Can Brisbane support a second NRL team? Absolutely. Will Brisbane support a second NRL team? Nope.
There is no doubt that these days Queensland is the heartland of rugby league.
Sydney and New South Wales have the lion’s share of teams, but this is largely an accident of history.
If you were starting a brand spanking new National Rugby League today, it’s hard to imagine the Harbour City would end up with nine teams, whereas the entire state of Queensland would have no more than three – only two of which seem to be making a go of things.
But we aren’t starting a brand new NRL today – we have to work with what we have. And the fact of the matter is: a second team in Brisbane will be a failure.
This seems counter-intuitive. For decades we’ve been told that the next ‘obvious’ move is for the NRL to expand in Brisbane.
The sheer number of rabid rugby league supporters there and in the surrounding area makes it obvious to anybody with a brain that the River City needs another team, or so we are wisely informed by the powers-that-be.
Besides, the Broncos have a monopoly on things up here, and there are an enormous number of NRL fans – and club administrators – that have been dying to see them taken down a peg for the last 30 years.
As someone who lives in Brisbane — and, full disclosure, supports the Broncos – let me lay down some home truths.
This is Broncos territory. Oh sure, there are always people who hate them, even up here. A surprising number actually.
But on the whole, the Broncos have the city locked up. They dominate sport advertising, they get numbers at Lang Park (sorry, Suncorp Stadium) that other teams can only dream about, and the sheer amount of goodwill for the team in the city as a whole is palpable.
A second team, in other words, would have to compete with the most successful sporting franchise in Australia, and on that franchise’s own terms.
Broncos fans are some of the most passionate in Australia too. If the roof at Suncorp Stadium wasn’t bolted down squarely, they’d blow it away with cheering when the team runs out onto the field.
Walk into any pub in Brisbane when there’s a game on, and you’ll find a crowd watching the game on the television while they drink their XXXX. Numbers don’t lie, gate receipts don’t lie, advertising revenue doesn’t lie, million-dollar sponsorship deals don’t lie.
It is impossible to believe that such a devoted fan base is simply going to switch over to a new team.
Sure, they might pick up those Brisbanites who aren’t Broncos fans – as I mentioned above, they do exist – but the entire rationale behind placing this second Brisbane team is that there are enough fans in the area to easily support one.
If this new team has to be supported entirely by Broncos rejects – well, is that enough to build a new franchise from the ground up?
Want a real world example? The Gold Coast Titans.
The Gold Coast Titans have struggled to attract supporters and success. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
They’ve spent a decade now trying to establish themselves, yet they have one of the lowest membership tallies in the NRL.
Yes, I know that success brings fans and numbers, and the Titans haven’t had much of that – but success is often a result of a passionate fan base as well, and the Titans don’t have it.
Most NRL fans in the area were already supporters of the powerhouse team up the road, and they haven’t switched their allegiance.
In a burgeoning metropolis of over half a million souls, the Titans have never really picked up enough fans to make the team viable without financial support from the NRL.
The same will happen with any other team placed in the general Brisbane area. A second team might survive in Ipswich or the Lockyer Valley if it builds on the success of the already existing Ipswich Jets, who have a passionate fan base of their own.
But even that is doubtful – after all, the Ipswich Jets are the main feeder club for… you guessed it. The Brisbane Broncos. So too are the Redcliffe Dolphins, the other much-touted possibility to take a step up into the big league.
Could a second team truly take hold in Brisbane? It’s possible, with careful planning and a looooong campaign to whip up public support.
But on the whole it’s doubtful. If the NRL truly wishes to expand, it should start in an area that is truly crying out for a team of their own: the Central Coast.
MadgicSH
Roar Rookie
Haven't you ever lived on the Gold Coast? The average citizen is a retired Victorian with a bad toupee, white shoes and trousers and a Hawaiian shirt, accompanied by a young mail order bride. NOT exactly NRL territory ????
MadgicSH
Roar Rookie
That's what I said - it would work without a doubt. In Brisbane you are either North or South, and the Broncos are North. Time the south of the river had a team and Logan is the obvious choice.
