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As many have stated before in previous articles, Phil Rothfield proposed a plan to change the NRL to a conference system to boost ratings and attendances.
I believe this is the wrong path to go if we’re planning on completely restructuring the NRL.
I believe there’s many different ways the NRL can develop the code.
So these are some things I would do if I were the NRL CEO. I believe these changes would strongly boost all parts of the game.
Expansion
This is completely essential in improving the game. I believe the league needs to introduce four new teams to make a competition of 20.
Now this obviously cannot be done in the space of one season, but I believe the Perth and Brisbane bids have strong weight behind them and should definitely be given the green light sooner rather than later.
Many will argue that these teams may not be strong in terms of competitiveness or fans, but they need to be there. The talent and the fans will come with time, like they have with every other club introduced.
The other two spots should be between Central Queensland, Central Coast and Wellington. These three are all vying for a spot for a while now and after researching their bids in depth, they deserve to fight for the last two spots.
These teams should be introduced over a six-year period, with two teams introduced each time to create a new game slot to make 10 games a round.
Divisional system
This is the next concept the NRL need to introduce. Once the NRL has moved to a 20-team competition, they should then divide the league into four divisions made up with five teams in each.
Many have suggested having two New South Wales divisions, a Queensland division and then a ‘outsiders’ division. I disagree with this though.
Lets just assume Central Queensland and Wellington are chosen as the 19th and 20th teams for the following purpose.
Queensland Division – Broncos, Cowboys, Titans, Brisbane 2, Central Queensland
City Division – Roosters, Dragons, Rabbitohs, Raiders, Panthers
NSW Division – Bulldogs, Tigers, Eels, Perth, Sharks
Regional AUS/NZ Division – Knights, Manly, Storm, Wellington, Warriors
I’ve proposed this divisional system before in my previous articles, but have changed the divisions around to suit more.
Each team will play every team in their division twice and play every other team once to make 23 rounds. This makes for a better, shorter season.
These divisions not only feature many rival games but also feature teams around the same vicinity of one another so there isn’t too much travel.
The top team in each division will make up the top four, while the remaining six spots will be awarded to the next highest ranked teams regardless of division. This will make a Top 10 finals system.
This sort of rivalry to finish first in your division to qualify for the top four will work wonders for the NRL as the fans will be pushing their team along against one of their most hated rivals.
Stand alone State of Origin
This a must in the NRL and works brilliantly with the 23 round competition. Clubs can now have three weeks off as byes while the best of the best slug it out in Australian sport’s most heated rivalry.
The match should probably feature on a Saturday night, right in the middle of the weekend. This way players can still play for theirs clubs on the following weekends and still have seven days to train with their State of Origin squad.
It’s a win-win for all.
Make clubs keep their jerseys the same
Although not as radical as changing the format of the competition with a divisional system, it still may be as important to some fans.
Clubs in the NRL are seen changing their uniforms almost every year and it’s obvious when a fan has the new strip, or a previous one. This shouldn’t be the case.
The AFL does this well, they keep their strips the same and fans buy their jerseys knowing that next season they won’t have to buy a whole new jersey again.
It’s just common sense.
Affordable ticket prices
After supporting my Roosters for almost all my life now, I’ve seen ticket prices leap enormously in just recent seasons.
In 2013, members tickets were $120 for the season. I perceived this to be quite expensive. So when I got notification that 2014 had jumped to $160 a season, understandably, I was outraged.
The NRL are currently dropping attendance numbers rapidly, and although the membership prices are not the NRL’s to decide, they probably should be.
They need to have more control over the prices clubs set to their members and fans. I remember a game where A-League club Gold Coast United hosted a match where tickets were only $5, in hope people would donate to the flood appeal.
That still stands to be their highest attendance rate to date (although it still wasn’t very high). Nevertheless cheaper tickets means more bums on seats.
Introduction of marquee contracts in the salary cap
I believe this is a necessity in bringing high profile names to the NRL.
Israel Folau, Sonny Bill Williams, Sam Burgess, Karmichael Hunt and Andrew Fifita are all huge names that have left the NRL or are going to.
Other players also such as Quade Cooper and James O’Connor have also considered a switch to NRL and would have gone so had it not been for the money union was offering.
This has to change. An example of how this brings in fans and more exposure to the game is the A-League when both Alessandro Del Piero and Emile Heskey were signed.
Ever since the announcement of these two, the A-League has begun to reach new heights in Australia and the world in terms of exposure.
NRL needs to learn quickly and follow the other codes.
I believe they need to introduce at least a two marquee contract options – a young player marquee option and a veteran player option for a player who has played a substantial amount of their career at the one club.
This would bring a lot more higher-profile names to the code, rather than watch them wave goodbye.
These are just some of the things I’d introduce if I were the NRL CEO, as I believe they would extremely advantage the NRL in more ways than one.
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