Eric Grothe in action during the NRL round 5, Parramatta Eels v Canberra Raiders. AAP Image/Action Photographics, Grant Trouville
An idea that deserves serious consideration by the proposed Independent Commission is that of splitting the NRL into two divisions of twelve clubs each. So how would a two division NRL work and how would it be come about?
Of the sixteen current NRL clubs, the four least popular Sydney clubs would be relegated to the second division.
If 2010 crowd statistics were used to determine popularity, Cronulla, Sydney Roosters, Penrith and Manly would be facing demotion. To these four, add the expansion hopefuls, North Sydney/Central Coast Bears and Perth Reds.
The final six sides of the second division would come from the Queensland Cup or NSW Cup.
The divisions might look something like this:
Division 1 Division 2
Brisbane Cronulla
Canterbury Sydney Roosters
Wests Tigers Penrith
Parramatta Manly
St George Illawarra Perth
Melbourne North Sydney/Central Coast
South Sydney Redcliffe
Gold Coast Ipswich
North Queensland Sunshine Coast
Canberra Logan
Newcastle Central Queensland
New Zealand Newtown
The second division would be funded partly by using the existing club grants of the four demoted Sydney teams (around $14million per year) and allocating them equally to the twelve second-division teams.
There would be many advantages to a structure such as this:
* The twelve-team divisions would allow for a true home-and-away season to be played over 22 rounds.
* It would allow for expansion of professional rugby league in a lower risk fashion. Bringing in expansion sides straight into the top tier is an expensive and risky strategy, as the AFL are finding. A second division team could be a way to build grassroots support for the code in foreign territories such as Perth without a huge drain on resources.
* It would improve the quality of the first division as all the elite players gravitate to Division 1 sides.
* It would provide a future other than relocation or mergers for a number of Sydney clubs whose viability in the top division is questionable.
* It would bolster professional rugby league in Queensland, which is currently under-represented in the NRL (particularly the south-east corner).
* In time, some method of promotion/relegation between the divisions might be introduced to allow ambitious and successful clubs from the second tier to make their way into the top tier.
The proposal is not without disadvantages or uncertainties, however:
* The relegation of the four Sydney clubs is contentious and certain to cause anguish
* How would this new structure affect the broadcasting contract? Would the pay-TV operator be willing to forego the right to broadcast the worst two games from each round in the current format in exchange for all or most games of the second division?
The main unknown, of course, is whether the public will have significant interest in the second Division to keep it viable. We will never know unless it happens.
However, there are some indications that they would – both the Toyota Cup under-20 competition (Foxsports) and Queensland Cup (ABC Queensland) rate reasonably well given both competitions receive only modest media exposure and promotion.
The path of least resistance for the Independent Commission would be to put the problem of the game’s expansion into the too-hard basket.
But they should have a duty to consider this important problem, and make a decision that will serve rugby league best over the next ten, twenty, and fifty years.
Simply tacking on two new teams to the NRL every five or so years may not be the best way to do it. A second division must be worth considering.
LT80
Roar Pro
As a final postscript to this article, the following might give some food for thought to those who think a national 2nd division is pie in the sky. I understand that the QRL have recently commissioned an independent report into the viability of a national second tier competition. Apparently the QRL are keen on the idea and based on this report they will be putting forward some proposals to the NRL and ARL for a national second tier comp of some kind. I have no idea exaclty what their proposals might look like (nothing like mine I am sure). But it does mean that a second division is a real possibility that the various leagues are considering. Whether it happens or not, we'll have to wait and see.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
Sheek . Nothing is impossible.But let me suggest that by the end of 2010 News Ltd will be out of the ownership equation of the NRL.Therefore any determinant by a media body to control what a code does,will have much less of an impact.I further add,due to the diversity of sport in this country and the Tv ratings for rugby league on FTA and Pay,that content and plenty of it is an absolute must for the electronic media. To reduce the number of codes(when both are doing well and the NRL will expand further in 2013),is reducing the content for TV. People will follow games on Tv on a Monday night and will adapt their viewing habits accordingly,but it is for their sport,not a rejigged one.What i have found since following rl is the passion of the fans to a club and the game,you can't lever that passion away with an amalgamation. Telling fans their sport will amalgamate ,I suggest you remove 50% of the market, from wanting to be involved. A novelty one off wallabies v Kangaroos would be just that ,interesting but a novelty. Yes the Tv companies may have less to outlay due to one code of rugby,but the pay Tv mob may well have a big drop in TV subscriptions(and iiam one of them).in effect they are cutting off their nose to spite their face.Hardly a wise commercial decision. it was in fact Ken Cowley (the former News Ltd director) at the time of the SL war state"Rugby league is a great game and just about the best game made for television,that is why News Ltd chose rugby league ahead of the others ". If there was in fact only one player in the FTA market ,it could be a possibility.However there are 3 FTA stations vying for the NRL/SOO/Test/All stars Tv contract and Fox Pay TV (which gets 44 out of its top 100 shows rugby league) .I know what a media outlet would be aiming for,sports that rate,and not trying to dismantle a good thing. Oh and rl rates well in both England and NZ at this point of time.
