Why doesn't NRL expand with three bids?

Sydney council 188,000 but as far as I know has one NRL teams. The roosters are in Waverly council and the rabbits for most of the time was South Sydney council, however closer analysis reveals many fans of these two clubs are in Sydney metro area which has close to 5 million people. Really i wont argue about a team in the NT as i feel very confident it will never happen in my lifetime, due to commercial realities.

"Go to the Australia bureau of statistics and look up how many people live in NT (200k )or Darwin, 120k their is over 20 Sydney local councils with more people living with them. " The City of Sydney has 177,000 living in it, yet they have two teams: Roosters and Rabbitohs. Should I take that to mean you're advocating the exclusion of the Roosters and Rabbitohs from the competition and replacing them with a team that represents a broader range of councils in the greater Sydney area? Parramatta only has 167,431. Should they go too?

It's imperative that the Crusaders revert back to being a semi-pro club and field a team in the Championship or Championship 1. Having two Welsh teams in the lower divisions will provide juniors a pathway to the Super League.

I'd like to see a team from Tasmania and Adelaide enter the NSW Cup.

AC, going by your comments, you are wanting a national team with 17 teams? Far too many for a proper competition. I really think it will not work in the long term. There are so many wanting to be part of Rugby League, so it stops potential growth. An State Competition is the only solution! Followed by a National competition further down the track with the elite representing their state. Until then we could expand the State of Origin concept. The Sydney teams should be allowed to stay where they are but redlocating one or two would be better for the game overall in the long run.

Well said sir, now can you pick a side of the fence and stick to it. Your first insightfull remarks were based on, what I thought, the passion for the game and now this politically correct side version does not do any of us justice. The GAME, Rugby League is what we all want to see grow and become Legend, but without those willing to be victomised, belittled and hated for making the hard decisions this is truely a dream. Those within the game who have stood up and accepted thier fate, the Lockyers, Lewis', Geyers and Prices have made sure the Game is just that a Game not the commercial slugde we now have to participate in to enjoy these warriors play, a game they themselves loved to be a part of. Expansion bring it on I say, WA, SA, TAssie and NT all need to be a part of it but not right now lets look to becoming a National League within the next 10 years and if that means we need to drop a few Sydney clubs then do it. All the great names in history all the great inventions throughout the world have all had disbelievers, were ridiculed and shuned but forged on anyway to become great....lets just get this done at the cost of a few minutes in history, a few non thinking ARL CEO's and narrow minded wingers and become great.

"15 of 16 teams recorded a financial loss last year." The Lions have recorded a loss a couple of times over the last few years. Around 8,000 members have dropped off since the Suns were introduced. Maybe the AFL shouldn't have brought in the Suns?

The only issue woth expansion to NT/Tasmania is the money, it takes a lot of money on and off the field to make a team click. Obviously a team of perennial underdogs can still gather a lot of support just for being 'Our Boys' or hell, even being the only game in town. If the money can't come from within Darwin, it has to come from somewhere, which probably means the coffers of the NRL. With the right TV deal its certainly workable. Hey, it could be quite workable, but I'd be very nervous to be the man entrusted to bring it about. And yes, you're right, if NRL could successfully plant a team there it would not surprise me to see it become the most popular code in the state.

My mistake. I always get those two mixed up. I know the Northern Rugby Football Union was formed in 1895, but it still played under rugby union rules until the early 20th century. The All Blacks' successful tour of Great Britain convinced the NRFU to adopt rules that open up the game and allow for more free flowing play. It was a huge success.

Tapping into the largest television markets is important, but it's not everything. The game also needs talent, supporters and volunteers if it wants to hold off other sports and compete with other countries. Rugby league is played in the Northern Territory. Giving the local players a clear pathway to first-grade can only be good for the game. It could lead to rugby league becoming the most popular sport in the Northern Territory. Rural Australia has produced a lot of sporting greats. On a per capita basis it produces more than urban Australia. No doubt it is due to country folk being tougher and harder working than the lads from the city. If the ARL ignores rural Australia then it runs the risk of losing the Lockyers, Matty Bowens and Webkes that have given so much to the game. I don't know if Tasmania will ever be a viable option as a candidate for an NRL team, but I don't think it would hurt to raise the profile of the game in the Apple Isle.

