Following on from last week’s article ranking the NRL expansion bids, here is Part II. This part reveals those ranked number three to number one
Fan support, corporate sponsorship, infrastructure, and the stage of advancement of the bid, as well as which proposal would best serve the purpose of growing the game while still having a realistic chance of success, have all been weighed.
So here it is, the three bids that finish on the podium for the next round of NRL expansion.
Number 3 – Brisbane Bombers or Brisbane Brothers
The arguments for a second club in Brisbane are so well established that the inclusion of a second NRL side in rugby league’s modern heartland would appear the only logical choice at first glance.
Dave Smith is already on record as saying that he believes South East Queensland deserves another NRL team. The objective evidence for that argument is undeniable.
State of Origin games are sold out months in advance, which is a feat that New South Wales doesn’t come close to matching. Queensland also boast a world-class stadium from which to view rugby league.
And of course, there is the lure of being able to break the Broncos two-decades long dominance over the NRL fans of Brisbane, as well to tap the pool of corporate sponsorship that they benefit from.
A second club would also create a genuine cross-town rivalry, the type of fixture that every code thrives on.
The attractiveness of Brisbane is so strong that there is already in intra-city brawl to be the number one bid.
In the Blue corner is the longer established and very slick Brisbane Bombers operation, which incredibly already has merchandise for sale on its website! This ties into the ethos of the team that is aiming for on a businesslike structure, rather than that of a community-owned club.
The weaknesses of the bid include questions about its base. The Broncos have one of the largest supporter bases of any club, but how many of those would defect to the Bombers?
Also, Brisbane is unique. The league fans there are not automatically Broncos fans as well.
While those who support other clubs may adopt the Bombers as a ‘second’ club, there is no reason why they would trade in their Bulldogs or Storm jerseys for Bombers ones.
This grassroots support deficiency is addressed by the recent arrival of the Brisbane Brothers Leprechauns bid in the red corner. Yes, Leprechauns. Stupid name aside, the Grange-based club has a rich history. They won the QRL premiership in 1987 before the formation of the Broncos and the advent of the modern ARL/NRL era.
Many Broncos supporters recall the Brothers days with fond memories.
There are 40 Brothers clubs established in 14 cities. The ranks of current NRL stars that graduated from Brothers clubs include Cameron Smith, Daly Cherry-Evans, Sam Thaiday and Billy Slater. That’s a pretty handy junior development pathway.
But a Brothers bid is already a long way behind its main rival, and the details need to be worked out quickly, a factor that the bid chief has already conceded will be “challenging”.
Ultimately, whichever bid is chosen, a decision to establish a new club in Brisbane there will split the current fan-base there, rather than grow the game. The bids that come in a number two and number one don’t suffer this problem as they would both fit the bill of truly “expanding” the NRL.
Number 2 – West Coast Pirates
The Perth Reds were one of the worst casualties of the Super League war. A promising side that finally put a league presence on the western coastline also tapped into a real desire for an alternative to the AFL hegemony.
Their death was a combination of poor timing and moronic decision making. The worst example was burdening the Reds with the cost of visiting teams’ airfares.
The bill ballooned to $10 million, and the club was crushed under the weight of it.
In the intervening years every other code has got the jump on league in WA. The AFL has consolidated their hold, with West Coast and Fremantle both enjoying success.
The Western Force have also begun to gain traction in Super Rugby, while the nascent A-League also had the foresight to put a team there. Even the NBL has made inroads, with Perth Wildcats drawing over 10,000 to their games on the back of a strong community-engagement program.
All of this goes to show that the appetite for alternatives to AFL in the west can be fed with a strong team and a connection to the local fan-base. The WA Pirates bid already has this is spades, with a junior team in the national S.G. Ball Cup.
Participation at all other levels is also phenomenal when you consider that there are no local teams to support at the top level. All up there are 29 senior teams in four grades competing.