Akazie
Guest
Sheek, you wish as it's the only way your code will ever get anywhere out here in Australia. Hands off. As I've said before, there is nothing wrong with two codes of Rugby.
LT80
Roar Pro
Sheek, you can never say never, but do you think anyone would attempt another Superleague style revolution given what happened last time? I don't think it could be classified as a success in any way. Surely some lessons were learned. People generally hate massive upheaval in the name of progress, but will be much more likely to accept gradual change or evolution toward something new. Perhaps this is why there seems to be constant talk about a Kangaroos V Wallabies match? Wasn't there some kind of suggestion of this happening in October this year? A small first step towards your ultimate prediction maybe?
LT80
Roar Pro
Crosscoder, some good points, but I would disagree that in the hypothetical scenario having 24 clubs of average quality is better than 12 high quality and 12 low quality. But I guess that is just my personal preference. Penrith and Cronulla are both averaging around 11,000 in match attendance this year, hardly packing them in, and Penrith is playing well. The reality is that some clubs are stronger and more popular than others, and by trying to keep the competition equal using the salary cap and so on, the better clubs are necessarily pulled back to the level of the weaker, least popular clubs, which is ultimately detrimental to the appeal of the whole competition.
LT80
Roar Pro
James, I couldn't agree more that quality is important which is really the motivation for this idea. If the NRL add new sides into the existing structure it will just diliute the quality of the matches. As it stands with 16 clubs the top talent is already spread quite thinly, so what happens with 18 or 20 clubs? The idea is to create a high quality top tier, but also keep a place (2nd division) for those teams who don't have the support to justify a spot in the top division. True, the casual rugby league fan in Sydney would probably have little interest in a second division, it would be for the more devoted league supporters, or for those areas that don't have representation in the NRL at present.
Whites
Guest
Australia is the only country on planet Earth with 4 professional football codes. By 2012 there will be 49(15-NRL, 18-AFL, 11-A-league and 5 SuperRugby) professional football teams in Australia(+2 in NZ). Each of these teams will have player wages of $5-10million which will support over 1250 professional players. Each of these teams will be looking for fans and may average 10k-40k+ per game. In this market there isn''t the capacity or support levels to sustain a 2nd division for the NRL. It will have average crowds below 5000 and free to air TV will not want to broadcast it. The population is to spread out and 2nd division teams in non-RL states will find it very hard getting sponsors and fans. The gap between 1st and 2nd division teams will get wider and wider. As I stated previously the best number for the NRL is 20 teams. It allows you to have 4 conferences of 5 teams so that most teams will have home and away games against local rivals.. There should be teams in 6 new locations made up of 4 new teams and 2 relocations. The Sydney teams to move should be the Sharks(only support is the 220k people in the shire and surrounded on all sides by the Dragons) and the Roosters(hardly any juniors and low number of supporters). So we have the remaining 14 teams plus: Adelaide Sharks-relocated Cronulla Sharks. The Rams had good crowds in their first season and the Sharks have already developed links with Adelaide. Central Coast Bears-Already well advanced. WA Reds-Already has junior teams and a growing interest in RL in WA. Successor to the Western Reds. Brisbane Dolphins?-Could be 2nd Brisbane team located at Suncorp or a Logan/Ipswich based team. Wellington Roosters-The Roosters are currently based in the capital of NZ's West Island(Bondi) so why not just move them to NZ. South Island-Could be called Southern "ïnsert nickname" and be based in Christchurch and Dunedin. This would be a truly trans-national 20 team competition with teams across Australia and NZ covering a population of about 27million people. It may be harsh but I'd rule out including a PNG team. Although PNG is the only country with RL as its national sport I don't think a team from there would add value to the competition. There would be 1-2 home games in NZ every weekend. Friday Night Football in NZ could be a LIVE game involving a NZ team at 7.30PM on NZ TV(5.30AEST on foxtel) followed by the live game from eastern Australia at 9.30PM(7.30PM AEST) followed by the 2nd delayed 7.30PM game. This is probably the best spread of teams across the heartland of RL plus into new areas. As long as all these teams are commited to in the long-term I believe they can all survive well into the future.