And what a great success that was for our game.

How far off the mark col? Where should the NRL be heading then? Are you suggesting we add a few more Sydney teams because that’s the densest point of Australia’s population? See if we can get the crowd numbers there a little lower? Well the sharkies got 6000 on the weekend, so let’s see if we can get them under 5000. Or maybe you’re just suggesting we sit in the corner and twiddle thumbs while letting the rolling snow ball that is AFL eclipses everything. Yes, it’s true that Darwin has a small population and maybe it just a pipe dream. 120,000k? Canberra has 350,000 and supports two big teams, Newcastle 290,000 and Townsville 180,000 and they do alright in the crowd department. Regardless, it doesn’t matter how many millions Sydney has, I bet the people of Darwin would get more than 6000. Being the sole sporting team in that region would be enough to generate that much interest. You never know, it could very well be an untapped gold mine. Ben Barba hails from NT and he has the potential to be one of the games next super stars. But no, you’re right, let’s play it safe and wait for AFL to find out for us. TV ratings? Yes it’s important, because that’s where the money comes from, but for me I’m getting tired of the NRL and endless talk about the dollar factor. Money, money, money is all we ever hear and we’ve forgotten that it’s a game. Don’t get me wrong I know it’s what keeps the big league going, but maybe sometimes, just sometimes we should think of it as the great game it is and not just a product. But it’s always talk about numbers, as it will always be, but my point is not let’s have a Darwin team in there in 2013, but for the NRL to have a plan. A plan for the game that is ambitious, and far reaching, not the short-sighted and closed minded approach we’re part of now. In 15 years all we’ve got to show is the re-entry of Gold Coast (and the bunnies), and that was like pulling teeth. Wait till 2015 for the Bombers? They could be in there next year and they would generate more interest, money, TV ratings and crowds than any of the Sydney clubs. But what’s the NRL doing? Important things like changing the proven successful format of a Wednesday origin to another day. The attitude that league could never work in this or that area, because of this or that reason is basically handing the rival codes a free pass to becoming the nation’s number one game. But not to worry because we can always rely of the those fans that "turn up", not matter what, rain, hail or 5 loses on the trot in those 20 local councils.

@pennypanther: The Sydney Rorters is how I refer to them. ;)

Yeah I never liked the Eastern Suburbs, I mean the Sydney City Roosters, I mean the Sydney Roosters, I mean the Bondi Roosters, well whatever they call themselves these days...

'BTW WA and SA wont support a team, the sport is foreign to them as it is in Melbourne/Victoria. How the News Limited Storm survive, i dont know.' Lachlan AFL is still foreign to the majority in QLD/NSW despite the upcoming expanison teams so it's all even.

Would be interested to know how'd you solve that troublesome Hobart and Launceston rivalry that plagues attempts to place a professional team there by basically taking one sustainable population level and turn it into two NT-sized populations. I don't know, it's possible that teams (of any code) could be placed in these cities, but honestly the long-term future looks grim for professional sports there.

"As to whether WA people would support a RL team, of course they would, they support anything WA." <-- very key. Every WA team gets good coverage on news and radio, even Glory in the depths of the season would reliably get people on morning radio to talk up the team and its progress. Just need to make sure it is seen as Western Australian and not transplanted New South Welsh. Be it players, a definite geographical alignment, community involvement, just needs to be something.

Bit like the Brumbies and Tahs hey LAS .Expansion without depth. Check the S15 backyard,it is hardly blooming with topliners.

"Sims and Gallen would eat you for breakfast." Hang on, I'm telling the Herald Sun we have a new headline for the evening edition; league supporter offers proof of cannibalism in League, should sell a million. :)

Like O Brother Where Art Thou... "Well isn't this a geographical anomaly, two weeks from everywhere!"