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.
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.
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.
Martyn50
Roar Rookie
NRL should be renamed NSWRL.
Benno
Guest
It seams like a some what valid idea but I would like to see them try and emulate American football and have two conferences in the first conference you could still have the broncos, knights, titans, cowboys, sea eagles, roosters, bunnys, tigers, panthers, dragons, eels, sharks, raiders, storm, bulldogs, warriors. Plus two expansion teams. In the second conference you could have teams from Perth, Adelaide, Tassie, Darwin, Central Qld, a 2nd Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, Northen NSW, country NSW, Central Coast, Sydney, a 2nd NZ side, a 2nd Melbourne side, Ipswich. And possible PNG
Bearfax
Guest
You're commnts about League in the bush are quite valid League_Coach 101, though I think the limited size of grounds speaks to the lack of big matches they get at those locations. This is not to say that a country side is unworthy and even despite the size of grounds, I think you would get packed houses at Wagga/Albury, Bathurst/Orange, Broken Hill, Tamworth/Armidale and Port Macquarie/Coffs Harbour and a circuiting team would help build up the interest and perhaps lead to improved facilities. As I've said its money and crowd support that make a clud strong. In respect of Oz Rules being a successful code, I guess we have to look at it comparatively. Go to Melbourne, Adelaide or Perth and big crowds attend their Oz Rules matches. Check the media, and information about the game dominates. Look for reports on League and you're struggling in the newspapers, free to air TV only play league late at night and League has only at this stage one team in those thre locations albeit a successful team, but far better publicised in NSW and QLD then in its home state Victoria. Add to that the dominance, Oz Rules seems to have in pay TV. Its own TV station now and watch Foxs Sports and Oz Rules is so dominant in reports that at times the time allocated exceeds League, Union, Soccer and basketball combined....I've actually timed reports Now check Oz Rules in NSW and QLD. They now have four teams (two in each state) and both Brisbane and Sydney Swans attract 20000 + crowds much of the time. Free to air TV coverage is only slightly poorer than League. The Telegraph newspaper allocates one to two pages almost daily in resporting Oz Rules in winter, again only slightly less generally than League. All TV stations report Oz Rules results. Many schools are now playing Oz Rules as an alternative winter sport. In football terms Oz Rules is clearly the most successful winter football code in Australia nationwide, a situation League could have had, had the Superleague not intervened in 1996 when we were expanding, with the crazy idea of a 14 team comp. Soccer and Union have a national comp but effectively at this stage (though growing) they are one major team (in most instances) per city.
League_Coach101
Guest
A couple of quick comments (although I don't think anyone is reading this thread anymore...) There is no town in Country NSW with the facilities to support an NRL club. At the moment the Tamworth Regional Council is considering plans to build a stadium seating 8 - 12,000 people in town. This would double the capacity of the current largest footy ground (which holds about 4,000 people when extra seating is shipped in). in my mind even 12,000 seat venues are a tad small for an NRL team - and I don't see any other country NSW or QLD town having larger capacity. Secondly - where does this myth that the AFL is a successful nationwide competition come from? I'm sorry - i know AFL is dominent in VIC, TAS, SA and WA but the two largest states are thoroughly league territory. AFL is a third or forth tier sport at best. You can hardly state it is a successful nationwide competition - like Soccer in England or NFL in America. Just a product of the AFL propaganda machine I reckon....
Bearfax
Guest
I think recent years and the Superleague war have blinded a lot of supporters to the fact I was pointing out before, that being that money and supporters determines whether a club will survive or not, not players. You will get more people playing league at first grade level if players are paid first garde salaries. The more clubs out there who can afford to pay players the stronger the League. Whether its a club from Sydney's Claymore or Brisbane, people will go to see good football in droves if money is behind it and it is well promoted. Point to remember is that before the SuperLeague debacle, Rugby League was expanding dramatically across the country and the support was such that in 1995 there were six clubs averaging over 20,000 fans a game...something never since achieved. Record crowd figures that year were so high that they were never again equally until 15 years later in 2010. And what were the teams involved...there were 20 teams that year Auckland Brisbane Canberra Cronulla Sutherland Gold Coast Illawarra Manly Warringah Newcastle North Queensland North Sdyney Parramatta Penrith Sydney Bulldogs Sydney City Balmain South Queensland South Sydney St George Western Reds (Perth) Western Suburbs Negotiations were well advanced for the introduction of a Melbourne team and for North Sydney to move to the Central Coast over the following year and even Adelaide was being discussed. This is 17 years ago The following year, the SuperLeague war year brought about the most dramatic fall in crowd attendances on record, despite the addition of the Newcastle Mariners, the Adelaide team and Melbourne. SuperLeague were so desparate to get crowds to their games that they had huge ticket give aways...even had young cute women handing out the tickets outside the grounds for free...these got added to crowd figures. So what is the outcome.of this debacle. League lost Norths which meant not only the north shore of Sydney but also the Central Coast. They lost the Crushers, the Perth Reds, Adelaide. the Mariners, Gold Coast for a while, almost lost Souths in the heartland of Sydney. Several Sydney clubs were almost sent broke trying to hold on against the seige while other's benefited from Murdock money so St George had to merge with Illawarra, Wests with Balmain and Manly with a failed attempt with Norths. And for what gain. Not counting Gold Coast, only Melbourne has been added to the comp from the very successful 1995 year seventeen years ago and we now have four less teams. The League was going gangbusters pre 1996 and expanding across the country. The early 90s are well known to have been the halcyon of a rejuvenated League. It has been limping along as the increasinlgly second rate football comp in Oz since then. And you think SuperLeague has helped....
