If you’re anything like me, you’ll be ruminating over potential excuses for the possibility of opening day defeat. But talk of training injuries, standard of recruitment or acrimonious preparations pale into insignificance compared to this year’s two travelling sides.
I’m referring neither to the Tamworth Warriors, nor those Murray-traversing Melburnians. As great and appreciated as their sacrifices have been, the relocation of the PNG Hunters and the Kaiviti Silktails to Australia represent equally onerous challenges, and with far fewer resources to boot.
Footage of the Fijians exalting their hotel hosts with song were gleefully received, highlighting the soulful side of the game.
But it also realised awareness of the little-known fact that there is a Fijian side in the Ron Massey Cup (with designs on graduating to the NSW Premiership in 2022).
They were only just released from quarantine, while the Hunters are still in isolation ahead of their Queensland Cup campaign. With the season just a few weeks away, they’ll have their work cut out from a purely sporting and fitness point of view, let alone all the challenges inherent in living away from home.
It makes complaints about losing players to the All Stars seem rather silly.
The willingness to travel and the exemptions provided by Australia’s strict border guardians demonstrate that these teams represent more than a bit of throwaway entertainment.
With news of the NRL asking for Australian government funding to develop the game in the Pacific, the very existence of these sides represents far more than 13 blokes going hammer and tong on a field in the suburbs.
Leaving aside the geopolitical implications and motivations behind such a move (soft power, counter to Chinese debt colonialism and all that), these sides are at the apex of so many avenues for the sport.
For starters, with the never-ending debate about NRL expansion, Easts’ latest signing of the Silktails’ Vuate Karawalevu – in the style of the Storm picking Justin Olam from the Hunters – potentiate an expanded Melanesian player pool, as I have harped on about ad infinitum.
Such sides also offer great opportunities to sustainably advance the international game. With so many identarian ideologues looking to do down the representative aspect owing to the proliferation of players representing the nations of their heritage, these sides offer a route to the top for home-grown players.
For all that I may admire Jason Taumalolo and co. for following their hearts, complete reliance on such a strategy for fielding a national side is not sustainable. Diaspora players may provide a much-needed catalyst for growth, but it has to be acted upon. Declining rates of migration from Lebanon mean that in future World Cups, they will have far fewer Australia-born players to call on, making domestic development vital. The same could one day be true of the Pacific nations.
In a world made to go around by money, the idea of NRL fixtures, let alone teams, in Port Moresby or Suva is far-fetched. Such is the economic chasm between Australia and her Pacific neighbours that the Hunters may even earn more from considerably fewer Queensland-resident fans than the thousands of punters they receive through the turnstiles back home.
But in the second tiers, as these sides are not drawing resources from Australian rugby league (funded by the federal government, with a strategy of moving towards self-sufficiency), it’s a no-brainer to adopt a policy of attracting nationally representative club sides into the lower leagues.
The relatively large populations of the aforementioned Melanesian nations make such an endeavour easier for them, but if it helps to secure the game in Tonga and Samoa, could we not one day see a Polynesian side in the lower leagues? There is already movement from the good people at Pacifique Treize to admit a francophone side (New Caledonia, Vanuatu, and some other disparate French outposts) into the Queensland Cup.
Without the prospect of promotion, rugby league below the NRL exists as a developmental staging post. I’m not saying that to be disparaging – the game’s clearly in ruder health in Australia than in my rain-sodden outpost of the world.
I’m pleased that the powers that be realise that such development can be of both a domestic and international nature.
Petero
Guest
Nat you're from QLD? One of the only places in the World that knows what Rugby League is? No way!!
Dwanye
Roar Rookie
Hi Walter and Nat. I’m an ‘expansionist’, lol. But at 15 million budget a year to run a club (I think), more the 20 teams across Aust ain’t going to happen. Too tough for the shelbyville blahblah’s to compete against the Raiders. Upsets would happen, maybe enen once in a while with shelbyville beating the premier’s. But it would be too much of a stretch. I think the admin in past have been to nervous to expand after the super league times cause they know it may lead to ‘pain’ for some clubs and their fans.
Opposed Session
Roar Rookie
My thoughts are this, Redcliffe are probably the only club that could be set for a promotion type arrangement in short notice. That talk around “expansion“, of the game with a second team in Brisbane, is now off for me. With the Bombers bid now joining the Jets bid it’s now essentially, 3 Qld Cup clubs applying for promotion to the NRL. I think the game has moved past the point of being funded by Poker machine money so while Redcliffe have leveraged the pokie money to other business ideas. I still see that financial strength built off a pokies monopoly due to geographically being on a peninsula and removed a long way from the city. My other problem with the Redcliffe and Ipswich bids is they are not actually Brisbane. It’s actually quicker to drive from Brissy to the GC than either of these on most days. People seem to want a history with the new club. Which is a contradiction on the use of “history” and “new club“ in the same sentence. I get that they have supporter base already, they also have 10 times as many people who don’t like them already. As I said before promoting an existing clubs is not expansion, it doesn’t create a new market just the transition of the existing market to a higher level. So if you don’t like the Broncos and you don’t like the winning bid then your in the same place you were in 1988.
