Examining 25-year plan for future of NRL

They cant spend money on every loopy idea mentioned above..You would need the Federal Budget for that..

Did you look at the favourable draw the Titans got last year...

Johnno delusions of grandeur it will never happen - lachlan Murdoch tried to take NRL to the world and what was the result - 15 K watching the premiers Storm...

I think the NRL fears AFL - look at the games that the NRL has put up against the Swans GWS game - all western sydney teams at home and Manly v St george (somehow not in the top 4 TV games) against the GWS first game. Name me once where the AFL has put up a game as a block to the NRL???

Maybe, but today, it's yet another example of protected heartland territory. Instead of watching this weeks NRL All Stars game, these regional New South Welshmen and woman will be treated to Big Momma's House, City Slickers 2 and Antique's Roadshow by the NRL's broadcasting partner.

Boomshanka that area was aussie rules territory long, long before radio even existed, let alone TV

TC for a good 50 - 70km north across the Murray, Rugby League is still hoarded as the Channel Nine feed comes out of Victoria.

NF fair enough points - it's foolish for anyone to talk about making Brisbane or Sydney aussie rules territory - it's not going to happen, nor is it an ambition of the AFL who has far more nous than that. But Phelpsy is spot on when he says that strong aussie rules support (and tradition in the game) spills over a good 50 to 70 km across the Murray River, and that there is a strong presence on the Gold Coast, and also in Canberra (although that is not as strong as it once was).

There is already a big following here on the Gold Coast and a big presence. I think the leap for the Gold Coast is not as far as Brisbane's for the AFL. I think North not taking up the offer to move was a big boost for a successful team up here.

'The way the Gold Coast is going, it will be AFL territory if they start winning ' I would not get ahead of yourself who knows what would happen in 10 years both Suns & Titans could win premierships what you saying reminds when Lions won 3 in a row and all of sudden QLD become AFL territory but once the bandwagon jumped off reality set in so let's not jump to conclusions.

To true - see my comments below also - same applies in the heartland - this is the problem that faces the NRL - they need to expand - and grow the game at grassroots and invest money in these areas - yet they are underseige in their heartland and need to spend money to sure up that. The way the Gold Coast is going, it will be AFL territory if they start winning - as they love a winner here - in 10 years if that. The gold Coast love their sport more than any other region I know - from surfing to basketball - it all gets covered as serious sport - especially if they are winning. You can bet the Suns will be winning sooner rather than later. This will crush the Titans - who are floundering. That is something else the NRL stuff up - they just expect their game to grow and be adopted - whereas the AFL do everythign to make sure a club succeeds in foreign markets - such as salry cap exceptions, drafting etc. Many argued that the Storm should have been given the concessions they hid anyway - givien the struggles they had in being in a foreign market.

Good article but for mine what I think you have wrong and what the NRL have got wrong - is starting at the top and only the top. In order to be truely national - or a sign that a code is truely national - is the amount of players that play at the elite level that come from across the nation. Therefore, what the artlice misses is what are the IC going to do to grow the game at grass roots level cojointly with expanding the teams nationally. The mistake was made with Melbourne Storm - the NRL just plonked a team there. That is fine for marketing and maybe a psuedo national presence - but to be a truely national game - they needed to do much more forward planning. Only recently (past few years) have players started getting into schools and promoting the game - which has paid dividends. I think this was a product of the Sydney centric thinking of the NRL at the time - a bit like them saying people where fine with the Sunday night Grand Final because they had a public holiday the nexty day...... well yes, in NSW they did.... not QLD. The same thinking was that people in Melbourne will just love the game because - well, people in Sydney do.... hmmmm. I think that has changed now and any expansion team will look more closely at promoting the game. Comparing this to the AFL in Western Sydney - they had someone in there years before - talking to devlopers of new housing estates and funding AFL ovals to be included into residential planning, talking to school and putting AFL goal posts up - funding local junior clubs and making it financially attractive to play AFL. All before putting a team in Greater Western Sydney. So before expansion, the NRL need to use their funds, should they come, from any TV deal, to devloping grassroots in the areas the wish to expand. I'm from victoria originally, and if my son wanted to RL he couldn't, there were no clubs or leauge in the area - simple as that - fix that problem first!!!!

