With discussions about expansion and “adult conversations”, this is my two cents.
It’s a thought that’s bugged me for many years.
There is endless accountability in rugby league.
You need to be accountable on your try line, players’ statistics recorded in forensic detail to keep them accountable, coaches are accountable for results.
But where is the accountability for wins and losses with clubs?
If you ‘win’ the wooden spoon, why should you collect the same amount of money as the 15 other clubs to pay your salary cap and run around next year?
There is a clear distinction between the haves and the have-nots in the NRL.
Despite the salary cap and efforts to level the playing field, there are certain clubs always there or thereabouts.
If you are a team consistently vying for 10th spot, how fulfilled are you really?
Look at the round-ball game. Relegation is a system used in the highest tiers of soccer overseas, and is used in second-tier leagues in Australia, as well as league in the UK (including clubs in France and Canada).
It is a system that could bring accountability to rugby league in Australia.
Canada’s Toronto Wolfpack are working their way up the English league system. (Richard Lautens/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
All of the recent hand-wringing about who drops down and how they drop, you can make the decision in a range of ways.
Selection criteria include quality of grounds, financial status, membership numbers and development systems.
You can come up with any number, but we all know who the big dogs are.
You could just say, “Righto lads, end of this season, the first X number of teams on the ladder play in the major league next year, go hard.”
Whether it’s based on results, facilities or connections, a top-tier league – and don’t call it the National Rugby League, it features teams from more than just Australia – with 12 teams, followed by two lower-tier conferences of 12 teams each.
This could leave you with the following in the highest echelon. Everyone plays each other twice. Twenty-two games. Top six. Happy days.
Top tier
Brisbane Broncos, Melbourne Storm, Sydney Roosters, North Queensland Cowboys, South Sydney Rabbitohs, Cronulla Sharks, Penrith Panthers, New Zealand Warriors, St George Illawarra Dragons, Newcastle Knights, Canberra Raiders and Parramatta Eels.
The Northern Conference is a mix of established and emerging clubs.
In some ways this could redress the slight towards the Brisbane competition that was the Broncos entering in 1988.
Titans drop down. There’s a strong representation up the Eastern seaboard. Good as gold.
Northern Conference
Gold Coast Titans, Souths Logan Magpies, East Brisbane Tigers, Mackay, Cairns, Rockhampton, Burleigh Bears, Papua New Guinea Hunters, Sunshine Coast, Redcliffe Dolphins, Ipswich Jets and Wynnum Manly Seagulls.
The Southern Conference is where under-performing Sydney teams get treated as under-performing Sydney teams – go play in your own comp.
A mix of the old and the new. Get a Perth, Fijian and second New Zealand team in. Rack up the frequent flyer points.
Southern Conference
North Sydney, Fiji, Newtown Jets, Tweed Seagulls, Wests Tigers, Canterbury Bulldogs, Manly Sea Eagles, Perth, Second New Zealand, Central Coast, Wentworthville Magpies and Mounties.
Dean Pay’s Doggies would be dumped to the second tier under this plan. (AAP Image/Michael Chambers)
Now some of these teams may not want to compete on these terms.
Many subsist now as feeder teams for NRL clubs. But this is where the catch is – again taking a soccer cue.
Each of the 36 sides has a reserves and an under-20s. And they all play together on game day!
If you have under-utilised players that want to stretch themselves, loan them out to a lower-tier side and watch the magic happen.
Doggies fans, would you rather get flogged this season, or have a hope of competing at your actual level?
How would promotion and relegation work?
The grand final winner from each conference goes up to the big time. The bottom two drop out. No relegation from the second tiers.
You’d have to work out which club goes to which conference, but split along geographic lines. If you have two from the same side of the border, flip a coin.
This system addresses several issues with the current system: teams don’t play each other the same number of times, teams out of finals contention have nothing to play for, club under-performance is not managed, and the Sydney-centric grouping of clubs.
