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The five Sydney teams that could relocate to Queensland

Roar Rookie
1st September, 2019
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Roar Rookie
1st September, 2019
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The next NRL television deal is due to commence in 2023 – and Tom Malone, Nine’s director of sport, wants to relocate an existing team to Brisbane.

Protected by the current licensing agreement, the NRL cannot force a club to relocate. A club would need to do it voluntarily.

After Malone expressed his sentiments, Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter Beattie asked the NRL to “work on a footprint strategy and report back by December 2019” and “clubs will have a chance to voice their views on September 12”.

In an ideal world, NRL heartland south-east Queensland would have five teams: North Brisbane, South Brisbane/Logan, Gold Coast, Bayside/Sunshine Coast and the Western Corridor, covering Ipswich to the Darling Downs.

Fireworks in Suncorp Stadium

(Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)

Central Queensland is another heartland not to be forgotten.

In terms of growth, there is also New Zealand. Having a North Island team (the Warriors) playing against a South Island team (such as Canterbury) would also have merit.

Add to the mix the Central Coast of NSW and Perth, both have a case for representation.

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Expanding the number of teams thins the talent and makes it more difficult to both qualify for the finals and ultimately win a premiership, so an alternative is needed.

So are we back to relocating a team? Maybe not.

Rather than relocating Sydney teams, there may be another option that delivers a strategic footprint.

A dual city approach would see Sydney teams stay in Sydney but play more games in other regions. Instead of only representing Sydney – which in recent years has seen crowd numbers drop – Sydney teams would form powerful alliances with south-east Queensland and other regional locations.

Prime candidates are the Eels and the Rabbitohs. Both are big crowd pullers in Queensland, and with many migrant New South Welshmen fleeing Sydney for warmer waters, there is an existing Eels and Rabbitohs supporter base now in the Sunshine State.

Given these facts, NRL teams playing in south-east Queensland could become…
1. North Brisbane Broncos, representing North Brisbane to the Sunshine Coast and playing at Suncorp Stadium.
2. Souths Rabbitohs, representing South Sydney and South Brisbane to Logan City. They would play 11 games at ANZ, eight games at the QE2 Stadium or Suncorp until a future venue, such as Wakerley Park near Runcorn Station is developed.
3. Gold Coast Parramatta Eels, a merger of the Eels and Titans, splitting their games between Suncorp or Cbus Super Stadium as well as the new Western Sydney Stadium. The blue-and-gold colours of the Eels are a natural fit with the colours of the Gold Coast.
4. Manly Sunshine Coast Sea Eagles, representing Manly in Sydney and Brisbane’s Bayside (Wynnum-Manly) all the way to the Sunshine Coast. They would play 11 games at Brookvale and eight derby games at Suncorp.
5. West Tigers, representing Western Sydney and the growth corridor in south-east Queensland, namely Ipswich to the Darling Downs. They would play 11 games at the Western Sydney Stadium plus four derby games at Suncorp until a future venue in Ipswich is developed.

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It is important that Sydney teams still retain the same number of home games. At the same time, existing supporter bases in south-east Queensland finally have a regional team to support on a regular basis.

Downsides, of course, are that some teams may need to reduce their home games from 11 to nine or ten, so they should be compensated accordingly. Likewise, travel costs stand to increase. That said, there is far more upside, including revenue from the broadcast deal, gate takings, merchandising, sponsorships as well as marketability.

Outside of south-east Queensland, we could see the introduction of the red-and-black Canterbury Bears playing eight games out of Canterbury in New Zealand and four games out of the Central Coast. The Canterbury Crusaders may even wish to bid for the rights to the franchise and become the first dual-code NRL-rugby union team.

Next come Perth, Adelaide and Central Queensland. The Storm and Roosters have become a regular feature in Adelaide, and this should continue.

Likewise, other teams in the competition should seek to form alliances with Perth and Central Queensland.

September 12 is fast approaching. What should the NRL do?

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