Jaredsbro
Roar Guru
Yeah I second bjt's comments about the competition structure vs the politics of SL vs ARL. What happened was something of a dog act/civil war but the idea is probably one of the few edges RL could have over Australian Football. There's a reson the idea of two comps didn't work in the VFL/AFL. That's because there were Super-clubs already in the code. In the ARL the Broncos and the Storm and all other super-cubs were yet to arrive and the old but prolific clubs had virtually passed beyond their glory days. The NRL may well need to do things differently...because as things stand there are no Collingwoods or Essendons in the NRL. Clubs with great traditions yes, but not of a truly super-power status. But maybe that's a strength!
Jaredsbro
Roar Guru
Actually having the Force place itself for the long-haul first is actually a good thing. Australian Football's too different from the Rugbies to have any natural cross-code appeal for its fans (unlike American Football which is potentially only a few steps away from this). So you need to lay the foundations, which like it or lump it are Rugby Union, which Rugby League sprung off. Rugby League might be more popular in NSW/QLD...but thst doesn't mean it will be the case in expansion areas.
Jaredsbro
Roar Guru
But it isn't solely Sydney's problem. Melbourne has the same issue and the 'over-saturation' in Sydney's having profound effects elsewhere, such as in Brisbane. Why was the idea of a single Brisbane team mooted if not to compete against the NSW's best and most prestigious. Also the reasoning behind the Warriors could be connected to this. Actually now that I think about it the entire comp since the Super League Wars has been affected...placing teams in geographical provinces vs allowing competition within not just between markets.
Jaredsbro
Roar Guru
That's not as silly as it first sounds actually. Just because it hasn't been done doesn't mean it couldn't work? The trick though would be making sure you got people interested it as something more than a one-off event, otherwise all you'll get after a while is people turning up but perhaps tuning out.
Jaredsbro
Roar Guru
Yes but what about those who wouldn't support the new club (and potentially the code) without the club that they remember. On another note the merger between Wests and Balmain hasn't worked in any way other than the one solitary victory a once prolific club now has to bear in 12 years of a 'national' comp. It has for St George/Illawara you could argue. Wests are a better asset to growing the game in their trad homeland. Balmain needs to relocate and the NRL needs to find a war-chest to do it...and the bite to force it, like the AFL did with South Melbourne. Relocate to where...well that's what this forum's for? ;) But the key is to get over this cap of teams idea. If you're not going to have promotion/relegation you need a bigger ceiling it's as simple as that!
Bearfax
Guest
Knackers!!! We may have to ban you from the forums if you say things like that. Being too clever by far. Saying things like that starts revolutions, begins wars. We can banter on in our self deluded self seeking worlds and pretend all things are equal under the sun. But Knackers, we must never tell anyone anyything that is close to the truth of things. Very bad for business. Tsk Tsk Tsk What were you thinking lad?
KNACKERS
Guest
Just an obsevation in general There are frequent articles like this on a number of sports suggesting the makeup of some ideal league /competition and always the contributers talk in terms of popukation variables and issues as being all important May I suggest that it would be a lot smarter to talk in terms of financial and economic criteria . Ever wondered why NZ has teams in Aust comps but not PNG ? May I suggest Follow the money It particularly bugs me when people talk of various matters in international sport (such as Olympic medal tallies ) in terms of population variables rather than economic ones which are very well established as being a lot more significant
Queensland's game is rugby league
Guest
JZ, If a team is placed in the Moreton Bay Regional Council then it has to be the Dolphins. Their following is huge and their facilities are very advanced for a club that plays in a second-tier competition. They have multigenerational support. Ipswich is very proud of its rugby league. I think if a team is added into the region LGAs that make up the southern end of greater Brisbane then it would need to have some affiliatiation with Ipswich's rugby league history. It's why I propose the Jets to get the position.