I would strongly recommend against the perpetual licensing of clubs. Bad, bad idea.
This could present a chance for more regional teams to have a crack.
A Perth side could build up in the second tier, get going and then get in the top competition based on performance.
It does reduce the total number of games, opening windows for representative games.
This system would require change, but wouldn’t it be a fun ride?
Greg
Guest
You can’t actually be serious!
Greg
Guest
The positive thing about pro/rel is that every game is an important one to all clubs’ players and fans. If the dogs loose a couple more, where is the incentive for the team and their fans who fork out the coin to go cheer them on for the rest of the season? It’s just becomes “there’s always next year”.
John
Guest
Everything has to do with maintaining the current status quo. The 16 teams in the comp are the status quo, everything is currently being funnelled towards those 16 teams because it is the status quo. Reserve grade teams don't get the same levels of funding/sponsorship/development because there is no motivation to get them higher than where they already because they are at a ceiling with no where else to go, because the pathway is geared towards the current 16 clubs which is status quo. Hence the gap, it's all to do with the current status quo.
William W
Roar Rookie
RUBBISH... This is the worst idea by far.
Adam Bagnall
Roar Guru
There isn't enough room for promotion and relegation system in Australia. There is just too much of a gap between NRL and reserve grade. This has been the case since about 1908 I think, it has nothing to do with the current status quo. Aside from that, half of the Canterbury Cup teams are directly alligned with NRL teams, essentially their reserve grade team for excess top 30 players and under 20s players. Where do these teams disappear to?
John
Guest
You're describing the situation that the current status quo has created, sponsorship is minimal to non-existent because businesses know that the reserve grade clubs can never get into NRL under the current system, so the exposure generated by their sponsorship will be minimal. You're not really describing what could happen if those reserve grade clubs had the opportunity to get promoted, if they had the opportunity to be promoted would there be more opportunity to garner more sponsorship/support?
Placepunter
Roar Rookie
Brendan, as an aside it's not fair to compare promotion/relegation in England v the lack of in USA. First of all there are 55m in England versus 330m in USA. The NFL season is 17 weeks outside of playoffs whilst in England the soccer season is 40 weeks.
Placepunter
Roar Rookie
Expansion has nothing................i repeat nothin at all to do with quality of players , teams and matches. It is all to do with people watching the game on free to air and cable tv, with the money that is generated. Oh dear, did i just say free to air and cable tv ?..........mmmmmm be rest assured or not that the money generated from free to air and cable will be decimated when streaming takes a bigger foothold. Wait and see what happens when money for players stagnates. How many of our elite players will go to other sports.....NFL anyone?
BA Sports
Roar Guru
I don't disagree about the lack of vision the current Administration has. But I could suggest an October Madness where 64 teams play in a knockout comp every second day until there is one team left standing. That is outside the box, but not viable on any level for rugby league. Just like promotion and relegation.
Paul
Roar Guru
Rellum, the struggle is about money and that IS a reason not to do it. Sides coming up need money and lots of it to be competitive and this simply doesn't happen for all the reasons I've mentioned previously. No money = a high chance of relegation, so what's the point?
Rellum
Roar Guru
I wouldn't get all twisted up about it. The current administration do not have the creativity to think outside the box. If you don't think outside the box the you will forever be in the box. They are so caught up in the US franchise sports model that can't imagine any other model, P/R or otherwise.
Rellum
Roar Guru
Teams struggle now in the current setup, they would struggle in P/R. That is not an argument not to do it.
Beastie
Roar Rookie
The main argument I have heard against expansion is we don't have the talent to go around. The problem I have with that argument is it doesn't actually address why we (supposedly) don't have the talent. If we were to move into Perth, for example, wouldn't an established NRL team encourage and engage with the local competition, and therefor, help create more talent? Wouldn't a second Brisbane team give more pathways to local talent to push for a spot in the NRL instead of either trying to get into a limited amount of spots with the Broncos, and the other few feeder clubs? Also, if talent was so sparse, why is it that every year that we lose a fantastic player, another one just seems to pop up out of nowhere? We have the talent, we just don't have the pathways to bring them all through and give them a look at the big time. If the NRL invests in the game, props up a couple of new teams (like they did with Melbourne at the start), then isn't that helping to not only consolidate strong League areas such as Brisbane, but also create new ones and therefor, creating more quality players?