Demographics also support a local team with an unprecedented amount of cross-country migration occurring in the last 10 years as a result of the mining boom.
NRL is well attended when ‘foreign’ clubs when teams bring their home games there, and the redevelopment of NIB Stadium takes it past a lot of grounds that currently host NRL matches.
The query about the bid comes from whether they can successfully attract the players and resources required to build a competitive club, especially with the nursery of juniors that produces the vast majority of NRL players based on the east coast.
Local depth and talent is also a problem, with the S.G. Ball Pirates team anchored to the bottom of the ladder in their 18-team competition. In addition, making an impression on the crowded sporting landscape in the state will take time and patience on the part of the NRL and the Pirates, especially as the team learns its trade and how to cope with arduous road trips.
Putting a league team in WA makes sense, and gives the code the chance to correct one of the worst mistakes of it’s past. It is embarrassing that every other sports code in Australia has a top-flight presence in the west, while league does not.
Number 1 – Papua New Guinea Hunters
The numbers in favour of a Papua New Guinea NRL bid are so strong that they are frightening. The game was introduced to the country by World War II servicemen from Australia and New Zealand.
Fast-forward to 2014 and 15,000 active top grade players in over 280 clubs play it every week. The appetite for the game is unmatched anywhere in the world, with over 50,000 turning up to Port Moresby airport to welcome the team back after their World Cup campaign.
Oh, and it’s the national sport. That means 7.1 million Papuans would be behind any club that bore their national colours.
Games between clubs and villages have State of Origin like tribalism, and it is the only game that is played in schools. Kids aspire to play in the NRL and the country grinds to a halt when big games are played.
This grassroots support is already on show in the crowds for the Papua New Guinea Hunters team, who gained admission to the Queensland Cup this year. The team is performing well above expectations, sitting third out of thirteen clubs.
This apprenticeship is another attractive feature in favour of the bid. Of any of the bid teams, Papua New Guinea is the only one that is competing regularly in a high-quality senior competition.
By the time expansion rolls around, they will have gained valuable experience, both on the field, and off it in learning the back office skills needed to run a professional football club. Throw in high-level government support from the national government and the ducks really begin to line-up.
The negatives are easy to spot. Infrastructure is a problem. Security has also been a concern, as demonstrated in past Prime Ministers XIII games. The financial cost of a team based in Papua New Guinea, playing as far and wide as Melbourne and Auckland, would also be high. There would also me less corporate support for the club.
However, if the NRL is serious about growing the game, it would sit down at the table with the bid team and Papua New Guinea and Australian government to work out these issues. The numbers that matter in favour of the bid are just too compelling to ignore.
Ultimately, whether you go favour the Papua New Guinea Hunters or the West Coast Pirates bid is a matter of how much you like to gamble. The West Coast Pirates have less upside, but are more likely to succeed in the short term.
However, the Papua New Guinea Hunters bid gives a much higher ultimate reward in 10 years time, but with higher risks attached.
Over to you Roarers. Time to hear your thoughts.
Justthetip
Roar Pro
He's probably from qld. 1000's make the 4 hour drive from mackay and cairns every home game and some fans travel further. Dedicated fans like these shouldn't be taken for granted but should be promoted and trumpeted in the media to show off the passion for the game that exists. They say smiles are contagious and enthusiasm breeds more if the same.
