NRL expansion - who's leading the charge?

Excellent post, and i can give you the reason why Brisbane probably wont support a new club. The Queensland cup, this competition is very strong, not only for communities but also for feeder clubs for the NRL, dont under-estimate the strenght of Brisbane rugby league because they only have 1 team. Our strength lies in the local teams. A perfect example was when the Broncos come into the comp, the Brisbane comp suffered, until it picked itself up and is where it is today. Another team could enter the comp now without to much trouble, Ipswich would be the likely result. Logan is a feeder for Coast and Ipswich. The clubs have alot of feeders in Brisbane. We dont want to weaken this comp.

News limited owes rugby league and they know it, if it was not for news rugby league would be the number 1 code. They are pulling out because the game is starting to show growth redb. As for your no expansion until they can support growth, good call. If we expand, expect it to work.

I think if the NRL can rangle support for 4 teams in perfect spots then we wont need to expand in the future. The Bears back a must, feel good story right their, PNG would open up more spots for Islanders into the game, so affect on NRL players would be minamal, and create instant passion and rivalry for all teams. Perth is a must, if they get 15 thousand to games over their , it will continue to grow, with a mining company on-board, growth insured. So this leaves 1 team. If Manly decides to move to sunshine coast with more games, we would only need to shore up Central QLD, i dont think we need to worry to much about other areas around Brisbane, the QLD cup is so strong, and getting stronger, we do need feeder comps. So a 20 team comp, with only Perth to worry about, would be a ideal 20 team comp, play each other once, thats 19 rounds, allow for origin and test fixtures and maybe introduce some pacific island tournaments down the track. We have to think forward, the future is where the growth really lies, if we just plod down this one, two team idea, we will then have to back-track when we become too large. Think possitive. Open up the game so it can breath. Also, we have 4 nations on our plate, Pacific cup games, Origin, Dige All-stars, not to mention maybe another team added to origin, we need room to breath. So a shorter comp, 19 rounds plus the finals, would fill up the season nicely. Origin and 4 nations takes you into 30 weeks. The players need resting also, we need to think about them.

Tom Are you sure about the Cowboys cancelling the Cairn's trial match? As I recall the match was scheduled for the 20th February - I bought my plane tickets.

Those security issues in particular are a sizeable problem to overcome. If there are riots for origin games what hell could be unleashed as their very own team expereiences the highs and lows of the NRL? These are essentially social problems that only have long term solutions... definitely couldn't be fixed by 2013. At the end of the day, PNG is a third world country so which NRL players would be prepared to give up the comforts of Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne to live in Port Moresby? Whilst passion counts to an extent, from a business perspective, it would be a very risky move to admit PNG. Personally, I'd like to see CCBears and an Ipswich team since the WA reds bids seems to have died of late.

I think the only thing standing in the way of PNG is probably a decent stadium and security issues. All the other boxes are pretty much ticked. It's the national sport, they have all the sponsorship money they want (one of PNG'S big food chains have started sponsoring the Cowboys) . They have total government support, depth of talent domestic and abroad won't be an issue, the Bennetts have been closely associated with the game for many years, they now have current Origin winning coach and legend Mal Meninga involved, Adrian Lam has now commited his expertise for the long term, the Titans have been sharing their knowledge on how to put a successful bid together etc. Can't make your intentions more clearer than that. Maybe it is their time?

No Dan, it wont be great, you will see them next year in the 4 nations, they need a team so the islanders can also have better access to the NRL through a team they will call their own. And crowds wont be a issue, or sponsers. We all need to let go of the past, this teams falling over no longer exsists, the Ceo's we have now wont let this happen. Time we started to think possitive, like the people who are leading the charge with these bids. If the PNG government is behind their bid, what more could you ask for, they will improve their whole countries infastructure with Sponsers heading up that way when games are played. Open up a whole new tourist and Bussiness structure, think big man, Stop being a small time player.

Cant believe the cowboys dont play their trial games in Cairns - at least one per year. I dont know why this happens, but it seems stupid when the population is only slightly smaller than Townsville, it provides one of the feeder clubs, busloads of CairnsFolk go to cowboys games every week and they're called the "North Queensland Cowboys"!!!! Each year our trial match features Manly, NZ, Cronulla or some other team with little connection to the area - one year we got 17,000 to a trial game! In a town with a pop. of 100,000, thats 1 in 5 people!!

I am a now man too, but I think that is dangerous - look at 1995 - League was going great so we got 4 teams at once from Quayle and Arthurson - and look what it led to. Dont you think Q Cup for one or two seasons would be a great way to showcase PNG's capabilities?

