There’s been uproar this week about a Sydney team being cut from the NRL, because apparently people are upset by reality.
The future of rugby league in Australia came up after Nine’s director of sport Tom Malone floated the idea of a “club being discontinued and a new club established in Brisbane”.
“What clubs should go? I’m not going to get into that one,” Malone told the Sunday Mail.
Naturally, despite the fact Malone was speculating competition-wide, his discussion became a tear-filled argument about which Sydney team would be sacrificed to the TV gods.
Two of Sydney’s most prominent politicians, prime minister Scott Morrison and NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian, were eager to get on board.
“Leave the Sea Eagles alone,” Berejiklian said, with Cronulla fan ScoMo contributing, “Channel Nine doesn’t run the game, the NRL does.”
The narrative that Channel Nine was out there picking on the Sydney teams came about despite the fact Malone had explicitly stated that he didn’t want to speculate which team was on the chopping block.
So why are we talking about culling a Sydney team? Well, um, because it’s obvious.
There are nine NRL clubs based in Sydney. In Brisbane, there is one.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Last week, the Broncos attracted a crowd of 33,020 to their game against the Eels.
By comparison, there were 14,640 at Brookie to see the Sea Eagles take on the Storm, 11,311 at the SCG for the Roosters vs Panthers and 9136 – again at the SCG – to see the Dragons get mauled by the Tigers.
Three games in Sydney – two of which were intra-city derbies and the third between clubs that have a well-established rivalry – just barely attracted more punters than one game in the Queensland capital.
What’s more, this isn’t an unusual occurrence. A game at Suncorp consistently pulls in a crowd that’s the rough equivalent of three matches in Sydney.
Another Brisbane team is a no-brainer, particularly since this second team would not cannibalise the Broncos. With over two million people living in the city, Brisbane can more than sustain two teams, especially if they are playing at Suncorp on alternating weekends – and twice a year for the Brisbane derby, you could guarantee a sell-out.
As for the rest of the country’s teams? Well, if you’re going to claim to be the National Rugby League, you’ve got to have teams stretching beyond Hornsby in the north and Wollongong in the south.
That’s why, even though he didn’t say it, Malone’s words became ‘Nine want to kill a Sydney team’ – because that’s what has to happen.
There are too many teams in Sydney and not enough in Brisbane. Duh.
Malone didn’t say the Sharks, Sea Eagles or Tigers needed to go the way of the Newtown Jets – hell, he didn’t even say the obvious and call out the Titans – he just pointed out that we should have another Brisbane team.
It was the outrage patrol that pointed out which clubs were most ripe to be picked in favour of a second team in Brisbane. Because they’re the clubs that have been living perilously close to the edge for years.
Rugby league is a game of attrition and if the NRL walk the talk and stop propping up failing clubs, then that attrition is going to occur off the field as well.
A Sydney club is going to be culled. Because there are too many teams in Sydney and not enough in Brisbane.
Kevin
Roar Rookie
And maybe a GRR Western Sydney team. Seriously good plan as every club can do deals to share the fan base. What about one super club that you could buy tickets for any sport at reduced rate and before general sale. Lots of casual fans would join just to experience elite sport. The Thunder should definitely rebrand so as to differentiate from Sydney Stars.
Ibanez
Guest
1) how many games have you attended - Zero, due to not living in a city that currently has a team in the NRL 2) what days would you go to watch - depends on the time game starts, would go to any day 3) preferred time slot - evenings 4) how many games do you watch on tv - one maybe two a week, depends on who is playing, refuse to watch donkeys or rorters 5) can you catch public trans to your preferred game - if game is played in my city I can walk to stadium from where I live, takes 10 minutes 6) are you a member - no 7) can you afford to attend ( some fans support their club but can’t afford match day pricing) - yes, whenever visiting Melbourne I go to a Storm game, just so I can watch a game live. 8) free to air or pay tv - prefer fox coverage through NRL app, its free and I do not have to listen to that old idiot rabs, or molen. (lower case was deliberate as I despise both) 9) is the game promoted enough - not outside Sydney or Brisbane 10) does the commentary do enough for the GOOD OF THE GAME - NO, commentary is garbage, especially Ch9, too busy advertising their garbage programs (e.g. the voice, the block) during a game, rather than commenting on play unfolding in front of them. they go to an ad break while play is still unfolding or return after play has commenced. they continue to show rerun of the previous play and miss the next set. basically it is amateur hour at best. a lot of people here always prepared to make a statement on the games direction they have some great ideas time to ask
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
Nah final's matches don't drag in more viewers.Oh wait. Channel 9 commentary team is stale for a start, you read and hear people complaining about it ad nauseam.Continual negativity by a couple of their team, does nothing to enhance any of the broadcast matches.Yet they persevere year after year. Foxtel is at least getting big numbers with the NRL,so someone must be doing something right.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
Yeah.My my brother in law played for Ramsgate United many years ago, when they had a club operating in the St George juniors. It would have been nice ,if Jubilee was upgraded to rectangular with a new stadium on the hill side.Wasn't to be.