Andrew R
Guest
If we were to split the NRL into two competitions let's make it interesting. 1. 12 team competion for both divisions 2. Ensure that the TV rights are sold for the two competitions and both must be shown in prime viewing times 2. Relegate/Promote bottom two teams and top two teams from each competition 3. Minor Premiers from 2nd Division have automatic promotion into top grade 4. Make it a top five for 1st Division in the playoffs 5. The top 4 sides from the second Divison and and the bottom 3 sides from the 1st Divison play in a relagation/promotion playoff for a suitably sponsored trophy and for the remaining promotion spot. 6. Play both Divisions Grand finals on the same day as a double header. 7. Have a $8mil salary cap for the first Divison and a $5mil salary cap for the 2nd Division. 8. All players from both Divisions are eligible for rep football. 9. A 2nd Division side can forgo their promotion if they believe that they cannot afford the 1st Division salary cap. The benefit of the above is: a. Experienced players can still earn a good living at the end of their careers mentoring the yonger players in the bottom tiered competition. b. Keen Interest is maintained at semi finals time for both competions c. It gives the NRL more revenue potential in realtion to both competition and television deals. d. We will see more young talent developed than we are currently seeing in the under 20's. It could work? Who knows?
sheek
Guest
It might be the Media Moguls & Captains of Industry who will tell the rugby union & rugby league bosses - we're not going to split our resources & revenue anymore between two rugby codes. It's inefficient. So try to come to some arrangement or compromise, otherwise we'll make the decision for you. In 1995 when SuperLeague happened, the interests of the fans weren't considered. As far as the powers-that-be are concerned, fans can be re-trained. Don't believe me? Fans have been re-trained to watch evening matches instead of afternoon matches; fans have been re-trained to buy Pay-TV packages to compliment their free-to-air viewing; fans have been re-trained to accept exorbitant live match attendance fees; fans have been re-trained to buy every new variation jersey that comes on the market. Etc, etc, etc. And all those fans who were never going to watch rugby league again because of SuperLeague? They all came back eventually. And those fans who weren't going to watch rugby union anymore when it went professional? They're watching alright, with their Pay-TV packages! You can bet if/when the Media Moguls & Captains of Industry decide to make a move, the fans won't be consulted. They'll simply follow like sheep like they mostly always do. I'm only the messenger.....
Jeff
Guest
James. --- Wow another sensible observation, Is anyone listening!!!???. I fully afree with point#2, This is what I want and I cannot say it enough, Is anyone listening??????
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
There is one rugby code already-with two offerings.Nothing will change.
sheek
Guest
Come 2022 - there'll only be one rugby code. But that's another story for another day..... ! I have deliciously left this open-ended so that you will all have to guess whether I mean only rugby league or rugby union..... !!! (I'm not sure which way, either).
