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NRL expansion needs to start soon

TheBrain new author
Roar Rookie
16th April, 2019
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TheBrain new author
Roar Rookie
16th April, 2019
20

The NRL have recently announced plans to relocate certain clubs in the crowded Sydney market, to open up opportunities for new teams in expansion areas.

Rugby League needs to look at all its options for expansion and get things going.

The sport’s biggest rivals are the AFL (who have Australia-wide presence) and Super Rugby, to a slightly lesser and different extent in that it’s the national sport of New Zealand and has teams from South Africa, Argentina, Japan and strong presence in the Pacific Islands.

People may argue that there is not enough talent coming through for expansion but there are player pools like Super League, Queensland Cup, rugby union and the current crop of young players coming through the SG Ball and Harold Matthews to develop players in.

If the NRL doesn’t act on expansion, it could get left behind and not be able to add any teams. Brisbane is the leading club in the NRL, with the most members and largest crowd numbers.

The Melbourne Storm seem to grow each year, so adding strong clubs like Adelaide, Perth, Christchurch, Brisbane, Melbourne, Canberra, the Warriors, and North Queensland will make the sport more commercially strong.

No disrespect to any of the clubs mentioned below. Some of them might include mergers and total relocations.

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Canterbury could relocate to the Canterbury region in New Zealand and keep with their name. Penrith, Parramatta and the Wests Tigers could all merge and form Western Sydney.

This one might come as a shock but Sydney Roosters and the Rabbitohs should form a historic Sydney club. One can only wonder how the Rabbitohs and Roosters fans could get along, but one thing that’s necessary to grow is to be as open-minded as possible.

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The sport certainly has a long way to go with expansion. The Australian Super League competition in 1997 may remind people of how expansion can damage the sport, but it’s 2019 and we must be open to change.

The only thing rugby league has to lose is a missed opportunity. If the clubs are well managed, there should be no problem.

The NRL must soon decide when, where and who will be involved. Clubs need to realise that it’s not 1997. It’s 2019 and we don’t want to be left behind in the sporting world.

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It needs to happen soon. We need to keep it on the agenda and make sure we get answers.

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