Yes, you read that right: the Warriors should be kicked out of the NRL.
It’s a bold statement, I know, but hear me out and don’t scroll down to the comments section just yet.
If there’s one thing consistent about the Warriors, it is poor results. In 20 years of the National Rugby League they have qualified for the finals seven times, their last appearance in 2011. This is, however, a team in a rugby league heartland of four million people.
Admittedly there have been some great moments, namely the 2002 minor premiership, 2008 finals victory over the first-placed Storm from eighth on the ladder, the 2011 grand final from sixth position and of course all those scintillating plays and talented juniors.
But rugby league in New Zealand is suffering as a result of the Warriors, with very few pathways for young rugby league players. We have seen in the most recent World Cup the Kiwis struggle, dropping out in the quarter-finals at the hands of Fiji and failing to impress anyone.
What New Zealand rugby league needs more than a token team in the NRL is a strong national competition that will help to foster the development of young New Zealanders across the country.
So it is time the Warriors leave the NRL in order to make way for a national New Zealand rugby league competition.
(AAP Image/Dean Lewins)
Of course if this were to happen, there is no way that the competition would rival the NRL, at least not in its early years. It would be similar to the Super League or Intrust Super Cup in terms of quality.
Let’s first sort out the fundamentals.
How many teams? Six teams seems to be the optimal amount to start with. Clubs covering Wellington, Taranaki, Waikato and Canterbury as well as an Auckland team – or possibly two – and a Fijian outfit. There would be the opportunity to expand beyond this in the coming years, possibly to incorporate further Auckland teams, Southland, Papua New Guinea or even Northland.
So with six teams how long would the season run for? The optimal length here would likely be 15 or 20 rounds with a top three finals series. The season could run from April to August.
Six teams would give a pretty even spread of talent. The salary cap would have to be relatively low in contrast to the NRL, most likely around $2 million to $4 million depending on the size of broadcast rights deals and sponsorships.
Similar to how the Super League is in relation to the England national team, the big stars – think Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Shaun Johnson – would probably continue to play in the NRL while players like Simon Mannering (think Sean O’Loughlin), Ken Maumalo and others may find themselves in the New Zealand competition.
A new league could also be a happy hunting ground for ageing players from the NRL wishing to continue playing but not able to travel halfway across the world to England.
(AAP Image/ Action Photographics, Shane Wenzlick)
As this will be a professional rugby league competition, a change to the World Club Challenge will take place. Instead of playing NRL versus Super League, the champion league (for example, the NRL) would automatically seed, leaving the winners of the other two competitions to fight it out for the second spot. Obviously if there is enough space in the calendar, it would be possible to squeeze in a tri-series, but for the time being this seems to be the best option.
Now for the fun bit. You didn’t seriously think I would fail to mention international rugby league, did you?
As the NZRL competition would finish in August, a four-week Pacific Challenge series would take place in New Zealand. Players for New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Cook Islands would be taken from the NZRL or alternatively from teams no longer competing in other parts of the world – so if the Newcastle Knights were to again finish at the bottom of the ladder, for example, it would mean that the Saifiti brothers would be available to represent Fiji.
Following a four-week Pacific Challenge and the conclusion of the NRL grand final, Australia and New Zealand butt heads in a two-leg Anzac Test before breaking up for tours at the end of the year.
How does this impact the NRL?
Obviously the Warriors going makes for 15 franchises. The NRL could stick with this and have one team taking a bye each week or alternatively use the opportunity to expand.
It could mean that one of Perth, Papua New Guinea or a second Brisbane team finally joins the NRL.
As long as the Warriors are in the NRL, rugby league is going to suffer.
Rod
Guest
I would go the other way and look at a second side in NZ . I’m not sure who viable that would be in the short term . It’s vital for the survival of the sport to gain a real foothold in New Zealand. Whilst Rugby is king, there appears to be significant interest in league as a sport . The crowds for the World Cup in New Zealand were impressive I thought.