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
LT80 You will note I did say 2022. We dont currently have the population and expect the population to watch in large numbers, for what is in reality a 2nd division (a lower grade with no doubt the lesser quality player). 24 teams with quality players will garner much more support and sponsorship, than 12 teams with quality players and 12 teams in a lower division.The 12 teams in the 2nd division(and it is called a 2nd division),would be like watching Qld cup teams playing NRL teams.It is hardly a sporting magnet. You mention Penrith in a 2nd division,the same area with the largest junior league in Sydney.So the junior players go to the GWS to get into a premier league,as there is no first division team available.? The Sharks with one of the largest junior leagues in Sydney ditto.When they are both in form,you can't egt into local derbies and the Tv ratings soar. Do not diminsih the first grade status of teams currently in the NRL.To do so will alienate fans.The clubs may as well be relocated. Anycase the popularity at times on TV for clubs fluctuate,when the Sharks had ET and Peachey playing their ratings were well up with many of the others. Expand by all means.Do so responsibly and not just put dots on maps.Ensure all teams are financially viable,and ensure the competition has one level PREMIER.The game already has second divisions the Qld Cup and NSW Cup.Bring back a reserve grade(under 23). I am more convinced than ever that we will see Perth and the Central Coast in for the 2013 contract period,The groundwork has been done thoroughly I understand. Then gradually bring in the others over time,otherwise it smacks of exapnsion for expansion's sake.Th eGold coast took years and failed attempts before it hiton the right formula.
Chris
Guest
There isn't a strong tradition of attending RL games as there is the AFL states, and I've lived in both (and currently live in NSW). When I have attended RL games what I did notice was that plenty of people aren't really that focussed on what's happening on the field at any point in time - often chatting amongst themselves, grogging on etc. It seems to be a bit like a cricket game where people at the ground tune in and tune out as the game goes on - maybe that's because you don't really miss much because it' low scoring and things happen pretty slowly. From what I've seen at say basketball & AFL for instance, the crowds really do keenly follow every play and every referee/umpire decision - maybe because RL is such a low scoring game you're not likely to miss much if you look away for 5mins..... I think anyone who has been to both RL and AFL games would admit the difference in atmosphere isn't just about crowds numbers - a 30K at SFS to watch a RL match is generally less noisy and less engaged than a 30K crowd next door at the SCG watching the Swans - and I've even hard RL diehards who (reluctantly) attend their first Swans game make the observation that the atmosphere at an AFL fame is better. I think the answer is RL rules creating very predictable and repetative patterns of play, and low scoring contests. Super League - even thouh it got the international expansion aspirations all very wrong - was on the right track when it came to reconsideration of the rules to spice things up a bit.
oikee
Guest
We are dreaming, i think a slow expansion is all we need, at the moment the teams are all well placed each year. Come 2013-15, ,,,,2 more teams added should be fine, come 2020, then if the game is still booming, add a couple more. Quality players is what is needed. I vote academy's. :)
Jeff
Guest
Hey Oikee, Isn't that the kind of response that we are getting about every issue. -- I guess that if you,I and others keep saying it, someone may think "Yeah these guys must be right" but don't hold your breath waiting for change to happen. unless Channel Nine wants it!!. lol
sheek
Guest
Promotion & relegation simply won't work in a country as massive as Australia, & with a small population to boot. It was tried in Sydney rugby union in the 70s & 80s, & wasn't successful. At some point the two divisions will get totally out of kilter either with too few Sydney clubs, or perhaps more likely, too many Sydney clubs in 1st Division. And as others have mentioned, relegated teams get no exposure, no revenue streams, etc. Even 2 x 12, or even 3 x 8 conferences, is fanciful. Rugby league might be popular on the East Coast, but not so popular the code can sustain 24 national comp clubs. It's nice to see that many clubs typed in print. Looks real "purdy", as Jethro Clampett might say. But it's a hillbilly idea, all the same. "Tell 'em they're dreaming..... !"
Jeff
Guest
We have an ex PM looking for a job, but then again we already have a clown at the helm!!. sorry I spoke
sheek
Guest
Oikee - Make sure you get your fresh F&Vs from Betros Bros..... !
Chris
Guest
The AFL is looking at possible changes to their season format (5 suggested alternatives on their website). Some of the options look a bit like World Cup (soccer) - play rounds 1 to 17 so all teams play each other once then the teams are grouped into three 'pools' (divisions if you like) based on ranking... From each pool you play knock out round robin with best 2 or 3 in each pool advancing (ala World Cup) to the final series which in most cases will be the top ranked teams ( but not always). Advantage is that at Round 18 even a rank outsider can get up and make a run for the finals, although the lower ranked teams would be in the pool with the highest ranked teams making it harder to advance. I think people like their teams to play all other teams in the competition at least once very yr..I don't think divisions are the way to go.