Don't forget Origin when talking expansion

If you're dumb enough to hastily move Origin into Adelaide or Perth than you'll see the NRL lose million's of dollars due to a lack of audience in those cities compared to the Eastern Cities.. It'd be a shot in the foot if it wasn't done right.

The NRL should stay loyal to its existing fan base and not worry about interstate SOO games and teams in Perth and Adelaide. If these areas want RL they should develop a grassroots following with a decent local competitions just like NSW and Queensland had to do. Until then they do not deserve SOO games played there or to have a team in the NRL.

He saw how fast, ferocious ad skillful the players were. He saw the passion of the fans and the players. He wanted to be part of it.

Melbourne has been hosting State of Origin matches since the 1990's.

Gaz - I accept your point about Adelaide fans but who is that Cronulla or Penrith or Manly fans will follow once their teams are axed from the comp? Or are you happy for them (and their kids) to walk away from league while we try and build an experimental market in a small AFL city? The NRL can't rip teams out of sydney (whether through relocation or cutting them) without alienating fans. Despite what Oiks says the vast majority of NRL players come from Sydney - don't take my word for it check out the team lists this week. How many Sydney juniors do you potentially lose to the game because their team has been cut from the comp or they have no local NRL presence? "Adelaide dont want the Sharks, they will bring in their own team, with their own juniors." This is patently ridiculous - Oiks is suggesting getting rid of Sydney teams that HAVE juniors for the rugby league talent pool that is South Australia??? Melbourne have been in the comp for more than 10 years - how many NRL players have come from Melbourne? Any? And their population is much higher than Adelaides. "The true national comp will make all the money and Sydney can flounder around in their local comp" - Again the Melbourne lesson shows us that these out lying teams are actually money pits with News pouring in millions over a decade. How will Adelaide v Hobart in the NRL generate revenue Oikee ? I laugh when I read about Oikee bagging league people for no common sense and then saying that a Super League style war is the "only way" forward. Despite the odd 50,000 crowd at Suncorp, without Sydney there is no NRL - without Sydney teams you won't be watching Adelaide host the Broncos in front of packed house - you'll be back on the hill with a XXXX watching Wynum vs Redcliffe.

Will the AFL really get rid of those foundation teams Melbourne, North Melbourne and Western Bulldogs? I think the Fitzroy thing was recognised as a bit of a disaster wasn't it? There was a great ABC doco on radio national about it the other day, it seemed pretty sad. Surely it'd be devestating if they kicked out Cronulla and others in the NRL? We rugby union supporters are lucky I suppose, noone will be kicking out our state teams or the Wallabies!

I dont know why he is having a go at me, he just told us Sydney fans would rather watch their own teams run around in their own comp. And like i said, let the other teams become Truely national,. As you said Gaz, Adelaide dont want the Sharks, they will bring in their own team, with their own juniors. The true national comp will make all the money and Sydney can flounder around in their local comp, bring back norhts, Newtown, and wither on the vine for all i care. The rest of Australia and NZ can then move on without Sydney stuffing the game, and watch a truely nationally run sport, not a half baked Sydney comp which we have now. Surely someone has to wake up and realise when you have 2 queensland teams playing at suncorp you get 50 thousand turn up, a Sydney team, you get 25, this is how silly the NRL really is, they have not got a clue.

The B, We don't want Cronulla to follow the Adelaide Sharks we want Adelaide to follow the Adelaide Sharks.

Oikee - this dinosaur stuff is rubbish. Let me refresh your memory - Brisbane, the Cowboys and the Titans chose to join the NSW comp. Without NSW (more specifically Sydney) there is no NRL. Sydney has no juniors ? I wouldn't mind seeing some stats to back that up. I reckon QLD players would make up about 20% of the NRL. Have a look through big league and I'll even give you Inglis for free. You talk about Sydney clubs biting the bullet - but we don't want them to. I'd rather watch the Eels, Dragons, Dogs, Roosters, Manly, Sharks etc than Nth Qld v Titans. I have nothing against those sides and enjoy watching them play but a Cowboys v Titans game means absolutely zero. Have you thought what might happen if NRL sides vacated large tracts of land in Sydney? Do you think Cronulla fans will fall in love with the Adelaide Sharks or will we leave the entire Sutherland Shire bereft of a league team and roll out the red carpet for soccer, rugby and afl. Maybe we should dessert Penrith and Manly while we're at it? "Let the true national super league make the tv money and grow the game" - that worked wonders last time. It actually set league back at least 10 years. I guarantee that most Sydney fans would rather watch a local comp with the teams they've followed their whole life rather than the Nothern Sydney Nuggets playing the Adelaide Sharks.

