Brisbane bombers

[Broncs_Fan]

Brisbane Bombers is a no brainer. One game every week in Brisbane. A rugby league city needs that. If they can do two AFL clubs in Adelaide and two in Perth they can do two league teams in Brisbane.

Brisbane Bombers is a good name as well. Rolls off the tongue nicely.

 

[BroncsFan]

I think the NRL need to take a hardstand on the Sydney teams and play a survival of the fittest.

Some of the Sydney clubs are generation fans so you can't just pick a club to remove because you run the risk of damaging a supporter base. Just let them die off and the fans will only have the club to blame.

If your team folds the license gets sold on. It's the only way to remove the overcrowding in Sydney without doing serious political damage.

 

[Nashy]

I think the NRL need to take a hardstand on the Sydney teams and play a survival of the fittest.

Some of the Sydney clubs are generation fans so you can't just pick a club to remove because you run the risk of damaging a supporter base. Just let them die off and the fans will only have the club to blame.

If your team folds the license gets sold on. It's the only way to remove the overcrowding in Sydney without doing serious political damage.

They won't do it, because it's just as damaging to them to not bail the useless ones out.

 

[Renegade]

12 teams is the worst idea ever.

 

[mitch222]

Well then I believe they should stop doing that, and move to Perth.

It's not huge, but it's more than big enough that they have all the junior systems in place already, wouldn't be starting from scratch like the Mexicans, and has decent support for any sports. NRL see this, that's why they're buggering around with sending the odd game across. They'll even have a brand new stadium this year.

Perth is up for the NRL to take, but it needs to be sooner, not later.

But there is no point if the NRL have to fund them significantly.

 

[Nashy]

But there is no point if the NRL have to fund them significantly.

There is a point, just like Melbourne. It gets bums on seats, and spreads the game in a part of the country where the NRL has struggled. Melbourne has been a success.

Business is about risk. Why not risk Perth when all signs point to it being good, instead of the 100% guaranteed spend on useless clubs, run by footballers who can't count to 10 without looking a their notes.

 

[Renegade]

But there is no point if the NRL have to fund them significantly.

Doesn't the nrl fund every team significantly via million dollar + club grants? Some just turn a profit.

 

[Broncs_Fan]

On paper, the Roosters would be the perfect club to relocate. You don't want to move a team out of the west where the actual fans are.

No one would miss the Roosters in Sydney at all.

Unfortunately they have a few rich people involved and it's the least likely club to be relocated.

 

[Nashy]

Doesn't the nrl fund every team significantly via million dollar + club grants? Some just turn a profit.

There is the grant, but I guess that's a contracted amount which amounts to actually making sure the clubs take some money that they help earn.

The clubs that need to be bailed out take more money on top, which is pretty pathetic for a professional sporting team in an elite competition.

 

[CaptainHook]

Relocate the Cronulla Sharks to Brisbane and the Wests Tigers to Perth.

The NRL should drop a few million on the table and entice them to take the initiative.

 

[Broncs_Fan]

Relocate the Cronulla Sharks to Brisbane and the Wests Tigers to Perth.

The NRL should drop a few million on the table and entice them to take the initiative.

You're kidding. The Tigers are a joint venture club and Cronulla have money after completing their development.

 

[Morepudding]

I reckon they should add a perth, adelaide and maybe another NZ team and do relegation. Have the main comp with 14 clubs, bottom 2 each year get relegated to a second tier comp. It would bring up viewership of the lower tier stuff as well.

 

[Broncs_Fan]

Any team in Perth should follow the example of the Storm. When people say no one is interested in the Storm down there, it's simply not true. When I was down there to watch the Broncos a few years ago, I could talk to many people about the Storm and people were shockingly knowledgeable about the team. People knew about them beyond a superficial level.

The Storm have done well to be a non-threatening presence down there. The message is - we get it, your first love is AFL, but coming to watch our game doesn't have to threaten that first love.

They are incredibly well run the Storm. Their game day experience is also very good.

 

[Painin the Haas]

if they wanted another team in QLD you would have to look at the Jets. Ipswich and western corridor. Close enough to use brisbane for PR and stadiums if needed but also spreads out the footprint

 

[Morkel]

I think the NRL need to take a hardstand on the Sydney teams and play a survival of the fittest.

Some of the Sydney clubs are generation fans so you can't just pick a club to remove because you run the risk of damaging a supporter base. Just let them die off and the fans will only have the club to blame.

If your team folds the license gets sold on. It's the only way to remove the overcrowding in Sydney without doing serious political damage.

More to the point, the fans won't have the club to blame, they'll have themselves to blame. If a club is drawing in decent memberships & crowd figures, it shouldn't have an issue getting sponsors and shouldn't have an issue staying out of the red. Put it in the hands of the fans - do you give enough of a shit for your club to justify their license?

 

[mitch222]

I reckon they should add a perth, adelaide and maybe another NZ team and do relegation. Have the main comp with 14 clubs, bottom 2 each year get relegated to a second tier comp. It would bring up viewership of the lower tier stuff as well.

Relegation wouldnt work. Could you imagine if a marquee club got relegated like us or Parramatta or the Bulldogs. NRL wouldnt allow it to happen. Some of the bigger clubs are their cash cows. Its easy to say follow the soccer model but in soccer they dont have a salary cap so these bigger clubs are harder to get relegated because they buy all the best players in the league.

 

[Nashy]

Relocate the Cronulla Sharks to Brisbane and the Wests Tigers to Perth.

The NRL should drop a few million on the table and entice them to take the initiative.

I always thought moving clubs is a bad idea. You remove the clubs supporter base completely, and the new area don't ahve a new team, they have a hand me down. Just let them be run like a business, you go bust, cya later.

 

[CaptainHook]

I always thought moving clubs is a bad idea. You remove the clubs supporter base completely, and the new area don't ahve a new team, they have a hand me down. Just let them be run like a business, you go bust, cya later.

Yeah there are many factors to consider. Do they play out of a different city but continue to go by their old name (I think that was the intention of the North Sydney bears when they put in a proposal to take over the Titans last year) or do they rebrand themselves as a new entity and market it as a fresh start - that could entice new fans on board.

Old fans will be lost unfortunately. If the Broncos were relocated how would I feel? I don't live in Brisbane but still support them so I don't know how cut up I'd be by it if it meant survival of the club.

The Sydney Swans were relocated from South Melbourne. They've had their ups and downs but to be still around today probably means it's a success.

Another point is that expansion takes time - the AFL are playing the long game. They understand it will take generations and that's why they get out into schools to spread the gospel. I'm sceptical the NRL has the vision, passion and drive however which way they decide to go in.

Definitely agree with your last point and that would be my first preference. Let them go bust. That was the intention when they expanded in the mid 90's - not every club was meant to go into the new era and we would've established footholds in Perth, New Zealand, North QLD, Adelaide etc.