Expansion of the NRL has been back in the news these past few weeks, with all sorts of options being thrown up. But instead of rushing, the NRL need to take a step back and think about what’s best for the entirety of the sport.
From Perth, to the North Sydney Bears playing in Brisbane, to a club called the Bombers and 64 different Brisbane options, or a second side in New Zealand and the relocation of a Sydney-based club, the NRL seem to be to be chock-a-block full of options.
Not that the issue hasn’t been discussed before, but it seems like things are starting to finally get moving, with expansion a relatively on-again, off-again topic for a good decade in our great game.
But let’s throw the traditional line of thinking – that it should only be one or two teams and straight into the NRL – out of the cot.
What seemingly hasn’t been mentioned, or what fans refuse to acknowledge, is that there are major untapped markets to go for if the NRL is to move in that direction, and that it doesn’t necessarily have to be straight into the NRL.
By untapped markets, this doesn’t mean just in terms of fans, or interest in the game, but in terms of pools of player talent.
This knocks over two birds with one stone, in that you get past the concerns that there isn’t enough talent in the NRL to expand and have more teams, and that you move into areas that will support the game.
Put simply, the sport of rugby league needs to evolve beyond its Sydney and Brisbane bubble, or it’s going to die a slow, ugly and bitter death.
(Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)
People not from Sydney, who don’t understand the tribalism of the sport, want relocation of a club this side of the border, but that’s not the way to build a fan-base and following.
It might have worked decades ago in the AFL, but it will not work in the NRL in this day and age.
But for that to work, you have to give it time, and potentially lots of it. You can’t start a new franchise in, say, Perth and just expect them to have mammoth crowds straight away. This is undoubtedly where a NRL second division could work, built from a pool of reserve-grade teams who have their own identity, and expansion clubs.
From there, the remaining state-based clubs fall into a proper reserve-grade competition, used to bring through juniors and others in each club’s top 30 rosters.
No more of the Newtown Jets being linked up with the Cronulla Sharks and Melbourne Storm with the Easts Tigers.
No, instead, clubs have their main team and their reserve-grade team, bringing back double-headers at every game of the season. St George Illawarra Dragons reserves play for the Dragons, and Brisbane Broncos reserves play for the Broncos, instead of being spread out far and wide as they currently are.
In time, doing this, as well as a national second division created with expansion teams in Perth, Adelaide, Hobart, Brisbane, Cairns, Central Queensland, regional New South Wales areas such as Coffs Harbour, a second team in New Zealand and teams dotted around the Pacific Islands, as well as teams like the Newtown Jets or Sunshine Coast Falcons, will only go to increase the awareness of the game, and therefore, logically, the talent pool.
The key advantage of being able to give so many sides a purpose is the expansion and hopefully rapid improvement of Pacific Island nations, as well as making the NRL truly national.
(AAP Image/David Rowland)
Once this is off the ground, it can be used as a vehicle to increase the interest in the back end of the NRL season, with promotion and relegation coming into it. Instead of fighting not to get the wooden spoon with a who-cares attitude, it’s fighting to stay away from a potential second-division spot the following year.
By keeping teams out of the limelight of the NRL in the short term, it gives them time to build a fan-base, talent and sponsors, and then to be able to make the jump up once everything falls into place if they are good enough.
The actual logistics of that happening would need to be worked out, but just imagine the Papua New Guinea Hunters or a side from Fiji playing an NRL side who finished at the bottom of the table on grand final day for a spot in the top flight the following season.
It would be humungous for the NRL, and with TV rights money about to drop off a cliff looking at trends of the market, rugby league authorities need a new and innovative way to keep money in the game.
Money is one issue standing in the way of a proposal like this. Of course, a second division would be expensive to put on, and maybe fewer teams are the answer in the short term, but it’s the way of the future to have more areas and part of both Australia and the world interested in this sport.
We don’t need an 18-team league, but we do need interest in every game, and a reason for fans to get passionate right to the dying days of each season, as well as ways to expand and innovate rugby league.
This is a ballsy move, I know. Something that may never happen. In fact, it probably won’t ever happen.
But if the NRL is to not only survive but thrive, it needs to take a big step. A step with guts and direction for a long and prosperous future.
Cigar Field Sobers
Roar Rookie
Wow Scott, look what you've done ! Started a discussion about the possibilities for the NRL, forging into the future. A crucial component for which they themselves have been absolutely stuck in neutral for years. And while the responses and viewpoints on here differ, at least we're talking. Good stuff.
Mercy
Guest
The only guarantee is that there wont be a second team in Brisbane ( or if there is it would be at the risk of tremendous News Ltd opposition to NRL in the future). By saying its Brisbane V'Landys is putting pressure on News Ltd (owner of the Broncos) Titans (to lift their game) Nine network (who wants a second Brisbane team) and WA Govt (to cough up money to subsidise a Perth team). There are many vested interests that cant all be satisfied but NRL need a happy News Ltd and Nine Network (owner of the Sydney herald) to come to some agreement if the Brissy side (that has failed before) were to go ahead. News Ltd may take the punt but the Nine Network would have to give up something in the broadcast agreement to make sure News Ltd gave the new side equal newspaper space in Brisbane unless the nIne network can offer better RL coverage in the BrisbaneNow news website (owned by 9 Network) using mainly Fairfax news stuff.
