Expansion of the NRL

[OXY-351]

I'd like to see the comp cut down to 10 teams. Everyone plays each other twice, plus stand alone weekends for rep footy. Never going to happen though

 

[Foordy]

I'd like to see the comp cut down to 10 teams. Everyone plays each other twice, plus stand alone weekends for rep footy. Never going to happen though

Thats not enough teams... i personally think the 14 is the magic number ATM

 

[OXY-351]

I'd like to see the comp cut down to 10 teams. Everyone plays each other twice, plus stand alone weekends for rep footy. Never going to happen though

Thats not enough teams... i personally think the 14 is the magic number ATM

Could change the name from NRL to Super 14.

Imagine the quality of the games in a 10 team comp though?

 

[Kimlo]

[quote="OXY-351":1msbfuvz]I'd like to see the comp cut down to 10 teams. Everyone plays each other twice, plus stand alone weekends for rep footy. Never going to happen though

Thats not enough teams... i personally think the 14 is the magic number ATM

Could change the name from NRL to Super 14.

Imagine the quality of the games in a 10 team comp though?[/quote:1msbfuvz]
On the flip side, imagine the quality missing out who don't get a chance to prove themselves when there are very limited spots.

 

[Fozz]

Only 5 games a week too.

Plus you'd be alienating over a third of the current fanbase.

 

[OXY-351]

Yeah, as I said, it's never going to happen, but I'd rather see 5 top quality games than 8 games where some of them (altough this season hasn't been too bad so far) are a little ordinary.

 

[Hamm.0]

Whilst less teams means games of higher skill levels, less teams means less chances for youth.

Any less than 14 would be slitting the NRL wrists. 16 is, at present, unrealistic.

Cut Sharks and one more Sydney team.

DO NOT EVER put a team in Adelaide; The SA population is impossible for RL to crack.
DO NOT EVER put a team in Central QLD; The population base is far too small and disperesed to constantly pull crowds year in, year out.

Eventually Sydney has to lose 3 teams.

Next team has to be CC. Then look towards a second NZ team and investing heavily in the infrastructure (stadium and club) in Darwin.

 

[bob the Smasher]

Is a second NZ ream really viable though?

 

[Hamm.0]

I'd say it isn't, however, managed and marketed correctly, IMO a second North Island team would have as much a chance of success as a third SEQLD team.

 

[Black Philip]

Surely Darwin would be a good city to crack. No major sporting teams of any code exist there currently so an NRL team would be huge. Perth would be a good city to spread out to as well.

Within 10-15 years - 2nd NZ team, Central Coast, Darwin and Perth... Sounds good to me.

 

[Nashy]

I can't see a second NZ team working. Ever.

The place simply isn't big enough for two teams. Auckland is where most of the league supporters are. Move south and you are heading deep into Union territory.

 

[titan4wests]

second NZ team i think would have more chance of working than a team in perth. WA is AFL territory and on top of that you have the force to compete with. A team in say wellington is only really competing with the Hurricanes (at elite level anyway) and given NZ are the League world champions until 2013, now would be the time to promote the game over the ditch. But, like you said Nashy, it is Union territory and it is going to be a bloody hard market to crack, but im not sure it would be any harder than say perth or adelaide, but potentially i think it is a more lucrative market.

To be completely honest im not sure that expanding at all is in the best interest of the game in the current climate, culling teams that are stumbling and strengthening the ones that aren't i think is the way to go with the long term plan of expansion in to said territories

 

[Coxy]

Thing about Perth is that league actually does have a relatively strong local competition there. Unlike Melbourne and Adelaide, at least there's a grassroots basis there.

Darwin...I'd have to see some numbers about population, corporate support etc. I doubt it's any more financially sustainable than CQ.

 

[Nashy]

second NZ team i think would have more chance of working than a team in perth. WA is AFL territory and on top of that you have the force to compete with. A team in say wellington is only really competing with the Hurricanes (at elite level anyway) and given NZ are the League world champions until 2013, now would be the time to promote the game over the ditch. But, like you said Nashy, it is Union territory and it is going to be a bloody hard market to crack, but im not sure it would be any harder than say perth or adelaide, but potentially i think it is a more lucrative market.

To be completely honest im not sure that expanding at all is in the best interest of the game in the current climate, culling teams that are stumbling and strengthening the ones that aren't i think is the way to go with the long term plan of expansion in to said territories

I still don't think there is enough room for two teams.

It would mean changing the Warriors back to the Auckland Warriors to start with. If they want to crack the market over there, they need to crack the heart of Union.

Christchurch.

 

[Coxy]

And they'll NEVER crack Christchurch.

 

[Nashy]

And they'll NEVER crack Christchurch.

Exactly.

Same thing goes for the way of the Waikato. A massive area, with a massive support base for Union. The area is home to both a lot of fans for both the Blues and the Chiefs.

The Warriors only got a go because league in Auckland is pretty big with the Maori and Islander community, and because the Blues were the team to hate back in that era.

South of the North Island has the Hurricanes, and their fanbase moves right up the East Coast, and up into the Waikato on the West Coast.

Highlanders have a massive support base down the ass end of the South Island. Crusaders in Christchurch, would be suicide to any other football code. So that rules out the South Island.

And that doesn't take into account the hugely popular AirNZ Cup / NPC lower grade comp.

And there is not enough talent coming out of the ranks to feed a second Auckland based team.

NZ will not go ahead, and I doubt we will ever see a second league team over there. We would be better off in the next decade looking to invest in PNG. There is more of a chance of success there than NZ.

 

[Coxy]

Hmmm, OK, I've got it! Let's base a team out of Milford Sound! Nobody plays there :P

 

[titan4wests]

And they'll NEVER crack Christchurch.

Exactly.

Same thing goes for the way of the Waikato. A massive area, with a massive support base for Union. The area is home to both a lot of fans for both the Blues and the Chiefs.

The Warriors only got a go because league in Auckland is pretty big with the Maori and Islander community, and because the Blues were the team to hate back in that era.

South of the North Island has the Hurricanes, and their fanbase moves right up the East Coast, and up into the Waikato on the West Coast.

Highlanders have a massive support base down the ass end of the South Island. Crusaders in Christchurch, would be suicide to any other football code. So that rules out the South Island.

And that doesn't take into account the hugely popular AirNZ Cup / NPC lower grade comp.

And there is not enough talent coming out of the ranks to feed a second Auckland based team.

NZ will not go ahead, and I doubt we will ever see a second league team over there. We would be better off in the next decade looking to invest in PNG. There is more of a chance of success there than NZ.

you make some very valid points about nz. it just seems like such a shame that this is perhaps the best opportunity to crack the kiwi market (given the recent success of the kiwis at international level) that league has ever had yet it will struggle as a product over the ditch. i think that investing in PNG is a good move, obviously they wont be getting an nrl team any time soon but investment in to png at the development level sounds like a positive move to me, same for northern territory. You guys familiar with the afl's push in to NT? having a NT team in the QAFL state league is a great idea and its giving the indigenous kids a great pathway to the draft. I believe its an expensive venture but whilst its only in its first year, it seems to be pretty successful thus far. boy those guys have natural ability. Perhaps the nrl could look at something like that to promote the game at grass roots level before starting an entire franchise out there. Imagine a NT or PNG team in QLD Cup