bjt
Guest
Maybe I did miss your "Gobble gobble gobble" point, which I interpreted as a humorous attempt to criticize serious discussion surrounding Super League. To be clear, my point is that to call the concept of Super League a failure is wrong. It had only 1 year, it had good crowds, good teams and a good vision. The three Sydney club selection was quite smart. Penrith representing the west, Sharks for the south and Dogs as a central team. The idea that Sydney has too many clubs isn't a new one. What the future would have been if the two comps hadn't merged is only guesswork. But in my opinion, Super League was heading towards a true national comp, something I think rugby league in Australia must aim for. I do not disagree that the fallout out from the super league was bad for the game.
Nathan of Perth
Guest
I just knew that you would have a really good turkey call - just seemed the type :)
bjt
Guest
Perth were victim of too many Sydney clubs and could have been a real success story if the NRL stuck behind them. Anyway they'll be back in time, but we've just wasted 13 or so years and let Union move in. Sooner they're back the better. It is interesting though that all the clubs under the Dogs, with the exception of Penrith are now all gone.
Bearfax
Guest
Missed the point bjt. What SuperLeague did was to fragment the League and take it from a competition being highly regarded and chased by the media moguls and challenging Oz Rules big time, to a comp that is now struggling to counter incursions in its backyard. League was going along very well before SL and was expanding rapidly. What SL did was to divide and attempt to conquer but even failed at that. It grabbed two struggling outer region Sydney teams in Cronulla and Penrith and offered big money. It managed to get Canterbury on board (which was just as well otherwise it would have been a total joke (the majority of Sydney was ignored)). It ignored main stream and competitive teams in Sydney such as Souths, Manly, Parramatta, Wests, St George, Balmain, Easts, Norths etc and because it had Murdocks money behind it, it could pay big money to the teams it grabbed, while the other teams had to struggle paying huge to players to hold on, otherwise those teams would have disappeared. It drove Norths, Wests, Balmain, St george, Manly and Souths to the wall financially and they have never recovered. That's why Norths folded, why St George and Illawarra combined, why Wests and Balmain combined in a still difficult arrangement and why Souths almost disappeared. We lost a huge number of football supporters because of this issue Sure SL got good crowds. They stole some of the best supported teams in Brisbane, Canterbury, North Queensland and took away some of Newcastles support. But other than Brisbane and Canterbury, the majority of the established teams remained loyal to the League...not that that loyalty did much good with the compromise. It was a debacle and it set League back at least a decade. Having lived through the period of the late 60s to the present, I can truthfully say its was the worst disaster league has suffered. I should also point out that Murdock tried the same thing with Oz Rules and failed to pursuade the clubs to split away. Consequently Oz Rules has gone from strength to strength.
NF
Guest
Wow btj The Western Reds had better average than Rabbits, St George, Western Suburb magpies, Illawara, and Penrith still got the cut unbelievable that yr. Penrith is still here today yet the Reds are not.
bjt
Guest
Here’s the crowd averages for the ’97 league season. If Super League was such as a turkey, what does it make the opposing ARL comp? The figures speak for themselves. 1. Brisbane Broncos QEII Stadium 23,259 Super League 2. North Q Cowboys Willows 17,539 Super League 3. Parramatta Eels Parramatta 15,647 ARL 4. Auckland Warriors Mt Smart 15,442 Super League 5. Adelaide Rams Adelaide Oval 15,330 Super League 6. Newcastle Knights Newcastle 14,257 ARL 7. Cronulla Sharks Endeavour Field 13,412 Super League 8. Manly Sea Eagles Brookvale 11,816 ARL 9. North Sydney Bears North Sydney 11,713 ARL 10. Canberra Raiders Bruce 11,475 Super League 11. Balmain Tigers Leichhardt 10,355 ARL 12. Sydney C. Roosters SFS 9,430 ARL 13. Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs Belmore 8,983 Super League 14. Western Reds WACA 8,981 Super League 15. Gold Coast Chargers Carrara 8,958 ARL 16. Illawarra Steelers Wollongong 8,695 ARL 17. Western S. Magpies Campbelltown 8,602 ARL 18. Penrith Panthers Penrith 7,673 Super League 19. St George Dragons Kogarah 7,222 ARL 20. South Q Crushers Lang Park 7,003 ARL 21. Hunter Mariners Topper 5,413 Super League 22. South S.Rabbitohs SFS 5,287 ARL
Bearfax
Guest
Gobble gobble gobble....Superleaue was a turkey with a lots of money and no sense.