otherwise the point of growth is a bit redundant if they're forced to only play locally grown juniors an entirely new setup. It would be akin to signing local city players to a national comp and they'd just smacked. It is not the first wave that needs to be the focus, but the second - you just need them to be somewhat competent to allow that to feed through to the next group. Every expansion in every sport anywhere will take initially from the existing player pool - but others step up to fill the holes left in said teams.
Another regional nsw team could/should be the go if anything. Albury/wodonga/dubbo/cootamundra type conglomerate. Southern nsw something or others. I’ve lived there and there is an interest in the sport. Or as floated a while ago a central qld team….rockhampton/longreach/mackay/roma type thing.
Yes, and my point is that the talent is already spread too thin, therefore adding another one will not benefit the competition any time soon. So let’s work on development instead of throwing another team into the comp with no plan other than “they might take from rugby”. Why can’t we take players and fans from rugby now?
There's plenty of talent in NZ but the options are either the warriors, or go abroad. What if the warriors aren't an option and they don't want to go abroad? Not every player wants to leave their comfort zone unless they have to. A second NZ team allows them to at least stay in their own country.
How many players have given away a career in the NRL because they want to stay in Auckland and couldn’t make the Warriors?
Why aren’t the warriors an option? Because they aren’t good enough. Talent gets spread too thin.
I just don't agree with the idea that talent is spread too thin. I think additional teams within reason allow more players to showcase their talent. I'm not suggesting Q/NSW cup are teeming with these ridiculously talented players but quite a few have been overlooked and make the step up later in their careers. It's not that ridiculous to suggest that there's possibly 17 players playing Q/NSW cup that are either stuck behind first graders or got overlooked for whatever reason that could be competent NRL players. I'm not suggesting we expand to 40 teams or anything crazy.
Are you suggesting if you can't make a team in the first few years, you'll never make a team? you'll just stop developing and that's it, curtains? that's a bit simplistic for mine.
No, but what you’re seemingly saying is that this 2nd nz team would just be a development team for the wahs now? I don’t think it’s what you mean fwiw. If you want to play rl but don’t have the gumption to get on a plane and live somewhere else for a good payday then maybe professional sport is not for you…..become a tradie instead.
I'm not saying that at all. What I am saying is, if you are a kid in NZ that doesn't necessarily want to move abroad, you have one choice. The Warriors. If you can't make that team for whatever reason, you have zero choices. Having a second team gives another option. It is not implausible to suggest that players want to stay in their local area, or at the very least, in the same country as their family and friends. You can call it whatever you want, lack of mental toughness, maturity, whatever - some people just want to stay somewhere they have a connection to. I really don't think it's that difficult of a concept to grasp - it's quite common in european football that players will turn down moves to bigger clubs or better locations or whatever, because they're comfortable in city/region/country they're in. Additionally, it also gives some players that didn't make the first round of cuts in whatever other team they were associated with, a chance to showcase their talent elsewhere. Look at Jahrome Hughes, he played 2 games in 4 years at NRL level before he got picked up by Melbourne. The talent is there.
