The Roar
The Roar

Advertisement

A simple vision for a nationwide NRL

Roar Pro
15th February, 2012
Advertisement
Roar Pro
15th February, 2012
193
3755 Reads

With a new Independent Commission and an impending television rights deal upon us, it’s an appropriate time to think about expanding the NRL again.

I know this is an old argument, but such planning is now more important than ever. There are many options and every expert – lounge chair or otherwise – has an opinion on what should be done.

First things first, the new-look NRL should consist of 18 teams:
– North Queensland
– Central Queensland
– Brisbane 1
– Brisbane 2
– Gold Coast
– Newcastle
– Central Coast
– New South Wales Country (Tamworth, Dubbo?)
– Western Sydney 1
– Western Sydney 2
– Sydney
– Wollongong
– Canberra
– Melbourne
– New Zealand
– Tasmania
– Adelaide
– Perth

You might be surprised at a few of the names in there – namely New South Wales Country and Tasmania – but there is some logic to the madness.

I don’t see any reason why a country New South Wales team couldn’t work. Support for rugby league is and always has been massive in the bush. If anything it would be a great shot in the arm for all the local competitions and towns that the code’s administrators have neglected for so long.

Tasmania, meanwhile, has been overlooked and shunned by the AFL for years. They desperately want their own team in the Australia’s biggest competition.

They deserve one too.

The AFL has made a glaring oversight by not introducing a team to this traditionally Australian Rules-dominated state. As such, Tasmania provides the perfect opportunity for the NRL to win some hearts.

Advertisement

All the others recommendations are reasonably straightforward; Brisbane needs a second team and Sydney needs less. Central Queensland is rugby-league mad and it would be criminal to leave them out, particularly given the continual development of the area.

Wollongong deserves a full-time side, while Perth – and to a lesser extent Adelaide – needs a team if the NRL wants to truly become a national competition. Just as important are the opportunities such growth could open up for television and sponsorship.

So how do we reach this vision?

It won’t be easy.

No doubt there will be plenty of opposition, especially from clubs who traditionally hold a lot of power with the administrators of our game. In saying this, it is by no means impossible. Indeed it is far from it. With the new Independent Commission in place, perhaps we can cut some of the puppet strings controlled by club chief executives.

The first point of call would be to announce the planned expansion and to explain its structure and timeline.

From here it is a matter of setting the criteria for becoming part of the new expanded competition. A deadline would be set to make submissions for approval, at which time the new set-up could be finalised.

Advertisement

But what if our teams can’t meet the criteria? In that case, I would also propose a restructured second tier (10 – 12 team) competition, consisting of teams from the Queensland and New South Wales Cups.

Within this competition would be existing teams from both competitions, plus new entries from ex-NRL clubs who didn’t make the grade. In itself this would be an extremely strong competition which could be negotiated into a television-rights deal.

Viewers will tune in to see their team play, especially if it is a well-structured and financially-supported competition.

This is my vision for the future of our great game. There are obviously many important details which must be assessed and considered for anything to happen.

I can only have faith that the new custodians of our game will have the foresight to understand how the sporting landscape in this country has changed and can duly take the steps to secure its future.

close