NEWS Proposed 20 team NRL Competition

[Mustafur]

And they’re already playing in the NRL, as you said. That’s not growth, that’s moving the same players we already have around.

Not if it's based primarily for PNG, the country is mad for the game but struggles with bottlenecks getting the talent into the NRL.

I think people forget how many people are in that country, 10 Million people isn't anything to sneeze at, the potential to build something from that is genuinely big.

 

[Cult]

Not if it's based primarily for PNG, the country is mad for the game but struggles with bottlenecks getting the talent into the NRL.

I think people forget how many people are in that country, it has a higher population then all the pacific islands combined and more then NZ.

Nobody is forgetting that. What people are forgetting is that without other already established NRL players we would just have the PNG Hunters, who won a premiership six years ago and have since been making up the numbers, playing in the top rugby league competition in the world. Then we have to discuss things like who would they sign to be competitive, who would want to live in PNG, how difficult it is to travel/accommodate visiting clubs etc.

We should be setting up ways to get the top PNG players into NRL teams before worrying about giving them a team in the competition.

We currently have 7 players who are eligible to represent PNG in NRL squads this year. Without establishing a system to have their players learn within already created clubs, if they were able to sign all of these players you would have this team mixed with the Hunters.

1 Alex Johnston
2 Xavier Coates
3 Justin Olam
4
5 Robert Derby
6
7
8
9
10
11 Jeremiah Simbiken
12 Jacob Alick
13 Jack DeBelin

14
15
16
17

The NRL should really have 16 teams with two of the established teams moving to Perth and Brisbane or the wonderful city of The. 17 teams sucks, but 18 is the next logical step and it absolutely should not be a Pacifica, PNG or NZ2 team. They're just really shit ideas altogether. As is a plastic Perth team, but the NRL should have been setting up systems in Perth (And Melbourne for that matter) years ago. Unfortunately this sport is run by idiots so we are just going to spread the talent we already have into whatever plastic team they decide will be best for business this time.

 

[Mustafur]

Nobody is forgetting that. What people are forgetting is that without other already established NRL players we would just have the PNG Hunters, who won a premiership six years ago and have since been making up the numbers, playing in the top rugby league competition in the world. Then we have to discuss things like who would they sign to be competitive, who would want to live in PNG, how difficult it is to travel/accommodate visiting clubs etc.

We should be setting up ways to get the top PNG players into NRL teams before worrying about giving them a team in the competition.

We currently have 7 players who are eligible to represent PNG in NRL squads this year. Without establishing a system to have their players learn within already created clubs, if they were able to sign all of these players you would have this team mixed with the Hunters.

1 Alex Johnston
2 Xavier Coates
3 Justin Olam
4
5 Robert Derby
6
7
8
9
10
11 Jeremiah Simbiken
12 Jacob Alick
13 Jack DeBelin

14
15
16
17

The NRL should really have 16 teams with two of the established teams moving to Perth and Brisbane or the wonderful city of The. 17 teams sucks, but 18 is the next logical step and it absolutely should not be a Pacifica, PNG or NZ2 team. They're just really shit ideas altogether. As is a plastic Perth team, but the NRL should have been setting up systems in Perth (And Melbourne for that matter) years ago. Unfortunately this sport is run by idiots so we are just going to spread the talent we already have into whatever plastic team they decide will be best for business this time.

The plan was to have it based in Cairns for a reason, they can play a few games in PNG but the political situation there and attracting other players doesn't make it feasible.

As it stands right now Hunters are left alone they don't have an NRL affiliate and pathway to first grade without leaving the Hunters and that involves leaving the country not exactly easy.

 

[BroncsFan]

The plan was to have it based in Cairns for a reason, they can play a few games in PNG but the political situation there and attracting other players doesn't make it feasible.

As it stands right now Hunters are left alone they don't have an NRL affiliate and pathway to first grade without leaving the Hunters and that involves leaving the country not exactly easy.

I feel like the Hunters is where the NRL should put some money then.

Need a Gus Gould type to establish pathways systems for them... **** have a Gus Gould type establish pathways for all the Pasifika nations.

From there NRL teams will scout the players and bring them into the NRL.

Having a plastic team supposedly representing 3 different countries and then based in a 4th does less when compared to improving the systems in their countries and improving their international team's presence, because realistically the international teams are their already established teams. That's the team they support in the NRL... give them more exposure, etc.

That grows the international game... and perhaps they can then start thinking about setting up comps within their country... they dont need to be huge comps, but if they can have a setup that can then feed into Qcup, NSW cup, ESL and NRL.

