It seems every man and his dog has an opinion on NRL expansion and whom the next two licenses should go to. Do we head back west and finish something we started decades ago?
Do we nail Brisbane down with a second team? Or do we toss the Bears a lifeline and give Central Coast an NRL team to support?
The expansion debate has been done into the dirt and it seems we have at least another six months of dreaded opinion to come before a decision will be made by the National Rugby League.
The Central Coast Bears bid is a tricky one. History hasn’t been kind to the old North Sydney Bears with CEO Greg Florimo and his loyal followers still hanging onto some kind of dream which lesser men would have quit on.
They certainly have the angle. This angle off course is Gosford and the surrounding suburbs. It smacks you bang in the face as you drive up the Pacific Highway. A booming area which salivates for footy.
But what goes against the Bears is how close Gosford is to Sydney these days. With the Central Coast and Sydney growing at rapid rates, the NRL sees this as a problem. Its too close.
Florimo believes history should come first.
“There is the proud history of the Bears, who have been around for 104 years, and we have a new market here on the Central Coast,” Florimo said.
“I don’t know much about the Perth bid but we have had close communication with David Gallop for the past five years. We are very, very confident of what we can present when they call for bids. It’s not just the Central Coast but we also engage Sydney’s north shore as well.”
Florimo’s argument is already dead in the water. Expansion and Sydney shouldn’t be mentioned in the same sentence. There is no more room in Sydney for another team. There is no more room in New South Wales for another team. At least for another 30 or 40 years.
We can be the pioneers that people in the future can look back on. We can be the generation that brought the ’national’ back to the National Rugby League.
The Romans became an empire because they conquered new ground. They moved forward with the times. They didn’t go backwards.
But the answer to the burning enigma of expansion may just rest in of all places, Hobart. The location of a trial match this weekend between the Melbourne Storm and the Brisbane Broncos.
Melbourne and Brisbane are the answers. Success stories that are here because of pioneering men who wanted to play in the New South Wales Rugby League. These men, and especially Melbourne, took rugby league out of the dark ages and really put our game on the map.
If we are to grow, we must move. As a code and as foot soldiers of this game we love, we must evolve and think of the bigger picture.
The answer is Perth and the answer is Brisbane. Time has come and gone for the Bears and for the time being, the Central Coast.
JB
Guest
it is an australian comp, but it has the potential to be expanded further to NZ and eventually PNG if their economy will allow. the idea of the world club challenge could/should also be expanded to a world club comp similar to soccer. it may be a chance to expand the worldwide image of the game.
JB
Guest
if another team is brought to sydney, the game will go backwards. there isnt enough revenue coming from NSW as it is and another team will make things worse. central queensland and brisbane are itching for another team, just look at the crowds the broncos get each week, they are 10s of thousands ahead on average compare to any other NRL team. WA rugby league is growing and a team in perth would be the perfect way to speed up growth. also wellington is a great idea as too much talent is being lost to rugby union with limited opportunity in rugby league over there. i am also surprised that i haven't heard any talk of maybe bringing an NRL game to the northern territory, not a trial game but a mid season game between a queensland team (maybe the cowboys or the broncos) and a sydney team. i also see the game in adelaide going backwards since the mid 90s. they weren't ready for a team then but since the rams folded, popularity for rugby league has had a massive decline. build the game up in adelaide and NT and prepare them for a team in the next 10 to 15 years, dont just throw a franchise in and hope for the best.
JB
Guest
100% correct. the NRL has lost far too many kiwi boys to rugby union from wellington. it must be a target in years to come. the talent is there, we just have to persuade them to come to rugby league instead of union.
turbodewd
Guest
PNG?! ROFL. Cmon mate. No Aussie WAG would ever dare live in PNG. And you cant have a PNG team asking for a slice of the TV revenue when PNG advertising dollar is probably near zero. So the PNG team would be full of locals and always lose. Take a look at the maths and the practical side of things - PNG wont get an NRL team in our life time. Maybe 20 years.
