Plastic clubs in the NRL

[Mustafur]

I know we have them over here, but i dont think we have them on the same scale as Liverpool and United. I've been to Anfield and Old Trafford loads of times and i dont think i have ever come across a Manc or a Scouser inside the stadium. I guess thats what happens when you become so successful i guess.

Well to be fair they have another problem, with the sport and league being soo big worldwide they have the tourist issue.

 

[Big Pete]

So what?

It still makes us the closest thing to what can be considered Local, it's reaching for straws comparing us with Melbourne just because a player might not be from the exact city even if one is a couple of hours away while the other is on the other side of the country.

If Broncos where moved to Melbourne and Storm to Brisbane which team is disadvantaged most from that?



You haven't noticed the amount of Melbourne fans in Queensland?

I notice the amount of Roosters fans in Western Sydney, with no family attachment to that side of the city as well.

I guess that can't really apply to Titans though.

So they're not local juniors. Even then, it doesn't stop Brisbane from developing players from NSW, Hamilton, Lancashire and Townsville. Being local or even close to the area just doesn't matter in the NRL, it's just about recruitment and development.

I don't think anything would change honestly, at least not in the foreseeable future. The only players who'd have to relocate are the top-line juniors and most of those come from outside of Brisbane regardless. The rest can all stay in the Queensland Cup and play for the affiliates.

 

[Cult]

If they were just called The Storm, their lack of growth within their own state would be fair enough. But they're not. They're there to grow the game and take a small part of the pie from the AFL, but they have done nothing for Victoria. The Broncos changed the game completely, numerous times. The Storm just tried to copy that while working from home.

 

[Big Pete]

If they were just called The Storm, their lack of growth within their own state would be fair enough. But they're not. They're there to grow the game and take a small part of the pie from the AFL, but they have done nothing for Victoria. The Broncos changed the game completely, numerous times. The Storm just tried to copy that while working from home.

Yet Melbourne have boosted junior participation and ratings in Melbourne so to say they've done nothing for Victoria is wrong. We've had this discussion before, Melbourne weren't brought into necessarily uncover a bunch of Victorian players, they were brought into replace the Western Reds and add value to the television rights deal. You could call them the Sunshine Coast Storm and all would be hunky dory for you, but it actively hurts the competition. Less TV rights, less spending money for the NRL ergo less spending money on the salary cap.

However it's not really about that. The point is that being a local junior doesn't matter in the NRL, it's just development and Melbourne have been one of the best clubs in that department since their inception.

I wouldn't crow about Brisbane changing the sport too much either considering they had a hand in making the AFL the #1 sporting brand in Australia...

 

[Sproj]

I wouldn't crow about Brisbane changing the sport too much either considering they had a hand in making the AFL the #1 sporting brand in Australia...

I put this down far more to the competence and professionalism of the AFL administration compared to the NRL's constant desire to destroy itself.

 

[Big Pete]

I put this down far more to the competence and professionalism of the AFL administration compared to the NRL's constant desire to destroy itself.

I'm sure you would, but Super League absolutely played a significant role in destroying the ARL's momentum.

 

[BroncosFever]

For me it's always been the fans considered as plastic, someone who for example, would switch their allegiance based on results. Like if someone were to go from being a Barcelona fan to a Liverpool fan, based on recent success (I know a guy who did that).

 

[Mustafur]

For me it's always been the fans considered as plastic, someone who for example, would switch their allegiance based on results. Like if someone were to go from being a Barcelona fan to a Liverpool fan, based on recent success (I know a guy who did that).

Yeah I guess the football term doesn't translate to league that well, but the football teams in Europe never struggle for juniors because it's the dominant sport with large pools of youth to choose from, because that isn't the case here I had to put more into where they got their players then just fan support.

Like for instance Storm and Roosters could easily move there club elsewhere and in both areas(juniors and fans) are barely going to be effected, for me that's as plastic as it gets in our game atleast.

Titans are the oddity because they are in a junior heartland but the support is questionable, due to low success I doubt many that go for them are far outside the area but the area itself is plastic lol, I Can't speak for others but as someone who has alot of connections in Queensland(as an OG Qlder) and lives in Western Sydney, support wise Storm and Roosters completely have plastic support(I would bet most fans of Storm are in Qld and most fans of Roosters are in western Sydney just from personal experience).