Give NRL clubs additional funding if they setup pathways programs in those countries... or give them money for every player they bring into NRL from areas outside the strongholds of Qld and NSW... ie. Vic (because the fucking storm wont do it), Perth, SA, etc. I would also include incentives for bringing NZ and English players into NRL, because they are still not quite at the same levels as Aus. Look how good Herbie and Dom Young are given they were brought through Aust setups early.

Kiwis haven't really established league into New Zealand as yet... help them to establish qcup/nsw cup style comps within the country before just plonking another team in there and hoping for the best.

 

[McHunt]

Storm guys hate the Broncos. The end.

Storm were the worst thing to happen in this comp (as a Broncos and general league fan) since forever. The sooner they **** off back to irrelevance when Bellamy and Munster are gone, the better.

I think I agree with you, but maybe for different reasons.

Having the most successful club based in a state that produces no local talent and gets no local buzz or media coverage, at the expense of the rest of the competition hasn't done the NRL any favours in my opinion. The Storm is a mercenary team of expats that, despite doing everything right in the most ruthless fashion, has made zero inroads into Victoria. The club has been a resounding success, while the expansion has been an abject failure.

I feel the same way about wasting our time in other states at a club or representative level.

 

[LittleDavey]

I think I agree with you, but maybe for different reasons.

Having the most successful club based in a state that produces no local talent and gets no local buzz or media coverage, at the expense of the rest of the competition hasn't done the NRL any favours in my opinion. The Storm is a mercenary team of expats that, despite doing everything right in the most ruthless fashion, has made zero inroads into Victoria. The club has been a resounding success, while the expansion has been an abject failure.

I feel the same way about wasting our time in other states at a club or representative level.

I was with you until your last sentence. Have the Storm attempted to build any grassroots footy in Victoria over the years? I genuinely don't know, if they have then I will give credit where it's due, if they have not, well.......

I think Perth makes sense as far as expansion, based on what I know. WA is an awfully long way away, but I understand there is a league comp there and they have always patronised League games well. This and the extra -2hr timeslot would seem to make it a good option, in my mind.

 

[McHunt]

I was with you until your last sentence. Have the Storm attempted to build any grassroots footy in Victoria over the years? I genuinely don't know, if they have then I will give credit where it's due, if they have not, well.......

I think Perth makes sense as far as expansion, based on what I know. WA is an awfully long way away, but I understand there is a league comp there and they have always patronised League games well. This and the extra -2hr timeslot would seem to make it a good option, in my mind.

If Western Australia is such a hotbed of rugby league talent why hasn't it produced any NRL players? PNG and the Pacific Islands are able to scrape together a whole bunch of test teams - both league and union - and some of them are even competitive.

 

[Sproj]

If Western Australia is such a hotbed of rugby league talent why hasn't it produced any NRL players? PNG and the Pacific Islands are able to scrape together a whole bunch of test teams - both league and union - and some of them are even competitive.

I imagine it is because there is no pathway for anyone in WA to professional league. It is really far from the closest league club which is probably St George or Melbourne and Melbourne isn't a league heartland as discussed. WA did have the union team there the NRL completely missed a trick on picking up a couple of years ago. So now, WA has two AFL teams and an extremely dominant cricket side, there just isn't any incentive there right now for anyone to pursue league over there. Even so there have been about 1 or 2 league players from WA which funnily enough, is about the same as Victoria despite having an extremely successful side there for 20 years.

 

[McHunt]

I imagine it is because there is no pathway for anyone in WA to professional league. It is really far from the closest league club which is probably St George or Melbourne and Melbourne isn't a league heartland as discussed. WA did have the union team there the NRL completely missed a trick on picking up a couple of years ago. So now, WA has two AFL teams and an extremely dominant cricket side, there just isn't any incentive there right now for anyone to pursue league over there. Even so there have been about 1 or 2 league players from WA which funnily enough, is about the same as Victoria despite having an extremely successful side there for 20 years.

Well yes, I imagine you can mount an argument to support Perth, but the breeding ground in the South Pacific is like an ants nest of talent. If it were one or the other, it's a slam dunk to me.

I can see more incentive for WA to enter a team into a national reserve grade comp.

 

[Sproj]

Well yes, I imagine you can mount an argument to support Perth, but the breeding ground in the South Pacific is like an ants nest of talent. If it were one or the other, it's a slam dunk to me.

I can see more incentive for WA to enter a team into a national reserve grade comp.

I'm not against it at all but where are you basing a pacific side? If it is in Cairns, then it is just another Qld side. I would argue that if the NRL wants to get to 20 teams, make 19 or 20 the pacific side and to be honest, I understand all the logistics issues, I would base them in PNG by name but alternate them between Sydney and Brisbane.