Phelpsy, The above plan is based around a massive TV deal that is then p.ssed against a wall in increasing player payments, leaving the great game of rugby league with no assets and no ability to absorb anything going terribly wrong "The new TV deal enables us to increase the salary cap to match other sports and retain our best talents. " Of all the problems rugby league has, losing 3-5 players per year is the least of them, especially considering two thirds of the players who go to union come back. The key is stopping losing the talented sixteen and seventeen year olds, and that requires something other than the blunt instrument of increasing the cap.

This is all premised on a masive TV deal - I think we should wait and see what actually gets delivered first before spending the money - especially in these economic times.

Are you sure it's fair to compare my plan with Super League 97? My plan involves 5 new super clubs representing every LGA in Sydney. Super League had a few NSWRFL Premiership clubs representing a few LGAs.

Central Qld- Definately one day but not now. Should be a mid term expansion goal. Moreton- Sunshine Coast one day yes, again a mid term expansion. It's a city (that's growing fast) with its own identity being outside the greater area and a new team shouldnt be diluted by trying to capture Brisbanes outter north which is already adequately represented in the NRL. PNG/Wellington- Both not for a very very long time (if ever). Lets get things right here (Australia) first. Both places (Port Morseby in PNG) are small towns. Add to this the facts that Wellington already has a Super Rugby franchise and A-league team and RL is well down the pecking order while PNG is a very poor developing country which raises a whole number of issues for trying to establish an NRL team there. These places shouldnt even be considered for a very long time. South Qld/Bris 2- possibly but the details of such an expansion need to be carefully thought out. If the time comes to add a second team within greater Brisbane it should be based on the southside and representing the lga's you've mentioned but it should still be located in the Bris metro boundaries and represent Brisbane south of the river while the Broncos are re-marketed as the north Bris/Moreton rival. In and around Sydney- Ideally the NRL should drop the suburban based clubs into a stronger second tier where they really should belong in the professional era. Creating a structure like they have in Brisbane when the Broncos were introduced. Unfortunately i dont believe a current or future CEO will ever have the guts to enforce such a change for the game. That being the case I believe we need all the current Sydney clubs still alive and still in Sydney so no fans are isolated like what's occured after norths were shown the door. If the slate were to be wiped clean at the national level in Sydney I think 5 in the metro area is still too many. Gosfod yes and Illawarra yes, they both should be in the NRL's short term plans regardless. Then we have 2 sizeable, world class venues in Sydney, one in the east and one in the west. Along with a team to the north and south of the metro area, have teams based in both the east and the west of the city. Again, it's unfortunate but I dont think a CEO will ever sit down and make these sort of tough decisions for the economic sustainability of the professional game but if they ever did then that's how Id rationalise Sydney. Perth- Absolutely! Needs to be in the short term plans of the NRL for all the pro Perth reasons that have ever been listed on this site.

RL doesn't need to be No.1 in Australia to be successful, but it has some serious work ahead of it to make up for treading water over the last 15 years. Forget 2037 and look instead to 2018 for the next RL TV Deal; Expansion - Perth and Brisbane 2 in, CC Bears to replace anyone that falls over (stretch possibility of NZ 2) Crowds - Ave 20,000 (stretch but not impossible) Membership - Ave 15,000 TV - $1BN +

RL self imploding in 95 gave RU and AFL a massive leg up in Australia. That was a one in 50 year (or more) event. None of the four codes is likely to get a free pass like that again for a long time.

Thanks for all of you who read my article. Also many thanks for your comments. The future is always hard to fathom so all of yours opinion is important to take our game in to the next level. This is just the start of a very successful period in Rugby League.