Good idea - would be a great way to develop players and wouldnt be too much of a drain on the cap (wouldnt need SBW dollars to lure these guys). And I like the darwin idea too - playing at least a few games there would help league in NT and in PNG.

Thus back to my first suggestion. Honestly having 1 player in each NRL club would go a long way to allowing a PNG team to have a decent base of home grown talent available (that was developed by NRL clubs), and will help the locals feel they own the team.

No, maybe set a plat-form and infastructure for a team in all codes come 2015. That gives 5 years to get set-up, sponsers a new stadium, support groups and education in place, which they are doing. I have been watching the Pacific cup, their has been no trouble so far, but then again, PNG have been winning. We will also show them how to accept loses. :) And the Qld cup is not the way to go, all that does is delay the process even further, i am a now man, Lets give them help now, not next week, next year, in 50 years, now.

I think the NRL should look at allowing each club to contract a PNG player under the age of 23/24 for nothing under the cap. This would help them develop players for their national team, as well after that period, if they aren't good enough to remain in the NRL, they could move back down to the feeder comps (NSWRL/QLD Cup), or ESL, or even back to PNG to take what they learnt back and teach the next generation. A team in the QLD Cup would be good as well, though maybe it would have to have half the games in Darwin.

What just give them a licence from 2010? The way the A-League has been handing out licences lately, they may do so, but I dont think it would be the responsible thing to do. We dont want another Singapore Slingers. Q Cup is the logical step - as long as it can be shown that the nation can support a team, the NRL should go for it. Besides, RL is well established up there - there were three people killed in riots after the last state of origin match, and it is the most watched program up there by far. Youngsters like David Mead, and established stars like Marcus Bai and Adrian Lam are heroes in PNG - I dont think there is any danger of Union or AFL throwing a team up there anytime soon.

Just to put that into perspective, you vertually are opening the door to over 7 million people, and those players could fill the ranks of soccer, union, league and AFL . If we dont get behind this country now, when do we decide to help them. ? They all play sport, so it would become a production line for all codes. :) Be like a checkout at coles.

I think it would be a very positive step for PNG's economic development etc to have a team up there - but is best in a staged approach. First, they need to join the Qld Cup and show that they have the talent, support, money and infrastructure for a top level team. Then, once all this is apparent, they should be one of the first considered bids for a new licence. PNG has more people than NZ, and RL is its biggest sport.

Getting back to Expansion, as far as i am concerned, the AFL can but wont expand to Cairns, the area is to fragile for a major team, alot like Tassie. So, going on the last report to come from PNG, with the weight of pacific island support now coming in for a PNG bid, i think the NRL really has to work hard to get PNG involved. Next year might see PNG included in the 4 nations tournament, this bid needs more than just rugby league to help it threw, we also need Rugby Union and the A-league to get behind this bid. For Australia to help this country out of the dark ages, i think we should all be putting our baises and greivances behind us and support their cause. They need 3 or even the 4 codes to help them out. It would do far more good for them as a nation for our games to invest in their country. Cheers. P.S by establishing all our codes up their opens the door to all the island players as well. Worth thinking about . ?

Cairns is a Rugby League town but AFL has a well organized and well financed presence. Cazalys has without a doubt the best AFL/Cricket playing surface and facilities outside of the Gabba. Innercity Cairns itself only has 3 teams (Brothers, Kangaroos and Ivanhoes) , but it is in the surrounding districts and large sugar towns that the Cairns Rugby League Comp draws much of it's strength. Teams like the Atherton Roosters, Mareeba Gladiators, Edmonton Storm, Yarrabah Seahawkes, Innisfail Brothers, Tully Tigers, Southern Suburbs Cockatoos (Gordonvale) , Mossman-Port Douglas Sharks etc are staunch Rugby League. In recent years, the AFL have been making some huge inroads into the Cape York Indigenous communities but, they still have a way to go. Last week for example, the Cairns Indigenous Rugby League carnival attracted teams from as far as Cherbourg and the Torres Straits and pulled in a crowd of over 10 000 paying spectators. Bill Harrigan once refereed at this carnival during the height of the Super League War (1996). But Cairns needs more big Rugby League games (the Cowboys cancelled next years pre-season match) something the AFL so far haven't done.

Ask fans of non-sydney teams and they will tell you it would be the worst thing to ever happen to League. From a purely selfish point, most of my team's rivalries are with Sydney teams. It is quite arguable that we would be the big losers in a conference system.