Comments on: NRL must introduce a pre-season tournament

By: Woody Warambel

Woody Warambel — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 07:37:22 +0000

But Tom all those other competitions are elite competitions played in countries with populations well in excess of Australia’s.

There are over 50 countries in the world with populations greater than ours. The fact that the NRL can get 3million plus through the gate each season & these spectators come mainly Queensland & NSW which has maybe a combined population of 12 million is a hugh effort.

The NRL competition is the 14th or 15th biggest in the world of all the football codes.( I know the AFL’s is 4th & 90% of there spectators come from the southern states ith a total population of less than 10 million but just ignore that for the moment.)

RL being such a physical game the injury toll is horrendous. Don’t make the season longer.

Better still I would concentrate of 2nd tier comps like the Queensland Cups if supporters wanted a second bite.

By: Corey

Corey — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:36:56 +0000

I would also like to remind people of PNG, I know they won’t have a team by 2012, but may be by 2015-18, and they would get crowds, memberships, sponsors and coverage. Imagine the passion and the style they would bring.

By: Tom Alexander.

Tom Alexander. — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:16:24 +0000

If we had a return of a mid-week Comp like the Panasonic Cup, maybe the free to air networks could get first pick. I was fearing Rugby League coverage could reach saturation point with another televised Competition, but then i saw the weekly coverage of Soccer which is on at the moment on all the Pay TV Sports Channels, EPL, CC Championships, Serie A, Spanish Ligue, French Championships, US Major League Soccer, Australian Football, European Championships, Russian Championships (now that’s saturation coverage). One more decent Rugby League Competition just might give NRL teams and supporters a 2nd bite of the cherry.

By: Corey

Corey — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:31:24 +0000

I am from Ipswich, in fact the suburb I live in is the proposed site for the team- but I must say that Ipswich people are passionate about their league and has one of the highest population percentage of RL players out of any city in SEQ, but I think it would be better for the NRL and RL to put a team in Central Queensland, as it is easier for Ipswich fans to cheer on the Broncos and catch a train for less than an hour to the game than Central Queensland to cheer on any team. I would love to see a club achieve a year of sell-out crowds (especially the Broncos or Bulldogs with their large stadiums) as this would do wonders for the game in Australia and the world. This would make the Television deals more lucrative- as would a team in Perth, but I do agree about the “propping up” problem, although Perth has a better Rugby League base than Melbourne does. Its great to see a large response though so early for Rugby League.

By: Col the Bear

Col the Bear — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:23:36 +0000

Oikee, we’re not fazed.. it’s business as usual for the CCBears..we’re planning to be back by 2013 and thats what we intend to do..watch this space

By: M1tch

M1tch — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 02:11:32 +0000

Be great to see these players against the best, and also so guys who are mid 20′s aren’t not thought about for recruitment by nrl clubs

By: Redb

Redb — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 01:35:10 +0000

Not just NSW, Victoria has also subsidised other states.

By: macavity

macavity — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 01:29:39 +0000

not in NSW mate.

here the Hunter is propping up the rest of the busted-arse state.

By: macavity

macavity — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 01:26:57 +0000

what is the problem with the CRL wanting to give CC kids a path to the NRL? The Bears don’t base their teams there.

if the CC wants to show it can handle an NRL team (which in spite of what the die hard bears fans think, is no where near a given), it could start by supporting the Crusaders.

By: oikee

oikee — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 21:40:59 +0000

Looks like your topsy turvy world has come back again Col the Bear, now just read that no expansion until 2017.? They are going to consolidate the 16 teams and get the salary cap up to around that 6.5 million i mentioned yesterday. Be a good idea really, at least by then we would have a good understanding of how much we can afford. Unfortunately the Bears and Qld team wont bring any extra t/v revenue to the party.

By: Paul J

Paul J — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 21:30:04 +0000

The game is faster now than ever before. Top players who play an NRL season and SOO and tests are already complaining about burn out and fatigue. I think having 2-4 pre season warm up games which are played in areas that don’t usually get NRL games is the way to go.

The independent commission have stated CC and a South East Qld team will “probably” be where the next expansion will be so you can bet you bottom dollar this is where they’ll go.

David Gallop told the Central Qld team that all bids should be finalised and submitted by mid to late 2011. The CQ bid will need to do something drastic to beat a future bid from Ipswich/Logan in Brisbane.

By: LT80

LT80 — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 11:08:57 +0000

This is a great idea, I would love to see it.

The sceptics will say that the gulf is too great between the NRL and state leagues, but I would wager that those people have not been to see a NSW or Queensland Cup recently, if ever.