SOO goes to melbourne now when there should be 2 games in Sydney. Why dont NSW fans complain - its because they wont fill the Homebush stadium. Rothfield has no reason to lie about the crowd - as far as ticket prices go there appeared to be a lot of people at the end (cheap seats) and few on the side..so the premium tickets are expensive but the end seats no sio much so Rothfield was being disingenuous as he sometimes is (eg David campese was going to switch to NRL every season in the 80s) Perth/NZ time zones are all wrong in an era of instant communication...6PM would be too early to start in Perth

Why does everything have to be fair? Why should we remove the two (2) home games v one (1) home game system? Life's not fair, so why should sport be constantly fair all the time? I'm not condoning cheating or anything, which disgusts me, or even playing outside the spirit of the game, something else I'm not big on, but until the players actually step out onto the field, why should the rest of it be fair? The build up, the crowd, the travel, all of this is part and parcel of sport and the pressures on a team. Those seasons when QLD or NSW win the series and have also won at least once (1) away are the best series, because the winning team had to do it on foreign ground at least once. It's bad enough that so much is already done to "even-out" the competition at Club level, don't extend it to Rep Footy as well. What's next, giving NSW a few players to even up the game?

I justifiably rubbish Roy Masters opinion.

The simple point is that the Storm have around 10 thousand fully paid members, and it costs nearly double, because it is better value, you also can see a under 20 game before your main course. Then you get prime seats right next to the action, and a winning team and culture, and the best players in the game. Thats value. Plus your club house is now a casino, so expect that member numbers to grow once word gets out. Either way, the Storm are a powerhouse brand national. The club has even supplied Wigan with a first year winning coach. This club is nothing short of near the best in oz, in any code. All clubs learn from them, it really is that simple.

the afl has the same issues in melbourne with north melbourne, the bulldogs and melbourne seemingly always struggling. They still expanded. Eventually one or 2 sydney NRL clubs (possible more) will go, it needs to happen, but they're within their rights to fight the inevitable as long as they can. On the origin expansion thing I liked the way they've done it the last few years. Year 1 - NSW gets 2 games QLD gets 1. Year 2 - NSW gets 1 and QLD gets 2. Year 3 - NSW and QLD get 1 each and 1 is played in Melbourne. I think that's the right mix

You see that is wrong, NSW want it all their own way and run rugby league, Queensland is the only state that can fight them. To prove my point, to expand we all know that a few Sydney clubs have to bite the bullit, now show me a Sydney club willing to relocate? no and they were offered 10 million to go, yet none went. Look , when i talk about dinosaurs, i am talking about NSW. News limited wants another super league war so the game can go national, it is the only way. Sydbney who has no juniors can then go back to a Sydney comp, and let the true national super league make the tv money and grow the game into the other half of the country, plus NZ and the islands. We have all the talent now, so it makes sense, if you have any. As i said the other day, common sense and league are strangers.

Iron Chef slayed in the last battle, 2 to 1. Your selective use of stats is curious as usual. Now the TV ratings are fudged, it wouldn't surprise, at least Guaci is honest unlike some.

Don't take Iron Chef's name in vain, Crosscoder. ):

RedB We are discussing 2011 as far as the Storm is concened.We all know Waldron fudged things prior,Gauci stated there were freebies issued .Keep up to speed. It's a new day,a new dawning.If you wish to refer to the past,be my guest,I am ready to respond in kind. If you believe the relevance of a club operating under Waldron and his modus operandi,should relate to a tighter ship under Gauci,then you are being delusional. "they are not alone"in the NRL according to you,and yes Gauci and I would not dispute that at times it has happened. And you suggest that your mob haven't fudged figures when it suits,Nth Melbourne where are you?.Some of the beauties at the old Carrara,had many in stitches. Maybe the Tv ratings in Sydney are being fudged and the Iron Chef is even higher up the mountain.Or the generosity of Telstra in providing freebies to a neighbour of a mate,who both attended the SCG.Let alone the trial at Blacktown.

RedB Did I say they were?My response was not to that poster,but to provide info as to the situation as it currently exists in Adelaide.The inference by some ,was there was no activity. As a stats fanatic who has no difficulty in providing us with figures on your code,I thought you would embrace that. My point was simply to state high schools play the game and gave the ones involved ,and the club involved.I know it sits uneasy with you,the thought the no necks are traipsing around the fields of the city of churches. I have not even broached the Primary schools . Considering there is no team,no real interest in rl,I find those figures surprising.

Not just freebies, Gauci admitted the Storm have been fudging crowd numbers for years and they are not alone in the NRL.