- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
The past week has seen much focus on the NRL’s future expansion plans. Currently there are bids in play from the Central Coast, Perth and Central Queensland (CQLD).
David Gallop has just indicated that there will eventually be another team added to the NRL from the Brisbane/South East Queensland (SEQ) region.
A brief look at the bids gives a clue as to what order of entry the NRL may follow (pending a satisfactory TV deal):
Central Coast – all systems in place and steadily building up their financial membership base. They will need to convince the NRL that the Central Coast supports the Bears bid. If so, the appeal for the NRL to reconnect with the Bears former North Shore support base would be strong.
Perth – upgraded stadium under construction. Junior teams already competing in NSWRL competitions. The only non-heartland bid, it offers the NRL a chance to grow the game in a thriving capital city and at the same time offering attractive TV viewing slots to the east coast. With two AFL teams plus the Force and Glory to compete for fans with, will the west support league again?
CQLD – strong grassroots support, however only the intention to build a stadium at this point should they win admission. They will need to convince the NRL that they have the corporate and population base to sustain a team long-term. Unfortunately their bid website lists their number one advantage over other bids as the support of a Mr Kevin Rudd! (The number two advantage is the support of Anna Bligh – also soon to be history.)
Brisbane region – intention given to bid in 2013 by Ipswich/Logan. There are two options for SEQ – either a true second Brisbane team playing out of Suncorp (another Crushers), or a new stadium built in the Ipswich region to service the growing corridor west of Brisbane.
At first glance, a second side out of Suncorp might appeal, however Brisbanites pride themselves on being a big country town, and prefer the ‘one town, one team’ mentality. The city already has four codes strongly represented via the Broncos, Lions, Roar and the Reds. The fear is that a second true Brisbane team would just split fans with the Broncos.
An Ipswich/Logan bid offers access to a growing population base with no national sporting representation to date, but requires a stadium. The other problem is the name of the owner of the Ipswich leagues club – a Mr John Ribot.
I believe the NRL would prefer an Ipswich/Logan bid sans John Ribot, which would require a stadium to be built. Ipswichers are staunchly independent from Brisbane and would not travel to Suncorp – their admission would create an instant rivalry, a la Gold Coast. It would also allow ‘space’ in SEQ for an eventual team on the Sunshine Coast, hence the Broncos would be ringed by three local rivals (south, west and north) – a perfect tribal scenario.
All four regions (Central Coast, Perth, CQLD, SEQ) deserve representation in the NRL in the future, and given the stage of their bids, at this stage, the Central Coast Bears and WA Reds have less boxes to tick than the other contenders. David Gallop has said there is no rigid ‘order’ of the contenders, so it will come down to who is most ready.
The expansion timetable I foresee is therefore:
2013 – Central Coast Bears and WA Reds
2017 – Ipswich/Logan and CQLD
Future expansion after 2017 would therefore feature Wellington, PNG, Sunshine Coast and Adelaide. Gallop said he is opposed to relocation, so unless there is natural attrition of weak Sydney teams, we may be looking at a 24 team competition by 2025, with one full round each year allowing stand-alone weeks for State of Origin.
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.