Sydney Stars on the way out?

Yeah if you ignore the fact that the status quo is based around maintaining training bases where the players and coaches live...

You don't have a to pretend anything. If Easts had a formal link with the Reds or the Rebels would you have to pretend to be a banana bender and drink XXXX or pretend to be a hipster and drink Melbourne Bitter? No. You'd continue to talk like a Waratah fan boy because a club alliance doesn't change who you follow.

How can you tell when there has been 2 NRC seasons and one super rugby season after an NRC so far? Hope for your wife's sake you don't go off as quick in the sack.

Why don't we transfer qld country to Adelaide , nsw country to northern territory , it makes as much sense as the current comp

How has the NRC improved qlds dreadful performances. Yet you guys will probably smash the NRC , well done mate. The comp is an unfair farce

I'm easts thru and thru but have to pretend I'm a country lad. I've never been near a farm but yeeha. The country players are not from the country

The Stars were always a terrible idea... just Uni rebranded and not much appeal beyond the alma mater.... I actually enjoy the NRC, but as an Eastern Suburbs resident I don't feel invested in the competition at all as I don't really have a natural team to support (NSW Country just feels wrong, even if our players are there contributing).

Fully agree on the coaching structure you suggest but that will only work with fewer teams in NSW, there are not unlimited assistant coaches at the Tahs to be able to lead three or as it has been four teams.

Jez, On the topic of Qld: The one thing I wish for the NSW to emulate Qld is this: - Get the Tahs deputy coaches as head coaches or mentors for the NRC teams - Get the head coaches of club teams as deputies or advisors Or something like it. Big impact on pathways

Moore Park. Good pick Souths gets the raw deal no matter what Uni, I think decided to go alone initially due to financial stability. Moving ahead, they can be a stabilising force for partners: - Uni has a few campus locations including Lidcombe (not far from Parra) - More pertinently, Camden, and a sprawl of health centres in NSW draws parallels with NSW Country - So Uni and Country may make sense. Who knows. It's tricky Just like Woodies could be a stabilising force for Rams from a talent perspective. Financial risk has to come from elsewhere. Woodies were a holdout in the past I think because the anticipated $20M development centre which fell through: - too bad, because our roarer midfielder envisioned this 2010, 3 years before it was announced: http://www.theroar.com.au/2010/08/12/eastwood-the-woodies-a-microcosm-of-ru’s-lack-of-vision-and-management/ - the announcement by Pulver 2013: http://www.rugby.com.au/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1699/ArticleID/10048/Historic-funding-for-Australian-Rugby-for-world-class-Development-Centre.aspx - The cancellation last year, move to Moore Park: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/new-wallabies-home-at-moore-park-sparks-public-land-debate-20151124-gl6hah.html So yeah, NSW tricky. Will take time to sort out. Qld is less tricky. Just like in league, our clubs have no delusions of grandeur. The enemy is NSW and whoever else outside the border. NRC, there is an imbalance though between City and Country. (Count the number of SR caps of each team) that's another tricky story.

Taronga Zoo at Dubbo. Sydney University at Orange. Makes sense.

Another loss maybe the sponsorship for CSU NSW Country Eagles. Why would Charles Sturt University want to be involved. I wonder if the Rams can partner up (merge) with the Sydney Thunder.

Souths only make sense with the two Eastern teams (Easts and Randwick) plus Uni with the games played somewhere around the Moore Park area. It will still be a pain for Southern fans to get there but it is in the backyard of the other three and given Souths fans will have to travel somewhere that is the easiest for them to get to of anywhere else in Sydney. Given four home games you could play three in that central location and one down in the Shire (if the other members of the hypothetical partnership were prepared to throw Southern fans a bone). I'm feeling particularly glad to be in HK and not wondering how I'm going to manage a 2 hour+ trip (each way) to see my 'local' NRC team. What this story is driving home to me is that the ARU do not give a toss about southern Sydney - that may be the correct call but as someone from there, that is a bit of a kick in the teeth. To be fair they have also told the near regions south of the city and the east to suck it as well which is crazy. Certainly never thought that Uni and Balmain made sense but the way it sits now is garbage. Apparently NSW rugby can only be supported from the Northern beaches, the Western suburbs or from the country. Heartland areas like the east, our oldest club in Uni and one of the stronger clubs of recent years in Souths do not get a look in. The QLD model of a City and a Country team is looking more attractive by the day. Move to that model in NSW, play the City of Sydney games near Moore Park/Central and give an extra side to Melbourne.

My ideal would be Adelaide, with support from both Perth and Melbourne.Probably been easier in two years ago though, before Santos and Origin hit the skids.

I wonder if one less team opens up a spot for Adelaide. My thoughts exactly... They should call for expressions of interest for 2016, a more even geographical spread of teams would be good but that can wait. Adelaide needs to be addressed esp now the Stars are out.

Thanks for reporting this guys. NSW is tricky: - I dont think Tahs is uninterested. They cant play favourites. For now they need a new owner and CEO - NSW 's junior comp just aligned to the four NRC teams. 4 months ago. Now they have to restructure - Uni was too gung-ho. Execution didnt match ego. At least they tried. In the end, it may just be two. But three may be do-able. - Souths is by itself. I think joining Rams is just as foreign to them as joining the Rays. So why not Rays? - If the feeders from West is weak, then so be it. NRC teams should reflect their "regions". BUT... - Alternatively Woodies can be the "mentor" club for the Rams, whilst the Rams continue to finance it. It may be a great thing If there is one other thing NSWRU / Tahs can do, it is to align their coaching programmes, graduating their coaches through clubs, NRC then Tahs. Just like the players.

So now anyone east or inner west or southern sydney have to travel even further to get to a game. That area doesn't cover much population so prob doesnt matter.

Found that out when Canberra were kicked out of that comp.

Stars had fans? Warren should donate the kit to people who need it.

So now I'm a Rays fan. Didn't see that coming. When are they playing at Forshaw? Might try and get down.