It’s time to stick my neck on the chopping block about my lack of faith in the greatest game of all’s chances in WA.
I have previously written articles about NRL expansion, loudly protesting against Perth as the location for a 17th NRL team.
Over time, I have shaped my opinion around reasonable thinking. I am prepared to concede that there is a chance for the Pirates to sail as a long-term project, but this article, in three parts, will outline why Dave Smith should not be booking a flight to the West coast when 2017 rolls around and the NRL re-evaluates its expansion plans.
Let’s start with the positives: why this thing could work. After all, it’s not completely crazy is it?
The AFL is so far enjoying the off-field benefits gained with the introduction of the GWS Giants, including good participation in western Sydney Auskick centres.Slowly, the AFL is further boosting its profile in New South Wales and western Sydney.
The NRL would love nothing more than to firmly mark itself on the map in the Western Australian sporting scene. Perth is the biggest city in the country without a rugby league team, and given the rising popularity of the Western Force despite poor results, gaining a following may not be as hard as appears on the surface.
What’s more, the game seems to have some sort of following.
On a glance at WARL websites, there appears to be a fairly comprehensive and popular league. There’s also a bold concept statement from the Pirates themselves, in which they aim to become one of the five “most recognisable sporting brands in Australia” by 2020, and even play State of Origin.
I admire the bravery of such claims, and I can’t see them eventuating one way or another. If this thing is to come about, perhaps an initiation through New South Wales or Queensland Cup is the right way to go. They already compete in the S.G. Ball Cup, after all.
But what’s encouraging is that the Pirates seem strong in their convictions. Perhaps the most exciting prospect about the Pirates’ bid is the chance for rugby league and the NRL to expand into another non-traditional market and gain the league a wider scope.
This thing has potential. ‘Nuff said.
Perth Red
Guest
The ignorance of people on the East coast about what is happening in WA in terms of growth of Rl is staggering, and then you make opinions based on this ignorance! Some facts: last 4 games have drawn big crowds in Perth with three 20K plus ticket sale games WA Govt has just spent $125mill on upgrading our rectangular sport stadium Our jnr numbers are growing by 10% every year, our Sg Ball team has supplied a dozen players already to the U20's NRL squads We have had two new WARL clubs formed this year We have a 7 figure main sponsor waiting to support a NRL team Perth has a bigger population that any other proposed realistic expansion side Of course it will take years to grow the club and the game after 16 years of ignoring the place by the NRL but the same was said about Melbourne and you only have to look at their value to the game now and how they are continually growing.
terry
Guest
Pirates sound like a Bikie gang! Perth Reds all the way/for ever. They were duded by murdoch and Super league assholes!
Bob Anderson
Guest
Some valid arguments against my suggestion have been made here, but I would point out that there are 15 to 20 million people in greater Los Angeles (not just the 4 million in the city limits). Plus millions more in the rest of southern California. The British Super League has gotten a significant toehold in France with just one team. Now they are talking about adding a second one due to the success of the Dragons. You have to start somewhere. IF you really want league to expand internationally, why not try to beat union into the US market with a top level pro team? It would surely be a bold move and show forward thinking.
Steve
Guest
Oh come on SportsFanMelb, they have toilets INSIDE their houses in Perth- how unhygienic is that? Their version of XXXX is made of rotten bloody grapes. Better off safe and sound in Toowoomba if you ask me.
Steve
Guest
Well what about the 'Perth Smurfs'? They could wear blue shirts and white shorts- it would appeal to a young audience.
Steve
Guest
What about 'The Pertherts'?
Statler and Waldorf
Roar Guru
I'm not convinced that more teams is the way to go but like the idea of more towns. I can't see how we could ever convince a Sydney team to move to another city though. Did the AFL wait for the Swans to go broke and then force them to move?
john badseed
Guest
About time to just have NSWRL and expansionists as a seperate league..... no loss.
john badseed
Guest
up to the standard of any sydney team you want axed?