jason
Guest
Its called national rugby league meaning we should be making it just that bring back adalaide Perth and try expand territory and
elliot
Guest
personally i believe the best way forward is for the Brisbane bombers and the Brisbane brothers to merge. there needs to be another team in Queensland. it is one of rugby league's heartland with a huge rugby league following and is a massive area for junior development. also with being in brisbane there will be plenty of corporate support and will suit well with tv coverage. some people may say that brisbane can't sustain 2 clubs but look how many teams are based in Sydney. the main problem that i see with expansion is the number of 1st grade quality players available. there would need to be an import of new talent either from juniors or from other football codes, so that the new team can be competitive from the 1st year which is vital for the team to be able to attract new fans and corporate support. the other problem with the brisbane bid is the question of how many fans would move from the broncos to support the new team. what the team would really need to do is to attract a fan base that is currently not following a rugby league team or is following a team other than the broncos, and to do this the club needs to be successful, which could be difficult in the first few years the team would need to get into the community as much as possible to attract as many fans as possible. a great example of this is the gold coast titans. there work in the community has allowed the club to grow a large following in a short time space. also getting into the community would help growing the overall game is Queensland and would also hopeful increase the number of talented juniors playing the game the could help sustain the new team
bonno
Guest
thank you James for spelling out the details that these ignorant beings needed to know
DrewKay
Guest
Go PNG!! best bet for PNG would be to have NRL clubs recruit PNG players, at the current stage in development it is just not feasible. Maybe in a couple of years time
Joe all black
Guest
That is what will be happening - stay tuned
jayjay
Guest
Then 81paling you are a screwing nut . PNG builds your comfortable ass and you cant help us in any way with the game that we love up here, only to make negative comments about us?
jayjay
Guest
Renegade ... I agree with you. Why make a mention of us PNG only to make a mokery out of us just like the Raj Padarah and Fred and Butter only to be amused at the jokes they are make out of PNG. LOL who cares go f*k yourselves in the lakes.
jayjay
Guest
You may air your opinions about us, PNG. All we want is an opportunity in the prestigious NRL. Can Australia, our wantok help us acieve that?
MD43
Guest
"Tassie a permanent team, its a small state so the whole state are capable of travelling to the game" Someone has clearly never been to Tasmania...
81paling
Roar Rookie
Now that PNG has been dismissed it is time to come to a conclusion. 1996 was the end of what seemed the unstoppable growth of Rugby League and since the crowds have not grown but in AFL they grew by 30%. So what did the ARL have right before 1997 when they were managed by a bloke who never graduated from high school and ran the NRL for his own ends without any concern for the greater good of the game. It was the spirit within the clubs that gave the game such a positive spin and with the introduction of North QLD, South QLD, NZ and the Western Reds the positive push would continue, the Bears moved to Gosford on the back of promises if they did so they would not be relegated or merged. All these moves had 3 essential things that will allow a clubs longevity. Strong local competitions and interest, strong local talent and lastly financial support. If a bid does not have these it should not be considered for example Melbourne. The Storm Franchise cost owners $300m directly, it cost the NRL $50m in dividends paid that directly went to the Storm, every state of Origin played there loses the NRL $20m, in their franchise contract is unique in merchandising and lost revenue from opportunity costs of the Storm's success over the years (2009 alone was estimated at $100m) therefore it would be fair to say that the only club that exists without the 3 fundamentals of having a team at the top tear (Melbourne) has cost the game $1bn in wasted resources and lost revenue. Based on this we can dismiss the Bombers as they have no grass roots backing (but not Brothers). In 1996 when Sth QLD were admitted to the comp they got a crowd average of 20k (only 8 other teams have ever achieved this) they played at Lang Park and if it were not for the Bronco's/News fighting every move they made they would still be there. Therefore we need another grass roots club to replace the Crushers (as when under attack they had no grass roots support) logically in Brisbane cause that is were the fans and infrastructure are and fans all over don't like having to travel further to games to suite the games bean counting administrators. Also in 96 the Western Reds were admitted who in their own self confidence signed up to pay the cost of every team to travel to Perth, well now they are gone. That does not mean that they can not come back, their juniors only number 3500 players but the media love their time slot. Therefore lets allow the media to pay for their inclusion, if the Perth time slot is going to be so valuable to the televising network that covers the game they play then let that network