Enough already - kick them out, permanently

[mick]

I agree with RNA, I hate all the talk about having teams in Perth, Adelaide and even Alice Spring. It would never work, junior development would take years and years, support for the game in those states would take a century, I don't think it's a viable thing to do. IMO, concentrate on building Rugby League in the East. Look how long it has taken Melbourne - and they still suffer poor crowds and a lack of interest in rugby league. They've been in the comp for 11 years already, imagine how long it would take in other states.

AFL was less popular in Brisbane than RL is in Melbourne before the Bears really got going.

It takes money, time and a LOT of effort. Something the AFL excels in, and something that the NRL is absolutely hopeless at.

 

[Major JW Hochstetter]

I'm not all for having new teams placed all over the shop either, but I think a few people here may be a little bit surprised at how Rugby League is currently going in Perth, all things considered.

Sunday Football coverage, which is in its infancy in Perth, is already outrating the non-Swans/Lions games in NSW/Qld - and that's after 20+ years of exposure, heavy advertising, extensive TV coverage and millions upon millions of dollars injected into NSW/Qld AFL.

The WA Reds, who have debuted in this year's Jim Beam Cup, already have a paying membership base comparable to some Sydney clubs with decades of history and support behind them. Remember, we are talking about a JB Cup team playing in WA. They've also had some fantastic attendances in the opening rounds. Even this early in the piece they are well set up with local, national and international brands and companies on their sponsorship books, which at the same time numerous NRL clubs are finding difficult to achieve.

Another important ingedient to their success is that the team is largely made up of local products fed by the WARL (currently in the top 6 on the JBC table).

They have a bloody long way to go of course, and many, many challanges ahead, but this sort of foundation is unheard of. And it has another few years to build before the Reds make their first bid for an NRL license in 2012.

Perth is a market that is no where near as hard to build a niche as Melbourne, and that's due to numerous factors. But they also have a healthy local Rugby League representation, a history of the game, and before they became a victim of the SL peace deal they were showing up more than few established clubs in the national comp off the field.

Having a niche in another market isn't as simplistic as some are making out ie. why waste time on areas that aren't traditional League areas. The benefits affect the game as a whole. One example is TV rights deals, sponsorship opportunities, etc. Perth is a major Oztam market and just having a presence there, coupled with the new pro-League owners of Ch 9 in Perth, gives the game more bargaining power. Look what its done for Flogball, despite their terrible ratings and comparitively minimal interest in NSW/Qld - they are currently commanding a $780 million TV deal, and just having a presence is making a huge difference. Perception and exposure to the right markets is everything.

There are a host of other benefits to the game aswell which i'm sure people would be aware of.

Expansion isn't about chucking new teams all over the place to make it look pretty on a map, but to go where the people are as well as where it would be most advantageous to the game, not to mention making the game competitive in the unique situation we have here in Australia with competing football codes.

Should we go to Adelaide? No. Darwin? No. Tassie? Of course not. But Perth is a must for some time in the future.

 

[Coxy]

Well said JW!

Perth is without doubt the beacon of light that the NRL should be looking at for future expansion. They did a lot of work in preparing for the Western Reds entry in 1995 by establishing and developing the local competition, and unlike other areas, they didn't just shut up shop when kicked out in 1997. They kept pushing forward.

Why people want to push into Wellington or even Central Coast first confuses me. Central Coast would be fine for a relocated team. I don't see the point in setting up a new club there. But Perth, well relocation may work (WA Sharks...) but given their previous identity and work done, reinstating the Perth Reds should be the goal.

I'm not prepared to give up on Adelaide either. But it'd depend on Perth getting themselves right first, so it wouldn't happen in the next 10 years IMO.

 

[Hamm.0]

I never had a problem watching a game there, even with other blokes in the pub, others always wanted to watch it.

Not to mention the MASSIVE ex-pat QLD'ers, NSWelshmen and Kiwis over there in the mines.

Like I have always said, if the NRL had of kept on with the Reds, 90% of those Force fans would be Reds fans. Guaranteed. Perth people just love sport.

 

[SSS]

The Salary Cap seems to cater for the weak teams, by limiting the amount of money teams can spend therefore the poorly run teams will not go broke. If the NRL was to lift the Salary Cap dramatically or even scrap it completely I believe we would find solutions for a couple of the major problems in the NRL set-up. Firstly by lifting/scrapping the cap it would be a lot harder for Super League and RU to poach our top line players and secondly the Teams that cannot compete financially (due to poor management and/or poor income caused by the limited fan base) will simply not be able to afford to continue or will be forced to make themselves more financially viable. This would lead to the strong clubs being the only to survive in their current positions and would force the weak clubs to look at relocation into a bigger fan base as an option for survival. I'm sure all fans no matter what team you cheer for would prefer to have your team relocated than become extinct. At the moment we are not forcing clubs to make the tough decisions, therefore we are in essence accepting mediocrity.

On the Souths issue I for one do believe that when Souths are successful the game on a whole is in a better position, but I also believe that when Souths are not even competitive for the best part of 20 years it becomes a blight on our game, for the sake of history and tradition surely the time has come where the NRL should step in and save the once proud football club from any more humiliation.

If Souths where a new franchise, what they offer would not gain acceptance into the NRL, so why have them there if they aren't after 100 years stronger than a team that has never played?

 

[Nashy]

^ Agreed.

 

[gUt]

Thrashed by the Raiders eh. Yep I will kick them every time they are down. They are hopeless, remove them from the comp.