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While not yet a done deal, it seems the next Super 14 expansion has overlooked Japan, Argentina, Western Sydney and the Gold Coast in favour of a new team in Australia’s second most populous city – Melbourne.
If a Melbourne bid is approved, will expansion into Melbourne will help or hinder development of rugby league?
After ten years, millions of dollars and several State Of Origin games, the Storm are building a strong foundation.
While they are not, as yet, turning a profit for the NRL or News Ltd, they are making significant inroads into the what was once thought to be a fool’s errand.
The success of the team has seen a surge in junior league registration, with many of the Storm’s Toyota Cup (under 20s) team born and bred in Melbourne.
For the last two years, the rugby league grand final has outrated the AFL grand final, largely on the back of strong figures from Melbourne.
A large portion of the Storm’s support comes from Melbourne’s large population of Kiwis, and this support base would surely be split if they had a Super Rugby team to support.
Also if rugby was able to gain the support of Melbourne’s private schools (as in Sydney and Brisbane), this would also stifle junior league development.
However, on the other side, a higher media profile for rugby union would not necessarily eat into that afforded to league.
For years, many Sydney and Brisbane expats who now live in Melbourne support Aussie Rules because there is no other option – they don’t show either rugby code on TV and there are very few games to attend.
Having two teams competing in international competitions would definitely boost the profile of both codes.
Another key point is that if both leagues could invest into the same facilities, they could both benefit from the other’s effort in a similar way to how the AFL has had a piggy back ride from cricketing associations Australia wide.
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