According to the NRL’s strategic plan, expansion is ‘back on the table’.
The plan outlines expansion teams will be given a chance in state competitions, eventually evolving into an NRL team. These teams will be located at Perth, Country New South Wales, New Zealand and an ‘Overseas Team’ featuring Fiji and Papua New Guinea.
However, these teams, at the earliest, will only be introduced to the actual competition when the broadcast deal ends in 2022.
With the knowledge that expansion is the best way to build the game and the League cannot do this until 2022, the clear solution is relocation.
Four teams this year played out of ANZ Stadium, a clear sign that teams are too crowded. Though it seems that all the teams in Sydney have a reason for staying put.
Sea Eagles: Only team north of the CBD.
Roosters and Souths: Foundation clubs and decent membership numbers.
Dragons: Competitive rivalries and decent membership numbers.
Sharks: Good fanbase, recently won a premiership.
Penrith: Only team far west of Sydney.
Bulldogs: Decent memberships, good history.
Wests Tigers: Covers large area of Sydney, rivalries.
Eels: Large fanbase, lots of members.
The above suggests getting rid of teams in Sydney would disadvantage the NRL in some way, despite probably being able to make this up in the likely relocation city of Perth.
There is another way to expand. Let’s say every team must take two or three games to another location. If this logic is purely applied to Perth, and every team took one game to Optus Stadium, Perth would end up hosting 16 games in a season. That’s better than a game every two weeks!
This also means that instead of getting behind just one team, they can pick and choose whichever team they want.
The NRL must implement tactics like this to ensure the growth of the game.
Pool
Roar Rookie
Solution for NRL expansion - neck half the Sydney teams and add more Queensland teams. We all know Queensland is the true rugby league heartland.
Robert Szemeti
Roar Rookie
This is probably the best answer ive seen in a while now, adds central coast and returns a heritage club in bears for nostalgia Id add in less home games in penrith (from 12 to 8) and have them play the other 4 home games in country towns bathurst, orange, mudgee, dubbo for example (Greater Western Panthers) Wests tigers to perth, better facilities, one city backing it Dragons in Wollongong morso (8 games 4 in kogarah) Adelaide should get some major focus too Relocate a Sydney team there, ie roosters, sea eagles or sharks, And revert names of teams, Auckland Warriors, not NZ Eastern Suburbs Roosters, not Sydney No one respects that team coz they think they represent "Sydney" There are currently 9 teams in sydney Anyone of them could call themselves that (Except penrith, bit too far) NRL crowd numbers in sydney are an issue due to the tribal nature of the supporters If im a tigers supporter, fat chance id be going to watch a Manly v Canterbury game, where Aleague and AFL crowds tend to watch any two teams play, especially since NRL stadiums over price on food and beverages I went to leichardt over a month ago to watch dragon v tigers and paid over $60 just on food and beers, a can of VB $8 each, ripp off!!! Went to semi final panthers v sharks at allianz 2 weeks ago, food spent $50 for me and my daughter, Id rather the ticket price inflated than over pay for crap food, fix it up NRL!
PaulieS
Guest
Solution: 1. Drop Manly to the NSW Cup & elevate the Bears to the NRL. Bears attendance at games beats Manly hands down. 2. Move the Tigers to Campbelltown. 3. New teams in Brisbane & Perth. 4. ‘Invite’ Pacific Island nations to play teams in QLD & NSW Cups. They’re not sustainable as NRL teams in terms of finances & facilities. The NRL doesn’t need more teams to bail out. And surely, the IRL would be responsible for this ??
KiwiBear
Roar Rookie
@ Marty North Sydney 110 not out! 91 Years in the top grade before being forced out on rather flimsy criteria. Surviving despite receiving hardly any funding at present and being surrounded by Union strongholds their entire existence and with AFL and soccer to compete with. Golden rule don't speak of what you fear!
KiwiBear
Roar Rookie
Correct Riley! They saw the link up as a disadvantage and the Roosters as financial drain on the Wyong club!
KiwiBear
Roar Rookie
The Rabbitohs will be applying to feild their own side in the NSW Cup/ISP. When Newton was forced out of the Winfield Cup their junior clubs were taken over by the Rabbitohs. That part of Sydney is not traditionally Rabbitoh territory.
KiwiBear
Roar Rookie
I can reasonably state that North Sydney ARE NOT HAPPY to play in the NSW cup ! Have you missed all the articles about them looking at pathways back to the NRL/top level? Yes they have a vested interest in the Central Coast since they kicked off the move to go there but have been hindered ever since. I suggest it is just mere pragmatism from the Bears they have to survive! They receive no funding from the NRL and bugger all from the NSWRL all the NRL affliated clubs get the lions share of that funding.
KiwiBear
Roar Rookie
As I understand the Fijian NSW Cup bid is dead in the water as they couldn't meet the deadlinre for paying the fee to register for the competition.
SR1
Roar Pro
I'm saying that if 4 teams use ANZ Stadium as one of their main home grounds, Sydney is too crowded for clubs.
Christo the Daddyo
Roar Rookie
"Four teams this year played out of ANZ Stadium, a clear sign that teams are too crowded." Nonsensical statement.
Eden
Roar Rookie
these are emotive vision statements rather than tangible plans. Also I don’t think giving Perth random away games will achieve this vision. And I’d say Optus stadium sees itself more like Perth’s answer to Adelaide oval or the MCG. A more realistic vision is imagine if we had AAMI Park on the West.
Rellum
Roar Guru
I think when that plan refers to the NRL it means Rugby League as a whole.
Rellum
Roar Guru
There is no apatite for Sydney clubs to relocate outside of Sydney. The other areas of the world want new teams that represent them. A second Brisbane team will probably be the bombers but hopefully it is Redcliffe. The only reason relocation is mention is that Sydney fans know Sydney cannot support 9 teams down there but don't want to see there clubs drop from the top tier, which is entirely understandable. But like BRL fans of the 80's some of the Sydney teams have to drop out of the NRL eventually or merge. I don't know which of those two options Sydney fans hate more though.
Nick Symonds
Guest
West Coast Sea Eagles?
Marty
Guest
Why are we entertaining North Sydney as a viable merge entity? Norths is a NSW Cup club with no prospects for NRL entry and no NRL pathway - especially when you are talking about a mega-merger. They don't need to be spoken of at all.
SR1
Roar Pro
Not sure...
Norm
Guest
Apart from finals, when was the last time they had a sell out in the Eastern States?
Norm
Guest
WHY ?, Please Explain
SR1
Roar Pro
That'll be out tomorrow...
SR1
Roar Pro
Also writing an article on memberships...