Brendon
Roar Rookie
Promotion/relegation is the most moronic system in sports. Terrible. Either you have no salary cap like European leagues but how does that promote "responsibility" when the rich teams can just buy the top talent and never face relegation? Or in Australia where we have very strict salary caps teams having a bad season or struggling with injuries or having players retire will have no way of avoiding relegation. If Man Utd, Arsenal, Tottenham, Man City, Liverpool and Chelsea were getting regularly relegated (not that any of those ever would) I'd stake my life that promotion/relegation would be gone. Look at the NFL. Biggest sports league by far in the world and best run. The average attendance for NFL matches is higher than all premier league stadiums except Man Utd's. Or look at how promotion/relegation holds back European basketball. NBA doesn't have promotion/relegation and literally no one in America would support it.
BA Sports
Roar Guru
As Paul said, Have a look at Wests last two years as a stand alone club. Their point differential was -1090! That is what you will have in the top tier with clubs full of stars playing against a club who comes up and because everyone knows they are going back down, they will not attract good players, so they will stink. Who is going to watch that? Now you are killing the TV ratings (and hence the TV deal and hence the salary levels) as well as the gate. In 98 Wests averaged 7,300 through the gate - slightly more in 99 because the last couple of games would be their last ever. Based on the current salary cap, this writers idea of 36 teams would mean each club would get around $4million and you need to keep it pretty even across the board if you want players in those crappy sides coming up. I won't even begin to talk about player depth, how about just coaching depth?! How are there 35 other guys out there who can go with Craig Bellamy on both player recruitment and match strategy not to mention have the resources to surround themself with quality assistants and support staff? The best thing that could happen to Rugby Union in this country would be if rugby league brought in promotion and relegation, but since it will never ever, ever, ever happen, lets stop wasting time even suggesting something so moronic. (sorry everyone is entitled to an opinion, but nobody of sound mind can think it is a good idea for rugby league).
Sammy
Guest
In 1988 the NSWRL should have admitted two Brisbane teams rather than a Brisbane and Gold Coast team. Imagine 30 years of local derbies in Brisbane rather than the Broncos being synonymous with the Queensland SOO team. I’d be happy to see the Redcliffe Dolphins promoted to the NRL as a North Brisbane / Sunshine Coast team, while the Broncos can refocus on South & Inner Brisbane, Redlands and Ipswich. The Gold Coast are privately owned So they can easily be restructured as a joint NSW and Qld team representing the NSW Northern Rivers (Ballina to Tweed Heads) and the Gold Coast (Coolangatta to Southport).
Ash
Guest
Problem is the last team in the nrl, should they get related would wipe the floor playing these second tier teams to earn there way up again.
Gary McDonald
Guest
just like the round ball game you have 4 or 5 top teams and everyone else loses
Fred
Guest
Bradford is now on the charge back up, they've made it back to the second tier from the third. I wouldn't be surprised to see them back in the Super League within a couple of years. Hull KR survived relegation and are now back in Super League. Ditto London. And if London and Hull KR can do it, then Wigan, St Helens or Leeds would have no worries at all. And on the flipside, if they lose a Widnes and gain a Toronto or Toulouse, that's a good deal in my books.
Bee bee
Guest
Promotion / relegation. My favourite topic. To say it’s too hard, too expensive, too EPL, too talent diluting or even too crazy is just too easy. Let’s just keep doing the same thing with the same teams and things will be OK. Or think things through and it could be better. It’s ok negative Nellies. You just keep doing the same thing and everything will be OK........ Eventually. Change will happen whether you want it to or not. It always does.