The year was 1991 and rugby league was heading into an exciting new era. What should have been the beginnings of national domination quickly became a rabble over the coming decade.
While researching the year 1991 for my radio program I was shocked to find that there were sixteen first grade clubs in the ’91 competition.
Remember that number.
Back then the Canberra Raiders were the defending premiers, Brisbane Broncos were on the cusp of greatness and others like the Gold Coast and Newcastle were the early lab rats for the game’s development.
What makes many shake their heads is the fact that 22 years on, rugby league has the very same number of clubs going around in the National rugby league.
Granted we have had a Super League war and even reached 20 clubs at the turn of the century, but while rugby league does so many other good things you wonder when our game will be allowed to grow once more.
It doesn’t matter how many statistics NRL CEO David Smith can rattle off about everything else going on in the sport, we want to see this national competition truly become national.
In ’91, the AFL had fifteen teams.
Now they have eighteen, including the Gold Coast Suns, two sides in Adelaide, two sides in Perth and a second Sydney side in the supposed heartland of rugby league.
I won’t even bother mentioning the teams that lined up for the 1991 National Soccer League but have a look at them go now. Sure, you can argue the A-League only has ten sides going around. But have a look at where they’re situated around the country.
No more excuses rugby league.
We want expansion.
While the Super League war set the game back many years, you wonder how and why the Western Reds were booted from the newly formed NRL in 1998. Balmain, Western Suburbs and North Sydney all survived the chop.
That didn’t last long.
Rugby league should have never left Perth.
That’s why it’s imperative we hand the next license to the Western Australians with a big fat sorry to go with it. In fact, guarantee them the spot now and give them every chance of building their franchise.
It is a travesty the game turned its back on Perth.
A team that did make the cut in ’98 and played in the inaugural NRL season were the Adelaide Rams.
South Australians had their first taste of top flight rugby league in, you guessed it, 1991. A crowd of over 28,000 watched the St George Dragons take on the Tigers. Fast forward a few years to 1997 and the Rams averaged over 15,000 fans for regular season matches.
The frustration in fans is there for all to see and we haven’t even mentioned central Queensland, a second team in Brisbane, Central Coast NSW, Wellington or the Sunshine Coast of Queensland.
We can argue with rival codes and their fans until we’re blue in the face that we are a national game.
Billion dollar television deals, viewers tuning in in their millions and impressive youth participation are wonderful things. But we want more. We need more.
The question is how long until Dave Smith and his colleagues put the national into rugby league.
Paul
Guest
Why? It's our game, our league. Vic, WA, SA and Tassie have never had a single player represent Australia. Why should we send Blues, Marroons and Kiwis across the Barrasi line to play for you? We've already lost the Jets, Bears and Pies because you lot wanted to join in and despite being the winningest team of the last decade and having a fan base of 4 million, the Storm's attendance numbers are real average. The Pirates are making a strong effort at grass roots, in my book they're in. Brissy's just the same as Sydney and whichever the club they wanna join, they have my support. But I'd be looking at more teams in Brisbane, Auckland, Newcastle and even bringing back the North Sydney Bears before Adelaide. They've shown no effort.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
No you quoted figures well below that mark.The like for like was nonsense,check all your postings oin the subject matter.That is pure duck shoving.You changed you figures regularly. The figure being bandies around by AFL types was anywhere from 700-850m . What a load of crock ,you left out Sky NZ and you left out the new technologies.When the final figures acm,e out the flag wavers went into denial and deflection mode.Making Roy Masters look good. You might think that is the case. They are already tackling other areas,egTouch Football done! And down the line I suggest Oz Tag.A new Media Unit is being put in place. In fact it is fair to say,if they do not move on expansion in at least 2017 they will have missed the boat. Why will they need to sink in funds.they will no doubt provide the Perth club with the usual grants,and under the new set up,that will be based on a needs basis.And it will be no where within cooee of $20m pa. You GOGWS have apparently not keeping up to date on the poker machine issue.Many clubs are relying less and less on that source of revenue eg Manly,Cronulla,Titans,Storm,Warriors,Tigers,Souths,Newcastle,Broncos,Dragons.So the leaning on poker machine profits is becoming less the backstop it once was. So a new Perth club will be operating at times in a similar position.They have a bid team,who have announced the backing involved,and the crowds over the past few years have been consistently high whenever an NRL match is played,and there will be at least 3 next year. That is a completely different situation than exists with GWS,a parachute drop.If you belive Perth has a problem,then GWS has an abyss of problems.WSW for one. Matter of fact I think you should read the following as it involves your code's backyard:- http://www.smh.com.au/victoria/blues-top-pokies-ladder-as-punters-lose-19m-20131006-2v2bu.html Its ironic,but this sort of new is rarely put out,or acknowledged by that side.
Adam Smith
Guest
I say expand to Perth and Adelaide first and give it couple of years of support. Then a 2nd Brisbane club. If Papua New Guinea can get a decent stadium built then expand there also at the same time as the 2nd Brisbane team. Let's also have a few Rugby games in Tasmania.