back the team financially because NEWS did for the Storm. The people of Perth have got to do more than just show up to a one off game a franchise there needs members and government support like the QLD govt did for the Gold Coast in their grant for $100m to get them up and running. As for New Zealand, the Central Coast Bears and Brother (I am starting to like the Brothers concept it could replace Melbourne meaning we no longer pay for the privilege of getting beaten resulting in their premiership home comings in a local council park with about 100 fans and another 100 people in the camera shot who came over to see what all the fuss was about) the Brothers franchise whilst based in QLD might have national possibly international appeal without having to put a cent towards propping them up. To regain the progressive success in the popularity of the game that was seen until 1996 and has not been seen since due to the afct that the 3 fundamentals that I spoke of earlier were abandoned would take one simple step. NRL franchisee's no longer get a cent from the NRL in direct payments. The NRL pay for every cost in developing the game but each h franchise wears it's own costs and receive their own revenue without royalties to the NRL from their brand so they fund themselves with the NRL funding the game and it's development. A transparent example is Parramatta as they are a club we can publicly view their financial records and dealings, they are a pretty typical example of what the sort of club that is required to make the game a success. They get $1m from major sponsors, a $1,5m grant from their Leagues, each home Parra stadium game they take $250k (x9) & they play 2 games at leat at ANZ the first they received $480k after as a result of strong crowds plus the $500k in sponsorship for taking a game a year to NT, increased membership revenue grant them an extra $200k per year plus if the NRL passed merchandise royalty payments back to the franchisee in this case it would be almost $500k. All in all you see a club with potential can raise just over $5m alone without NRL assistance. To add to this though a new franchise gets a $4m grant each year for the first 10 years of their existance that they may only spend on an investment that will earn them long term income and financial stability (Canberra has the backing of a $50m housing project that has made them stable forever and Cronu;;a have signed off on the same with their retail development that will gibe then financial stability forever) The result of these changes will inevitably be that a few NRL teams will fall, those that are unpopular and have no strength in the district development junior team will have to for go their franchisee license just as teams of the past did they relegated themselves and their fans accepted that their own club had made that decision like Newtown, Tweed Heads, even as far back as the demise of Cumberland on August 8 1908. After all that it is clear expansion has to built upon popularity of the fans and future players (relegation is based on the same criteria). Bid teams now have clear guidelines to follow and prove hoq best they suite the NRL criteria and most importantly any club that is more popular than an existing club and gives the game more opportunity has the potential to be elevated to NRL franchisee status as unpopular clubs simply will have to accept the fact that they are not able to incur the costs of running am NRL franchise.
81paling
Roar Rookie
Slain they would have a good bid if any of your points were true but none of them are. 1. The Cowboys were sold to their League's club by NEWS in 2008 & the Leagues is owned by the Members and GC is owned by a group of business poeple none of them from PNG. 2. The company that sponser North QLD and the Bronco's that you speak of is Trukai and this statement is from their website "Trukai’s majority shareholder is the Australian rice-food company SunRice, which is Australia and the Pacific’s leading rice production, manufacturing and marketing company". So they are an Australian company 3. The Bears have played in the NSW cup now for well over 100 years and had a team in the NRL. Therefore we can now dismiss the PNG bid and put it to the back of the cue.
AD101
Guest
I think the NRL should follow what the AFL have done with GWS Giants. Putting an Aussie Rules side in the Rugby League heartland of West Sydney was much more of risk than putting an NRL team in Perth. NRL games in Perth with teams from the east regularly attract crowds of between 10000 and 18000 whereas Giants games in Sydney are getting much less than that. The AFL have said that the Giants are a 10 project and that they will have to support it financially for that time until it's succesful. It's about growing the game not about making a quick profit. The NRL wont be a national competion until there is a team in the west and the N in NRL doesn't stand for national. They may as well call it the ERL...Eastern Rugby League. The powers that be in Rugby League need to see that Perth is the way to go and give the green light. Perth has a booming economy and a diverse population of over 2 million that has grown recently by people coming from all over Australia and overseas to take advantage of that. NIB stadium is a great 18000 seat venue with a 60000 seat arena being built at Burswood so playing arenas are not a problem. I really can't see why the NRL won't make a decision which can't fail and in the long run can only benefit the game.
