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David Gallop’s comments in Phil Rothfield’s column in the Telegraph today have illustrated that he is no longer (and perhaps never was) the best man to be the NRL’s CEO.
In the past 10 years we have seen significant rugby league growth in the traditional heartlands of New South Wales and Queensland, and in New Zealand. But in the rest of Australia, rugby league has gone backwards, meaning that rugby league as a whole has gone backwards.
The lack of progress made in the rest of Australia can be attributed directly to David Gallop’s refusal to expand the competition. His reason? To protect the heartlands from the impending threat of the AFL.
For whatever reason, Gallop is under the impression that the AFL and Greater Western Sydney are a genuine threat to rugby league’s dominance in Western Sydney.
The AFL is not a threat to rugby league in Western Sydney, nor in Queensland for that matter. The fact is that no one in Western Sydney cares about GWS.
There is no reason to fear GWS because rugby league has been carved into the culture of Western Sydney. It would take something extraordinary for this to change.
Gallop’s obsession with protecting Sydney teams is not helping the NRL move forward. There are eight Sydney teams (nine including St George Illawarra). Sydney will always be the home of rugby league in Australia as it has so much history and tradition. But the situation in Sydney is holding back rugby league.
Nine teams will not survive in one city.
It is sad to see teams merge, relocate or fold. But I think most Sydney fans are resigned to the fact that sooner or later, three or four teams will fold, merge or relocate.
Of the nine Sydney teams, Cronulla look the most likely to exit our competition. I think the Dragons and Tigers are safe because they are both joint ventures (and the Dragons are only partly a Sydney team).
For as long as Russell Crowe is involved with Souths, I believe they are safe too, as are the Roosters due to their wealth and the fact that they are the only true foundation club left in the competition.
Manly are also looking quite weak, especially given the poor state of their home ground. The possible addition of the Central Coast Bears does not bode well for Manly, given their current monopoly of the area between the Northern Beaches and Newcastle.
That leaves the Bulldogs, the Eels, and the Panthers. I believe we will see a merger of some kind between two of these three teams.
I can’t predict with any confidence which Sydney teams are part of rugby league’s future, with the exception of Cronulla. But I do know that the protectionist stance that Gallop has taken regarding Sydney teams is the wrong stance to take.
In order to overtake the AFL, expansion is 100 percent necessary. We need to seriously consider bids such as the Central Coast, Wellington, Perth, and second Brisbane team (and this means something like Ipswich – not a Mickey Mouse bid like the Bombers).
Later, we could look at Rockhampton, Adelaide, a second Melbourne team, and even Papua New Guinea.
By being over-protective of Sydney teams, David Gallop is holding our great game back. Enough is enough, David. For the good of rugby league, it’s time for you to go.
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