Matt
Guest
for once i agree. sydney needs to be cut down to 5 teams. north east west south illawarra.three brisvegas teams, newcastle, canberra, melbourne, nz1 nz2, the gc, central qld north qld. expansion to perth , Darwin , adeladie and maybe STH Africa later
Matt
Guest
yes queensland could support 7 tems, and see how they deal with fractured crowd numbers, fighting over juniors and overstauration. would love to see how that goes
Dave
Guest
What is your problem Oikee? A Queenslander calling Perth backwards and hillbilly?!? That's pretty rich. So you think AFL is the reason we aren't good at international sport? Your unbelievably delusional. 'Cricket is deserting them?' Where do you think up this garbage? 'Why would anyone want to waste a penny in Perth?' That's the attitude you need to expand, it must be so blissful being that ignorant,
mushi
Guest
The old only tiny percentage of the population argument. 0.5% it's so small, surely we can get that.... There still is no actual reason outlined for why 0.5% show up, how do we target the population of a country larger in land mass than Australia, and a massive dispersion of population: with billboards aroudn busy freeways in one city? Jesus h christ! If it was that easy then why expand at all, wouldn't two teams in Sydney playing every weekend, marketed on the back of coffee cups, be enough to capture the hearts and minds of all Australians? So really we are looking at a 4m city in LA, which means to hit your 0.5% number for the US you need 2 out of every 5 los angeleans to give a damn about rugby league. And we'd do it with billboards? You are going to get buy in from 40% of a cities population from billboards. That would be the greatest billboard marketing campaign in history! (that's before the obvious jet lag/travel time argument)
Australian Rules
Guest
"Still building round elephants" oikee, do you realise that WCE and Freo (backwards little colonial sports clubs) BOTH attract larger crowds than the Broncos and the Reds?
Australian Rules
Guest
Ian, enormously risky but yes, in a perfect world, Perth and Bris2 are introduced at the same time. But for the ARLC, I just don't think that's realistic. The AFL had the Suns and Giants budgeted for *before* the $1.25B deal. I realise the new NRL clubs would rely more on private money and they would also be ready-made teams (as opposed to teams of drafted juniors) but it's a helluva lot to bite off in one go. Agree that to be a bonafide National competition, you need Perth. But the NRL is running ok at the moment, why rush in 2 new teams at once?
oikee
Guest
I am looking forward to part two, yes. Before you bring on part two i am not questioning weather or not we need a team in Perth, we all know we do, i am questioning the People who are running this city like a hillbilly backward city that cant see the forest because of the trees. (four big sticks at each end of round white elephants). Mate we all would love to visit Perth one day, when it grows up and invites international codes to the city with world-class rectangle fields, not round white elephants that have killed the growth of international sports into this country. I have nothing against Perth, apart from it has no rugby league team and the culture is less that of Brisbane. So why would anyone want to waste a penny in Perth. The only thing this city is good at is the local code and Cricket, even the cricket is deserting them. Take it up with your mayor, largest mining boom in history and your still building round elephants.
Myles Stedman
Roar Guru
You'll love part II then.
Magnus
Guest
Brisbane would be unlikely while the Broncos monopoly under News Ltd (and the only newspaper in Brissy) would be threatened. The power of the Telegraph and Courier Mail against NRL has been shown since News exited the game (hey but the Labor vote held up in Western Sydney and Brisbane despite those 2 papers).
Brendan
Guest
SportsFanMelb - Isnt Perth already playing/have an interest in Union? By your logic that would make them an ideal candidate! Bob - Travel costs or distance? Both. Logistically flying a team back and forth every week for 26 weeks + trainers & equipment. Very expensive & not logical for team competitiveness for a number of reasons not worth mentioning. Name another team sports competition GLOBALLY that would travel that much weekly for half the year? Ah yes the ole if we just get 0.01% of china theory. So much risk and no G'tees that it will work. As a business (which all sports are now) you would likely go for a low risk/high return plan and saturate your local market first when you already have the foot in the door.
john badseed
Guest
A second Newcastle team?