MadgicSH
Roar Rookie
Freddie Fittler so nearly got it right - YES base the "new" Brisbane club around the has-been Gold Coast, but combined with Ipswich??? Does he even know where Ipswich is? Try Logan / Gold Coast! You will instantly have a "south of the river" club for the Bronco haters, a much bigger supporter base (not many geriatric Victorians in Logan, Gold Coast is full of them) and most importantly one of the best player breeding grounds in the country as the club base. Spend up big on Josh Papalii as the marquee player and Cam Smith as coach - PEACE AT LAST! The NRL will support it to save face and money.
Snoop Bloggy blog
Roar Rookie
Mate that doesn’t matter. The fact that the people who don’t like the Broncos get a chance to barrack against them will build a following. Everyone non Bronco fan I know would love another team here. There’s more anti than pro Bronco supporters in Brisbane.
Snoop Bloggy blog
Roar Rookie
People in Brisbane who don’t support the Broncos have no love for them. The fact there are more non Bronco fans in Brisbane than Bronco fans is enough reason for a 2nd team. Non Bronco fans here are saturated with garbage about how great they are and it builds contempt. The rivalry will be strong and flourish as long as it doesn’t isolate people by tying it to something most can’t get behind. Ipwich is such a bad idea for this reason alone. It’s a small low socioeconomic region, that everyone not from there ridicules. It’s also more staunch Bronco than anywhere else. Linking it to Logan is a joke. People in Logan wouldn’t have a bar of a western corridor side. As the Titans and Cowboys introductions have shown fans don’t stop supporting the Broncos once a new side is introduced. If the NRL were gutsy enough to do anything they would split Brisbane along the river. The north/south rivalry is very real and would ensure long term strength for the code here without losing anything.
Snoop bloggy blog
Guest
Ipswich is the worst idea for a 2nd qld team that exists
john
Guest
I tend to agree a 2nd Brisbane team would just be choked out by Broncos. My preference would be Toowoomba if there is to be another SEQ team. It is a city that is under a fair bit of redevelopment adding in a NRL standard stadium up there wouldn't be a bad way to further grow the area.
Doug Graves
Guest
"But on the whole it’s doubtful. If the NRL truly wishes to expand, it should start in an area that is truly crying out for a team of their own: the Central Coast." I agree, no more BS. It's time to boot hapless clubs like Cronulla and Manly and bring back foundation clubs like the Bears on the Central Coast!
Tingo Tango
Guest
Got to disagree. I remember when the Crushers were going and they had good support. They were unfortunately a casualty of the Super League war compromise. Secondly Brisbane will have another million people in 20 years and this allows for further growth opportunities that should not be simply for the Broncos. I also think that Brisbane people will adopt the side as their second and given they are lilkely to be playing on alternate weekends they will get good support. The central coast side has been flogged to death and does not sound like a balance with another side from NSW coming in at the expense of a side from Qld. Another side from Brisbane & Perth is a no brainer. Finding enough first grade footballers is then the next issue
RandyM
Guest
you bring up this argument all the time, except the NRL plays over 100 games a year in sydney, how many does AFL play, 20? how many does A League play, 27? then there is TV rating which NRL still demolishes those other 2 codes as far as Sydney audience goes. In saying all that I do agree that the demographics of sydney have changed and there is probably too many teams.
Birdy
Roar Rookie
They need success on the field but the main thing is to convince everyone theyre here to stay. A few years ago I saw a lot of kids with Titans merchandise, not so much now. They seemed to be becoming part of the culture of the coast . Then it all fell apart again. Hayne didn't help . Upset a stable team of tryers and a coach that was highly regarded. Articles like this have to stop and positive press would be a bonus.