Adam Smith
Guest
Yeah because you're from Sydney and have numerous games you can attend on any given weekend. If you were in Perth what would you be thinking? Come on mate, use your brain.
Adam Smith
Guest
+1 I just can't believe how dumb people are saying Perth is a bad option. It's the No. 1 option.
Patrick Docherty
Guest
There is some merit in what you are saying, but NRL has lost too much ground to the AFL already. Therefore, Perth is a must. AFL.
Rooster Booster
Guest
sorry but where on earth is giants stadium?
Jimistix
Guest
I agree with consolidating a second Brisbane team and a second NZ team but would also add that focusing on an annual Pacific Cup and helping grassroots in our region will help provide all new franchises with player depth in the future. This will obviously also help the International game too. Having a strong regional approach to rugby league is the real way forward for the game. The NRL needs to spread its tenticles across the whole Pacific and be the training ground for talented players to then represent their nation within our region. This would add an extra 10 million viewers to our great game.
Glenn Innes
Guest
Muzz -You make a good point the Crushers drew well but that was when the Broncos really were still in their infancy - they have been around for a generation now with only a couple of years of competition. The point is I think a second team in Brisbane if it is going to work is going to need to differentiate itself from the Broncos geographically.I was talking abouit this with my brother and we both agreed callling themselves South Brisbane and maybe even playing out of the old QE11 stadium at Mnt Gravatt may be the best way to go. If they just call themselves the Brisbane whatever and play out of Lang Park I fear they may struggle .
SkinnyKid
Roar Rookie
I mostly a union fella so I am not pitching myself as an expert here but as a semi outside I just don't understand why you'd be talking expansion now. It wasn't that long ago that the NRL was in a shocking state with really poor crowds and the like. The last 5-6 years have been great so why not just ride it out a bit longer then see where you are at. Having said that if you do expand Perth is the place. Big eastern state expat base and a bit of a local club comp that goes alright. Adelaide on the other hand is a waste of time. Flooded market with AFL and Soccer....League is also almost non-existent there. Although the comp has pepped up a bit in the last few years the average adelaidean couldn't name a single NRL player....When the Rams we're going ok back in the 90's this was not the case. Everyone knew Lewis, Maniga etc etc.
Andy og
Guest
450 million compared to 270 gross turnover means crowds do count
Ronny
Roar Rookie
Keep foaming SB, eventually you will get something right.
Storm Boy
Guest
Poor Ronny. If the game introduced to Queensland from England is blow ins, so too must be the game introduced from Melbourne be blow ins. But even then, the original Melbourne Dees rules are from Britain & Ireland anyway. AFL are no less or more blows in to Australia than cricket and horse racing.
Ronny
Roar Rookie
@ EJ, yes there is far more, you are right, but the number one prioity is to maximise crowds, as that in turn adds value, people always want, what they can't have, if membership is hard to get and valued, the price goes up, and creates a chain of higher price for mechandise, viewing of games etc etc.
Ronny
Roar Rookie
Considering the game of Australian Football has been played in QLD by QLDers 30 years prior to RL, i reckon those Poms who bought RL over to be the blow ins.
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
In 1996, 3 million and 61 thousand people paid money to watch a game of rugby league, and another 291 000 watched finals. In 2013, 3 million and 60 thousand people paid money to watch a game of rugby league, and another 284 000 watched finals. In 1996, Brisbane 2 - the South Queensland Crushers - averaged a home crowd of 21 029. In case it's not obvious, the Crushers show that Brisbane 2 is so viable it isnt funny - in 2013, Souths and Brisbane bettered that average home crowd. In 1996, Illawarra's average home crowd was 9601. Penrith averaged 10 337 in 2013. North Sydney averaged 11 514 in 1996, while Souths averaged only 7 709 (ahhh, what a difference winning makes ... for the record, thats a lower home crowd than GWS averaged this year). North Sydney's 1996 average exceeded the average 2013 crowds of Penrith, Canberra and Wests Tigers. And despite all this, people still want to repeat the mistakes of Super League. http://stats.rleague.com/rl/crowds/summary.html
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
Quintin, Because some big mining company or other may well come in with $10m of sponsorship, the government kicks in another $5m and ... thats the team funded.
GoGWS
Roar Guru
And the NRL will sink funds into Perth this time around...if they go there they'll need to sink in the funds. I think Perth would welcome a team but the big question mark is viability - the basics of NRL club finances is that many are able to lean on their licenced poke palaces for annual multi-million dollar grants - a Perth club won't have this source of funds.
GoGWS
Roar Guru
On a like-for-like basis the NRL wouldn't have got 1 billion so I was right....they got to 1 billion by screwing their fans and abandoning principles like reasonable access to FTA to live games. On an apples v apples comparison the NRL deal isn't actually close to 1 billion (which in any event is still 250m less than the AFL's despite people in this forum repeatedly claim the RL deal would equal or exceed the AFL - not even close). Expansion I think is the least of their problems. As per my last post, I think they will tackle other areas.
Moz
Guest
Ideal situation IMO is teams added in Perth, Brisbane2 and Wellington/South Island with one Sydney team to go via relocation. Achieve this by 2018 and I will be more than happy.