I went to plenty of NSW Cup games this year and the standard is good and many of the players are fringe 1st grade quality. The Queensland Cup is probably even better.

By: Col the Bear

Col the Bear — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 09:19:41 +0000

the thing that gets me is why the sudden turn around.. last Tuesday the 17th of Nov.it was announced that the CRL and Newcastle had done a deal so the CRL would field a NSW cup side for Newcastle called the Crusaders also for the 18s and 16s for 2010; disregarding what the CC residents wanted ;with the name CC Cubs.. only to be told on the Wednesday that the name is already registered to another sporting code basketball.. then on friday the 20th the same night as the CC Bears launch.. the NRL come out and said there will be NO expansion not in the forseeable future .. then a week later they now say expansion is back on the cards and 2 teams will be admitted by 2013.. wow who could forsee just in a weeks time..

who knows what the next week will hold in this topsy turvy world of NRL…(enter the theme song of Soap)

By: oikee

oikee — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 08:03:50 +0000

Maybe losing money will be better for rugby league in NSW, if its anything like England, they have record crowds at the football, maybe they just sing their blues away. Something the NSW people need to learn, as for QLD, believe me, we need every penny we can get our hands on, not only do we have great crowds, but all the new comers to the state also get involved in rugby league, same would be happening for AFL and union in Perth.
Maybe a team in Perth might be a good idea, we still have a couple of years to go before expansion, no need to rush. Like D.O.W said in a post, let them bid for a team, get some expressions of interest. See who is fair dinkim.

By: Mick from Giralang

Mick from Giralang — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 06:48:38 +0000

Correct DOW.

http://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw-may-lose-tax-revenue-to-boom-states-20090809-ee8k.html

By: Mick from Giralang

Mick from Giralang — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 06:44:11 +0000

Perth Reds were carving out a healthy niche in the WA sporting scene when they were canned at the insistence of News as part of the Superleague war peace settlement. After only three years, they were matching some of the Sydney clubs for crowds and already had 3-4 local kids playing in the top grade. With union already established in Perth, it would deven easier to establish the Reds again, and gain another firm foothold for our great game.

Oikee is right about the need for a proper rectangular stadium.. The NRL should join forces with soccer and union and offer to establish a rugby league team there in returnfor a quality stadium, just like the Queensland taxpayers are being forced to pay for an AFL stadium on the Gold Coast against their will. The Victorian government is already reaping dividends from its investment in a proper football stadium, with four national football clubs to use the new Storm homeground.

By: Dogs Of War

Dogs Of War — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 06:08:43 +0000

Memberships are just one of several areas that clubs need. You only have to look at NRL clubs at the moment to know you can survive with low membership bases, it’s about having that corporate support, and you can’t assume it’s a given as the Central Qld teams will have a different appeal to a Brisbane Broncos from a corporate dollar point of view.

Yeah maybe there are some rich corporations around, but that’s just the major sponsor sown up, gettign all those smaller sponsors on board is a much harder task, especially when you think about tough times hitting the club on and off the field, will the club just go to the wall considering it would be relying a lot on memberships and smaller sponsors to stay interested?

By: Brett McKay

Brett McKay — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 05:49:30 +0000

so getting back to the original topic Mitch, what you’re essentially pitching is not so much a new innovation, but a rebrith of the old AMCO Cup from the 70s, which predated the Panasonic Cup that DoW mentioned.

I agree with Dogs, by the way, mideweek would be the way to do it once you got to the quarters stage, and you could I guess do the first few rounds as pre-season games including country rep and Qld/NSW Cup sides.

And yes, it would be great to see a reconnection with the bush and the district teams, but I think we all know that this probably won’t happen…

By: oikee

oikee — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 05:47:47 +0000

Well they have some of QLD richest men on board, so i dont know how you come up with that equassion, anyhow, thought you learnt a lesson , its all about Memberships, remember.

By: Dogs Of War

Dogs Of War — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 05:13:49 +0000

It’s not the crowds that will make the club survive, more so the corporate support that will. I just don’t think the area can support the club in that sense.

By: oikee

oikee — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 05:03:57 +0000

No not gamble on Rocky, the difference being is that rocky will get 20 thousand to every game, so thats not a gamble.
The gamble is Perth, getting 20 thousand when your team has submitted to injuries, and they will, is not good. Give them time to grow, Rocky probably has 20 times the base Perth does. And they dont just like rugby league, they would walk over broken glass for rugby league.

By: oikee

oikee — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 04:56:29 +0000

I think Manly are doing the right thing,, will get better supported and grow their base. So the sunny coast can come out and see some NRL games. Great idea, areas not big enough to have a team should be looking to do this with clubs. Sydney teams get good support around qld areas, just up the road is a sth sydney fan, plus you have doggie fans around because Steve Price played down their. Good idea, and a money spinner.