MERVYN. CUTHBERT
Guest
ADD. A. 2ND. N.Z. FRANCHISE. URGENTLY TO. HAVE. NO. BYES SHOULD. A. 2ND. BRISBANE TEAM BE. ENDORSED. A. NEW. STADIUM. IS. NOW. SCHEDULED. FOR. CHRISTCHURH. &. GAMES. CAN. BE. PLAVED. AT. MANY. VENUES. ALL. OVER. N.Z, &. IN. THE. PACIFIC. THE. NRL. IS. FULL. OF. KIWI. BORN. TALENT. &. WARRIORS. FANS. PLUS. THE. RIVALRY BETWEEN. OTHER. N.Z. FANS. WOULD. CREATE. AN "ORIGIN-LIKE" FURNACE----NRL. GET. THISB. STARTED!
KenW
Roar Rookie
But that’s very simplistic Walter. In reality it’s not even close to an even balance. The loss to the code of dropping an existing club cannot be immediately countered by introducing a new club. Let’s say the Warriors get relegated, and Perth gets in. New Zealand would be at serious risk of being completely wiped out, they have strong support but are clear 2nd fiddle to the RU over there. Fans, sponsors lose interest, their profile and presence in the community drops and so does that of the code. On the flip side, Perth are in and will be looking for serious investment to build their club and their area. But sponsors are reluctant because they might only last a season or two. Governments and councils won’t be keen on support for facilities because they may be accused of supporting a white elephant if they are back in 2nd division a couple of years later. Of course any team not firmly ensconced in the Top 4 would also be facing similar attitudes from sponsors and councils. Promotion and relegation may work well enough for big Soccer comps in big soccer countries, where their dominance is not a question. For RL in a market like Australia though it would be a crazy strategy.
elvis
Roar Rookie
People don’t watch intrust cup/reserve grade in enough numbers to make it viable now, what makes anyone think people would start watching it?
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
It is Souths and Newtown territory down to the Cooks river. Easts don't have many juniors and their territory is surrounded by Souths who take most of the juniors. Did they get more juniors by changing their name to Sydney City?
Rellum
Roar Guru
All clubs are propped up by the NRL.
Roberto Bettega
Roar Rookie
yeh, but Tassie is desperate for their kind of football (any kind of sport actually), how desperate will SA or WA be? (they might be, I don't know, I think the Canberra government pays a couple of million to the giants to play a few games there as well, you'd think Adelaide and Perth would get bigger crowds than what the giants get in Canberra)
Roberto Bettega
Roar Rookie
I know it will take a long time, half of those 20 years have already flown by. Will GWS (or the Suns for that matter) be standing on their own two feet in another 10 years? It's unlikely, so we end up talking about 25 or 30 years (or more). That's the point isn't it? It takes a very, very long time, and a massive amount of resources - enough to build a couple of large stadiums! Once again, good luck pitching that at your next board meeting.
Nico
Roar Rookie
I'm a big fan of the idea of promotion/relegation, but I suspect the chances of the clubs agreeing to a system that puts their place in the 'top-flight' at risk is somewhere between Buckley's and none. I think a more pragmatic approach to growing the game is by bringing more games interstate or to regional areas. In the AFL Hawthorn have reaped the benefits of building a sustained presence in one region over a long period by getting a deal for $3.8 million a year for 5 years out of the Tasmanian government, surely SA and WA have similar amounts to throw around for a club prepared to play 3-4 games a year in their respective stadiums
Rob9
Roar Guru
Expansion to grow in promising new markets and ensuring adequate coverage of substantial heartlands is an important strategic focus for the game. As is establishing a sustainable and more efficient solution for the conundrum in Sydney at the elite level. There’s not a worse way to approach either of these than carving up the league into divisions. The economics and Australia’s professional sporting ‘culture’ (eg. how fans engage with the game) sit on top of a long list.
Rob9
Roar Guru
‘Tribalism is huge in the NRL for Sydney-based clubs.‘ Yea just look at all those Sydney fans voting with hips through turnstiles every weekend through winter....
Dwanye
Roar Rookie
Ahhhh dogs, you put it much better then I. Lol
Dwanye
Roar Rookie
Hi Scott. Do you mean ‘long, long time‘ to decide to introduce a team or the introduced team take a long, long time for them to go ok. I think the deciding to do it should be done as soon as. In a way they already missed the boat. Just get it started if that’s what you decide to do. Then ‘hold on’
Dwanye
Roar Rookie
Hi Roberto. I don’t think western Sydney have done that bad and afl have said they have this budgeted this for at least 20 years. Just think about that, they know it will take that long and are willing to cover that. What would NRL look like if the had AFL management?
Dwanye
Roar Rookie
Hi Scott. I think relegation is a dream though, happen once every 20-30 years, I don’t think that will help. It won’t be every year or two a lower team could make it and win the big one. They would be relegated down then struggle getting money to buy good enough players to get back up, but never good enough to be anything but fighting for the wooden spoon. It Feel good Hollywood stuff. But saying all that, I know nothing, it’s just all my opinion. But we got to have these talks
mushi
Roar Guru
Beats Folau articles, but jesus not by much.
mushi
Roar Guru
It's funny that we mention epl, nba and NFL. How many teams have they put in oz?
Eden
Guest
I love the idea of promotion relegation. What I would suggest in timeframes though is that the first few seasons are not yet featuring promotion and relegation, or there is at least 3-5 years warning, so that current spoon teams have enough time to prepare. The other key piece is to make the second division generate its own decent chunk of revenue. There are new platforms looking for sporting content, so tv / streaming rights could be packaged well, with all games behind a paywall, but magazine and match of the round on free to air. Play on the strong brands of historical clubs (Bears, Jets, relegated NRL teams) and try make the league self-sufficient.
Justin Kearney
Roar Rookie
Yep. And a great club they were!