Nathan of Perth
Guest
Christ Boom, there are Kiwis on this board, don't say that out loud D:
Rob9
Guest
Personally I follow all 3 in the codes that I enjoy. In the case of my club though, part of my passionate support is built on the facts that I want to see them playing in the regular season in the hope that i'll see them playing finals football and win a gf, not promotion to a higher div. I want to see my favourite players playing for my team against other world class teams of players. I want to see my team in the market for other top line players, not the dregs because they're operating on a reduced salary cap. Bar a relocation, i'll stand by my club but you cant seriously suggest that the supporter bases of clubs in lower divisions would match those in the highest div. Regardless, the suggestion of divisions implies having 30+ professional teams. I dont see that becoming a reality for many many moons. Even looking at before then would be pointless as 30 teams can still easily be accomodated in the one league. Trying to operate that many professional clubs at this time would be an absolute disarster.
Boomshanka
Guest
Last time I looked, New Zealand is a "state" in the Australian Constitution; 6 Definitions The States shall mean such of the colonies of New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia, and South Australia, including the northern territory of South Australia, as for the time being are parts of the Commonwealth, and such colonies or territories as may be admitted into or established by the Commonwealth as States; and each of such parts of the Commonwealth shall be called “a State.” http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/C2005Q00193
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
Bjt, Theres this guy by the name of Republican who has the same fascination with New Zealanders diluting the essential bodily fluids of Australian sports. Perhaps the two of you might like to move to another set of threads together ?
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
Gaz, It doesnt need to happen. Its not inevitable. And rugby league trying to blow it's own foot off again would be a very, very stupid move.
bjt
Guest
New Zealand is represented by one team, hence the name change of the Warriors. Further expansion into a NZ, shouldn't come at the cost of the further national expansion of Australia. It is an Australian comp by the way...
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
Thought they would be lucky to crack 5,000.There is interest down there,not for an NRL team naturally but an NRL match or trial,and certainly for Tv . The Nth Hobart club would be happy they made money ,and the Storm the promotion work with the crowd.When you look at the population of Hobart,the crowd albeit having some Broncos/Storm tourists,was a fair proportion of the city's population.The Storm mgt and NRL would be delighted with the attendance.
NF
Guest
11k in Tassie for a trial is pretty good it be nice if the Storm takes a regular season game down there once a year.
JezRu
Roar Pro
I believe we could have a very strong second tier competition comprising NSW and Qld cup teams. This could include some NRL teams which don't make the grade for a new competition. I don't think relegation/promotion is the way to go however a well funded, organised and televised second tier could be a massive winner for the game. This competition would form part of our tv rights bargaining and with the likelihood of there being some "traditional" sides playing in there it will definitely draw an audience.
Nathan of Perth
Guest
Do you follow a league, a sport or a club? If you support your club then I don't see what first, second or umpetty division matters.
Rob9
Guest
Nobodies mentioning it cause suggesting promotion/relegation in elite Australian sport is madness. The top division would be the cake while the lower divisions woule be mud pies that nobody could give 2 hoots about.
Australian Rules
Guest
Guilty of the same crime Rodney...I feel better now.
Sam
Guest
And it's not apart of our culture. It is a European concept, and works because they have big clubs (Manchester United, Arsenal, Barcelona, etc.) and small clubs, they don't strive for such an even comp as we do. Conferences work in America because they have so many teams and are apart of their culture. In Australia we have a single division. And realistically the NRL could go to 26 teams before it needs to introduce a conference or pro/rel system, as each team would play each other once in a season for a 25 round season, alternating home and away each year.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
heh, heh, yes, true - although I have to admit I have been guilty of the same thing every now and then
Nathan of Perth
Guest
Spot the person that didn't read the article! Hint: it's Rodney!
Rodney McDonell
Guest
Hope your not serious and instead your just throwing up a topic for the sake of conversation. Because, if anyone was to mutter hobart as a potential to fill on of the expansion slots in 2015, it would with out a doubt be the most stupid idea ever! Not only because the interest is so almost nil and not only because the population combined with that interest would be a desaster waiting to happen for any NRL team, but mostly because there are so many other better options. Hell, even PNG, which is at least a Decade away from getting an NRL team would make a better option for 2015 than Tasmania.