Lets be honest, sport is bussiness, if you cant grow you go broke, and nobody wants to see their club fold, at least Gallop understands this, and wants no club to fold from now on.

By: oikee

oikee — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 04:48:30 +0000

MMMM, thats interesting, yes the plot thickens Col, just wondering if the central qld team could be planning something, they have nearly half of QLD on board you know, from sunny coast to Mackay. Bundaburg is one of the richest areas in OZ as you might know. I drove past their not long ago and a hundred dollar note flew into my window. Gladstone is turning red with iron ore flowing off the backs of railyard wagons. Their is money up their, and its real money.

By: oikee

oikee — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 04:39:12 +0000

Not really dogs, its got lots of big bussiness coming on board, and the area is close to all ports. All depends on how much they want the game, i played rocky, and they are league tragics. Abit like me, so support would not be a problem. Anyhow, should make for good reading over the next few months, all these sleeping giants awoken by this news. You watch the headlines come thick and fast from toomoorow.

Just one more thing about the rocky bid, it would be perfect for the Papuans, same type of climate, and the lads could suppliment their pay with top up from the Mining industry. Cheers. Rocky is sounding good, not to mention its also the gateway to some of the most beatiful coastline. And has got huge potential to grow anyway along the coast. Its a wise bid for the government to open up the area, but like i said, not sure our government is that smart.

By: Col the Bear

Col the Bear — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 04:39:09 +0000

actually stockland might be up in the air now, as Manly have to field a NSW cup side come 2011, and not rely on the sunshine coast sea eagles..

By: Dogs Of War

Dogs Of War — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 04:35:57 +0000

Yeah it is the Sunshine Coast. The stadium will only hold 12K when completed. Well short of anythign that is suitable for NRL level games. Though could be used for trials.

EDIT: Just found an article on the Manly website. FOr some reason Manly are looking to play actual NRL matches at this stadium. Probably because their’s holds stuff all as well. Probably see good crowds if they use their Gold Coast or Cowboys homes games at this stadium (or even Melbourne). As the stadium won’t be finished in time, it seems it will have to wait till 2011.

http://www.sunshineseaeagles.com.au/news/no-nrl-at-stockland-stadium/

EDIT 2: http://www.austadiums.com/stadiums/stadiums.php?id=296

I think the expansion to 25K which is suggested here, would probably see Manly move lock stock and barrel to this area if it happened (or at least use it as leverage to get their own stadium upgraded).

By: jake

jake — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 04:35:28 +0000

Excellent News that there is an independent commission on the way!!!! Personally i think the expansion teams should be CC Bears and the Perth Reds!!! with Queensland and NZ considered the next time round also a very important issue it getting the free to air games on channel 9 at a decent hr in Victoria next year. I would love to see the NRL go head to head against he AFL, of course NRL would loose but interest would grow every week!!! Plenty of people are interested in RL down here but just cant access it on a regular basis!!!!

By: Dogs Of War

Dogs Of War — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 04:33:03 +0000

You want to gamble on Rocky getting big, but not on Perth which is big?

By: Tom Alexander.

Tom Alexander. — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 04:32:03 +0000

We in Rugby League seem to be stuck on trying to re-invent the wheel (or banging our heads against a bloody brick wall) take your pick. Perth would still have been in the Competition if they, like Adelaide, after the Super-League war, weren’t sacrificed on the alter of compromise. Unfortunately, News Limited decided they would rather pump their millions into teams like the Broncos and the Storm rather than support these new Rugby League ventures. This whole sorry episode has turned out to be a massive wasted opportunity for our code, one that we may never fully recover from if the same bloody idiots who signed off on that decision are once again given key positions in this new “independant” commission. Gallop doesn’t even have the decency to atleast let the Central Coast Bears and everybody else for that matter, know definitively, when the next round of expansion is due. If these same bunch of morons are holding positions of power (effectively running the show) in this new “independant commission”, our code really will be up the creek for a few more years to come.

By: oikee

oikee — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 04:29:16 +0000

Stockland stadium, what area is that. Hope its not sunshine coast, or she will have to build another one. All i know is ipswich need a stadium, not sure what they use now, but anything short of world class wont be tolerated, and why should it be, if you want support from bussiness and sponsers, you need a good stadium. As for Rocky, they need to lobby the pollies to get them off 1st base, its all about who can build it best. Which is good, look at the trouble Manly have getting funds, no good trying to get funds after the horse has bolted so to speak.