BeastieBoy
Guest
Its the Netball solution and i kinda like it. Aussie supporters arn't interested in the game against a NZ team so it would sort that out. However this NZ competition would need subsidisation from the NRL to make it viable by keeping enough local stars so the competition can improve and grow the game there. It would allow for a new team in Aussie which is a good thing. There are areas crying out for that. However we also need to cull the Sydney teams by 2 and reallocate them to growth areas. The ones to be considered for this are the Roosters to the Central Coast. The Tigers to Western Australia.. StGeorge or Cronulla to Queensland.
Jacko
Guest
NZ has very little interest in League
duecer
Guest
Vanuatu, Tahiti and New Caledonia have very little interest in RL
Justin Kearney
Guest
Agree with that Sham. There is no doubt some serious work is required in New Zealand but getting rid of the warriors isn’t the answer. There is a definite market advantage having an NZ team. It’s a real pity the Warriors have been so poor recently. If they can improve their performances substantially that would give league the lift it needs. Fact is NZ is and always will be a rugby union nation. Competing against union is a waste of time and the goals set for growing league need to be realistic.
Ktone
Guest
since you have Tahiti why not Easter island too ??
Nick Symonds
Guest
"So it is time the Warriors leave the NRL in order to make way for a national New Zealand rugby league competition." Include the pacific islands in the competition as well. Auckland Wellington Christchurch Hamilton Dunedin Nelson Papua New Guinea Fiji New Caledonia Samoa Solomon Islands Tahiti Tonga Vanuatu
Wikitemoka
Guest
How are the Warriors any less mediocre than any number of New Zealand teams over the years. Tha Black Caps have managed a couple of times including the present era to crawl to a level slightly above ordinary. The real question is why the media focus solely on one team.
Brad
Guest
I think if the Warriors were removed from the NRL you would find a lot of New Zealand players going to play that other Rugby game. I like the idea of a national NZ competition though with the aim of getting to QLD cup standard. You could have 4 New Zealand teams a team in New Zealand representing only Tongan players and an identical one representing Samoan players (similar to the PNG Hunters), a 2nd PNG team and one from Hawaii with basically the American squad professionalised.
Jacko
Guest
LOL call it a QUEENS BIRTHDAY match as it appears Aus moves that whereever they feel like
tyrone
Guest
Don't use the term ANZAC if the matches are not near ANZAC day.
Adam b
Guest
Still witch hunting the warriors, that’s all I hear from the roar, what so u can have another Queensland team in the comp...blah blah write a new song, u taking the game backwards. One eyed!
MAX
Guest
Mr Editor, Please check and confirm that this is a genuine Riley Pettigrew article and not a skilled hacker proffering nonsense.
Ktone
Guest
Offer what exactly? Free hugs? The NZRL are broke. They couldn’t even afford to fly a team to the GC let alone offer 14 unions money to suddenly switch to league
Ktone
Guest
Offer what exactly? A hug? The NZRL are broke. They couldn’t even afford to fly a team to the GC let alone offer14 unions money to suddenly change to league
duecer
Guest
This is true, but there has always been a RL presence in NZ and there are a few areas where it remains reasonably strong like Auckland and the west coast of the South Island (although not a large population). To say NZ is RL heartland is a wild exaggeration though. It should also be added that, like Australia, the PI diaspora has kept RL from declining as much as England and especially France.
Craig Clark
Guest
An interesting article that has one major flaw., It's written by someone in Australia with little understanding of the sporting landscape in NZ. There are many questions to ask, but two stand out. Who is going to sponsor this nrave new world of a RL competition in NZ? How would this competition gain traction against the NRL? Hopefully such myopic opinions aren't held by those in the corridors of the NRL! If they are, then RL has a bleak future in NZ.
Maddi Still
Roar Rookie
How about those "World" Cup crowds Matt?? And you are having a crack at other sports crowd? Wow!!
Sham
Guest
This would kill rugby league in New Zealand. One of the real advantages that the NRL has over the AFL is a presence in NZ. To throw that away would be crazy.
Cathar Treize
Roar Guru
"Even then it is still a minority sport." in Auckland. LOL Auckland league comp has a structure with 40 odd clubs & Auckland Rugby League is one of the most financially sound & prosperous sports organisations in NZ. The Blues aren't exactly drawing great crowds lately. Love how the union mob need to throw round the 'minority' tag toward rugby league as some sort of superior thing. Get over yourselves.