Nat
Roar Guru
Respectfully Walter that is too simple a view. This is a business first, the NRL exists as it does to make money. If they could make the same revenue from 2 monkeys flinging poop they would televise it instead. (Actually I think Stan bought that :stoked: ) I'm in the expansionist group but that's not the conversation we're having. A team in Perth is a new addition and you're talking commercial viability. V'landys is obviously open to new ideas but even he dismissed Perth in the first few weeks of his appointment, pre covid. Put simply, the same money spent on Brisbane 2.0 receives it's ROI significantly faster than Perth. However, my personal opinion, there will be 2 new clubs granted an NRL licence. 2 teams = another game to sell. One team buys a multi-million $ bye each week. Broadcasters won't pay for a bye. Promotion/relegation is using existing state clubs and my argument is there is far too large a divide between state clubs and NRL clubs, explained in a bit more detail below.
Nat
Roar Guru
Yeah, maybe I was being a bit too general. I'll be interested to hear your thoughts but my basic premise is there are very few QRL clubs (as it stands now) who could step up to NRL standard given a few months notice. In terms of the front office, facilities, coaching team or playing group. Not only is the football club about to grow 200% over night but how do they keep an NRL competitive squad playing QRL without the benefit of being a feeder? I'm not saying it impossible, I'm saying there needs to be significantly more money and football club infrastructure put across a number/all of QRL clubs to make the transition plausable.
Opposed Session
Roar Rookie
The Hunters will provide more entertainment than one would want for $10! I’m sure they’ll love the support, I’ll be heading to their games as well! Make them your second favourite team in 2021!
Opposed Session
Roar Rookie
Tier 2 have majority of coaches on full time. Non NRL ISC players can earn up to $45k on to of the working wage. ISC clubs operate under the player salary cap of $500k for a season. So it’s not quite volunteer programs, yes clubs do have volunteers but you’d find that most staff are paid or on honorariums across the ISC.
Walter Black
Guest
You see Nat, that is the standard rubber stamp answer we get every single time, and yet somehow the English Superleague seem to manage it with far smaller revenues than the NRL has. Take somewhere like Perth. No NRL team, not likely to get an NRL team despite the fact that they have been trying for well over a decade. They have stadiums, they do have fans (probably get more if they were in the NRL or a chance of getting there). Plenty of businesses would sponser them that wouldn't dream of sponsoring a Sydney based team. But they have ZERO chance of getting in. So what happens ? They give up and become rusted on AFL supporters because all they have an AFL team or go play Rugby because they have a rugby team. Rather than just trot out the same old tired answer perhaps we should try taking a leaf out of Vlandys book and say this is what we want now what is stopping us because there will be a way. It just needs brains, the facts and the will to make it work.
Nat
Roar Guru
There's not enough money in the game to support a promotion/relegation system. Nearly everything below NRL is amatuer hour still being run by volunteers - from board to canteen. Even the more successful state-based clubs have feeder arrangements so they have to completely restructure their roster, continue to be successful in their comp but be able to step up to NRL level with only a few months notice of a current NRL team failing. It's not as easy as taking the cap money from one club and giving to the next in line.
Walter Black
Guest
I have long been in favour of some form of tiered league with promotion/relegation where it is deserved. It is a natural solution to satisfying demands for teams all over Australia and if we adopted a regional approach as they do in the UK, we could then accommodate at least some pacific teams. The stumbling block in the eyes of many is money and in particular what happens to a top flight team that gets demoted but I am sure that some sort of structure/process could be developed that would facilitate such a system. Just imagine, 30 or 40 teams across Australia / New Zealand and the Pacific all playing at their own competition level each with a realisable dream of making it ito the NRL or winning a premiership in the top flight. But the real value is in satisfying demand, of providing a RL outlet to those who aren't rusted on AFL types or who literally can't stand the game. In provides a pathway to the realisation of dreams and giving kids a real chance to play and develop. Expansion is great but with our current structures its too little too late.
Tony
Roar Guru
Thanks for the very informative article Sam. Top stuff!
Joe
Roar Rookie
Thanks for the article Sam. Will be off to watch the Silvertails at Mascot next Saturday. Its great having a Fijian team in the Ron Massey cup and giving exposure to this youngsters. Looks like the Roosters have already been sniffing around and have signed Vuate Karawalevu as you say. He has a lot of natural ability and with the right training as long as he has the right mindset can go very far in the NRL. I hope he takes the opportunity with both hands like Olam has done in Melbourne and pave the way for others to get into a professional sporting environment that is sorely lacking in the islands.
Nat
Roar Guru
Thanks Sam. I enjoy and actively watch/attend all levels of footy in my region. Being in Qld, it's unlikely I'll see the Silktails but I know the comp can only be richer for their inclusion as the Hunters have been for the QRL. I guess the difference between the two state comps is that most clubs have maintained their identity while still being a feeder to the NRL level. Let's face it, all clubs are a stepping stone to NRL is that's your path, while older reggies are heading the other way but still want a game. It's good footy and I'll be making a point of getting to a Hunters game or two while they are based in the region. I love their brand of footy, the crowd enagaement and that's worth $10 entry everyday.