WarHorse
Roar Rookie
Could it be that they want the 2nd Brisbane team to be gifted a free to air game on ch9 every 2nd Sunday much like the Broncos have monopolised Friday night games?
Stifman
Guest
I think you’ll find all sports will go fully digital and sell there product directly to the end user with no middle man and they get he advertising dollars. It’s clearly where the most money is. Free to air tv as we know it will be dead in 5-10 years.
Stifler
Guest
I think the nrl add all the expansion teams that make a compelling bid and without any relocation of existing teams. No town wants a relocated team - see the northern beagles debacle as reference. Instead just add central coast, Perth, etc with their own new teams and then see what happens. It won’t be hard in a few years to see what teams aren’t cutting it financially and then the nrl Can kill those 1 or 2 teams off as non- performers. It will put everyone on notice to perform and it gives everyone a chance to keep/have their own team.
clipper
Roar Rookie
It most certainly not work. Australia just doesn't do promotion and relegation in any code - the main reason for AFL and especially NRL is that they're not strong nationally. If the Storm or the Swans went down to the 2nd division that would be goodbye to any gains made in those states.
clipper
Roar Rookie
...and the AFL lions match got more viewers than the corresponding NRL match! NRL was 19th on Friday, 20th on Sunday compared to 3 and 2 for AFL, although they were finals matches.
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
They tried to improve Kogarah Jubilee Oval like building a grandstand at the Carlton primary school end but the council stopped them saying it would adversely affect the school children. They could’ve done more to improve it. Hurstville Oval and Cahill Park needed a lot of work to reach Jubilee’s low standard. They played at the SCG more than Kogarah for so long they neglected Kogarah. They didn’t know what they were doing. They failed to get Mal Meninga because they were living in the past and told him he would start in reserve grade as was their custom. So Mal went to Canberra and won premierships with his unstoppable running reducing tacklers to speed bumps. I remember Barton Park but only played there once. It had very high goalposts and I kicked a conversion from the sideline where I usually missed from. The problem with Barton Park was that it was at a remote part of the shire so you needed a car to get there and I don’t think there was much parking.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
Trenno. Fittler an employee of channel 9 is following the company line as required. Yet a current ch9 employee Gus Gould stated on Monday night, that he sees no reason to relocate any Sydney team.Implying you are whiteanting the very base on which the code in this country was built. Freddie obviously is blind to the fact, his first team Penrith is hardly setting the world on fire, and their crowds in heartland rl are nothing to write home about. The new NRL Chairman V'Landys( a former Illawarra junior rl player)is a zero fan of cutting Sydney teams, so those of us can play the armchair general ,and put pins on maps, are doing so with no war to fight. And only two expansion clubs (Storm and Canberra )have offered consistent competitiveness this year.Brisbane/Cowboys/Titans/Auckland have hardly held the banner high for their fans or the code.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
pakistanstar Ok I'll immediately arrange via deed poll ,to remove my hyphenated surname .That should help disqualify me from the A list .My $10m penthouse overlooking North Cronulla Beach will be rented out to backpackers.I'll trade my Ferrari in for a Ford Focus. That'll save the "snobby" Sharks.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
I think the code in general were getting a little sick and tired of the Dragons winning 11 in a rows they had the money, players ,and other clubs most of the time, just rocked up to get rolled. Well you can blame the NSWRL for the final decision. The Dragons had a very strong side on paper, if they had played to their previous potential they would IMO have been in the semis.And I might add a competitive strong Dragons & a competitive Sharks would still drag big numbers in
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
Prior to Cronulla coming in the Taj Mahal at Kogarah was a financial cash cow. Yes money went to the players naturally, but as Leagues clubs are there to also propagate the game, there appeared to be a complete lack of foresight in not building a new stadium, at I think it was called Barton Park. Part of the problem to date in Sydney has been dated facilities, yes that includes Shark Park, but also Jubilee Oval. My view when Leagues clubs were profitable, infrastructure was down the pecking order.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
And we got a team, that on them field has been fairly consistent over teh years, with semi final appearances and a G/F win.
Dogs Boddy
Roar Rookie
If we add Wests and Cronulla it could be the.......... Wests-St George-Illawarra-Canterbury-Bankstown-Cronulla-Sutherland Steel Dragon Bull Tiger Sharks. That mascot would be just epic.
Phil McCavity
Roar Rookie
I like it! But instead of Bull Dragons, how about Drag Dogs!
Dunning Kruger
Roar Rookie
How do you come up with them mostly focussing on the south side? Apart from their club house and training facilities being on the northside, and playing on the northside, and having half their brisbane affiliate teams on the the northside?...
Dunning Kruger
Roar Rookie
Yep. I went to 4 home games that season and didn't pay once. No one was paying to go. You could get wads of free tickets.
Harry
Guest
Thank yo Kevin. Tigers to Perth is the perfect fit. It is also ironic how back in the early 90's Balmain were mooted to relocate to Perth. Benny Elias also mentioned in his biography that Balmain's future lay in Perth. Arthurson and Quayle also were considering this before creating the Western Reds. Sometimes we have to take the long road in rugby league before we get it right.