 

[McHunt]

I'm not against it at all but where are you basing a pacific side? If it is in Cairns, then it is just another Qld side. I would argue that if the NRL wants to get to 20 teams, make 19 or 20 the pacific side and to be honest, I understand all the logistics issues, I would base them in PNG by name but alternate them between Sydney and Brisbane.

Sunshine Coast. We have direct flights to Sydney, Cairns, Townsville, Newcastle and Melbourne. And beaches. It's not a hardship post, nor a longhaul flight for other clubs.

We should also play a few games offshore. Players might even like that.

 

[mrslong]

Clint gutho is a poor man’s Darius to be honest.

 

[LittleDavey]

Sunshine Coast. We have direct flights to Sydney, Cairns, Townsville, Newcastle and Melbourne. And beaches. It's not a hardship post, nor a longhaul flight for other clubs.

We should also play a few games offshore. Players might even like that.

I agree the talent is there in "the Pacific" but I'd have thought it's already 'in play'? I don't see how a team based on the Sunny Coast would be any different to any existing NRL teams?

Is there even a desire from a cultural perspective for a melting pot of Tongan/Samoan/Fijian/Cook Islander/Vanuatuan/other players in one "Pacific" team?

If the aim is to legitimately expand the game, it needs to get a foothold in new markets. Surely WA is basically untapped in relation to the Pacific islands?

To be clear, I'm not against the idea, I just don't know see how it really offers a point of difference to what's currently on offer nor how it expands the market in a way that a Perth or even Adelaide team might. They might also be another Storm and fail miserably with regard to growing the game, of course.

 

[McHunt]

I agree the talent is there in "the Pacific" but I'd have thought it's already 'in play'? I don't see how a team based on the Sunny Coast would be any different to any existing NRL teams?

Is there even a desire from a cultural perspective for a melting pot of Tongan/Samoan/Fijian/Cook Islander/Vanuatuan/other players in one "Pacific" team?

If the aim is to legitimately expand the game, it needs to get a foothold in new markets. Surely WA is basically untapped in relation to the Pacific islands?

To be clear, I'm not against the idea, I just don't know see how it really offers a point of difference to what's currently on offer nor how it expands the market in a way that a Perth or even Adelaide team might. They might also be another Storm and fail miserably with regard to growing the game, of course.

Don't know. It just seems obvious the public interest is there, so to that extent they've earned it. I'm sure the NRL has a better idea of these things from a logistic and financial angle. And the current federal Government evidently wants to get behind it. Maybe the idea of a West Indies style megateam is contrived. It's not what I've been hearing, but I'm not in the know.

The Melbourne experiment has shown us that just because we build it, they don't necessarily come.

 

[theshed]

i wonder if a Pacifica team would have any traction as a second NZ team

 

[Big Del]

Is there even a desire from a cultural perspective for a melting pot of Tongan/Samoan/Fijian/Cook Islander/Vanuatuan/other players in one "Pacific" team?

That`s where it will get interesting .

 

[Sproj]

i wonder if a Pacifica team would have any traction as a second NZ team

It is a good question. It sounds like the NRL want it to be a bitza team, part here, part there. Part Pacific but mostly pseudo-Qld team. If they want to do this, whatever, just make sure there is a good business case for it. Because if you have a team playing home games all over the place, that make it hard to keep top talent eventually if you kind of become wandering nomads, that isn't going to appeal to a lot of top end players.

For 18-20 teams, I'd go:
18. Perth (no brainer)
19. Pacific (whether NZ2 or Qld5 or some mixture there of)
20. Adelaide

I would also be moving the worst performing Sydney team to the central coast or deleting them and bringing back the bears.

 

[Foordy]

It is a good question. It sounds like the NRL want it to be a bitza team, part here, part there. Part Pacific but mostly pseudo-Qld team. If they want to do this, whatever, just make sure there is a good business case for it. Because if you have a team playing home games all over the place, that make it hard to keep top talent eventually if you kind of become wandering nomads, that isn't going to appeal to a lot of top end players.

For 18-20 teams, I'd go:
18. Perth (no brainer)
19. Pacific (whether NZ2 or Qld5 or some mixture there of)
20. Adelaide

I would also be moving the worst performing Sydney team to the central coast or deleting them and bringing back the bears.

Unfortunately, the fact that it's a no brainer for Perth to be the 18th team is the exact reason the NRL will not consider them.

P.s it would have been quicker to just type Tigers , rather than "worst performing Sydney team" ... there is no chance anyone else comes close to their level of Incompetence both on and off the field.