81paling
Roar Rookie
I like it, would love to get a closer look at the bid but, I really like it for it's broad appeal into other states and it's ability to remain independent of populist pressure.
81paling
Roar Rookie
Raj, this is babble, in all accept 1 round this year Melbourne's home crowd attendance is in the bottom half of games for the round, showing they do not have a high attendance crowds as you claimed. As for competing in high quality games the North Sydney Bears have been playing in the NSW cup for over 100 years, they are behind the CCB bid whom geographically would also be fed by the Wyong Roo's. So PNG are far less experienced than at least 2 other bids as Perth also had a Super League team and therefore know the difference between semi-pro and a pro club. As for finance well I will not go into it as it is embarrassing for the PNG bid and you are clearly very easily offended. From all this though I think that possibly the Brothers is the best bid because of their potential far reaching appeal into other states and their ability to be independent from outside influence.
81paling
Roar Rookie
I thought you had a point for a moment with PNG Slain and was curious about the PNG bid and it's financial backing until I found this on the 2nd page of Trukai rices website "Trukai’s majority shareholder is the Australian rice-food company SunRice, which is Australia and the Pacific’s leading rice production, manufacturing and marketing company". So disappointing Slain please try and do some research before you post these sort of things as fact in the future.
Crober
Guest
Cowelly Agreed...why wont the NRL go to Perth...establish a team there?
Cowelly
Guest
Agreed. Pirates is such an American name. The NRL are suckers for making teams with american names. Titans? Broncos? Storm? Ridiculous.
Cowelly
Guest
Reading the Perth segment is so frustrating. It's truth really does hurt me. I mean, how has the NRL stood back and not put a team there for this long?
AD101
Guest
I think that everyone is aware of the pros and cons of a Perth side in the NRL and I think that due to those reasons Perth will be one of the expansion sides sooner or later. I live in Perth and went to a game at NIB Stadium here between the Warriors and the Bulldogs which was close to a sell out. 18000 people to a game between 2 sides that have no connection to Perth or WA has to say that there is a future for the game in WA and those in charge of the game can't ignore that. I would like to bring up the subject of the name. Can we please have the Western Reds back? I have a passing interest in the NRL. I am more of an AFL and A- League follower but I enjoy following any WA side. I went to the Reds first game at the WACA back in 1995 and Perth Glory's first game in 1996. I have also been to Western Force and Widcats' games. The proposed name of West Coast Pirates to me it has no tradition or history and it simply cashing in on the West Coast Eagles name and Fremantle Dockers nautical theme and is not original. It's a marketing ploy which I think won't work. I feel bringing back the Reds name would bring back fans from the past as well as developing a new fan base. A new Reds can carry on the name and go forward with it. Even the original logo of the Red kangaroo going forward carrying a ball to me says that a new NRL side in Perth should be it's original one with the same name once again picking up the ball and going forward. They may have not been in existence for very long or have built up much in the way of a history but there's something there and it can be built on. I know that the Reds failed but that wasn't due to it's supporters or fans. They also had reasonable results on the ground and good crowds so the argument that people connect the Reds name with failure is wrong. The whole Super League war happened nearly two decades ago so I really don't think that it's something that's fresh in peoples minds. Most WA sports followers are aware that there was a Rugby League side in Perth called the Reds but that's about it. I think if you ask most of the fans here who followed the Reds they'd be happy to see them back. Saying that the Reds are back I believe is the way to go and will register with fans here. Either that or come up with something better and more original than a Pirate theme. It has no connection to either Australia or WA and won't register with supporters here. A least the Reds had a kangaroo which has an Aussie theme. If we do get an NRL side and it's the Pirates I will follow it but not with the same degree of passion if it was the Western Reds..