Jacko
Guest
I hope you are right Birdy it would be good to see a team finally succeed on the GC....a lot of teams have tried and failed but maybe some success will bring stability
clipper
Roar Rookie
BSwagpeare - you are correct - the heartland of league is QLD. Sorry to disappoint Max power, but it's been that way for years. If it's not QLD - where is it? Certainly not Sydney - that's an all code city now. The most attended team is an AFL one, by far the most participation is Soccer. Crowds for NRL are well down from 5 or 10 years ago, especially taking in population growth.
Birdy
Roar Rookie
I agree with everything you said Jacko except your comment on the Titans. I believe it's dumb at this stage to use the Titans for the reason they lacked stability from day 1 meaning from the Giants till now. They are now giving the area a sence of longevity and security. They will be a top 4 side in the next few years. They should only be judged after that. My money is on them becoming a power house club.
Beergardener
Roar Pro
You don't need to convert the existing fans of other teams - you need to convert the kids. I saw the impact that having a new club had on kids (I'm a teacher in Brisbane) when the Titans came about. So many kids liked them and wore their stuff cos they were new and shiny and did school visits. That seemed to work for these outer suburban kids who didn't feel like the Broncos represented them (this was on the Southside/Redlands where I worked at the time). And there seemed to be enough of them that didn't follow the Broncos for people like that to come on to a new club. When I was in primary school and was growing up around the Northside a few kilometres from Redcliffe you could have told me Moreton Bay was my region not Brisbane. You see signs for Moreton Bay Tourist drive around here. We got a paper called the Bayside star. You see similar signs around Wynnum. Kids don't care what city or Shire they are in, they go for the team that is close to them or their parents take them to see. For me that could have been Redcliffe as it was close. By the way Moreton Bay LGA has a population of 400000 (twice Ipswich), add outer Northern Brisbane (another 400000 or so) and you have a huge and growing market. Capture a few hundred to a few thousand other people from other parts of Brisbane who don't have a team/would feel represented by a Moreton team/want to support a Qcup team and you have a good base of support and members
Mango Man
Guest
The Rocky to Hervey Bay stretch would be your best bet. Mackay is too close to Townsville. Busloads of them go up to Townsville for the home games so they Cowboys may have that market sewn up. But further south could work. As mentioned in other posts there would be plenty of talent from the greater Brisbane area to fill up another team.
Mango Man
Guest
Spot on. It should have been done 20 years ago. There was a window of opportunity but it has closed. The Broncos are like the Facebook of rugby league in Brisbane. They own that space. Any new club would go broke taking them on in their own backyard.
Mango Man
Guest
It is a bit hard to play devil's advocate for that side of the discussion without sounding like a complete DH. My take is that each of these areas has their own identity (Logan, Ipswich, Redcliffe, Wynnum etc.) and it's not as easy as assuming rugby league fans from area X will automatically follow an NRL team in area Y just because they are near each other. Would fan in Logan really support an Ipswich team? Do they feel part of Ipswich because they are nearby? Or will they just keep supporting the Broncos or whatever other NRL team they already support because they don't like the Broncs?
Mango Man
Guest
Wynnum Manly is a pretty popular club though. Would Wynnum locals really jump on board with Redcliffe if they were promoted to the NRL either with or without a name change? Would they travel to Redcliffe to watch games with Suncorp Stadium is just as easy to get to by train? It feels to me no different to saying that Manly (Sydney) fans and North Sydney fans should follow the same team as they are in the same general area.
AR
Guest
The Broncos had the biggest head start advantage of any sports franchise in Australia, primarily because: 1) they were the only team in town, meaning they had all the fan and corporate support of a city of 2M; 2) they were owned by NewsCorp, who also owned the competiton, meaning they were protected from competiton in Brisbane for years. A good comparison is WCE: - both entered the comp in around 1987 - both effectively represented the whole state, at first - both could draw on home grown talent to represent the new local side. But whereas WCE have a 5 year waiting list to join as a member, regularly draw 45k+ to home games, and compete with another Perth-based powerhouse, the Broncos have never really hit those marks - despite Brisbane being a bigger city. I’m not sure whether a Bris2 franchise is now achievable, which really, is a shocking comment on how the NRL has been run for decades.