As a kid, nothing was more fun than watching all three grades on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Under 23s at 12pm, reserve grade at 1.30pm and first grade at 3pm.
You certainly got your bang for your dollar. It was a chance to see any up-and-coming stars, returning injured first graders breaking in slowly or your favourite journeyman who was just outside that elite group.
Things have changed quite a bit and we’ve now got U20s and a reserve grade which doesn’t always carry your team’s colours.
For example, my team Easts, have had affiliated reserve grade teams such as Newtown, Wyong and currently Norths in the last decade or so.
There’s also been a lot of ink about expansion and conference systems.
How about we combine all of these and turn it into a mid-week contest like the good old days?
Since everyone else has done it, here are my thoughts. But a couple of disclaimers first.
Number one disclaimer
Don’t ask me about the money. This will be the first comment, I guarantee. Just assume a very generous benefactor will cover it! An Uncle Nick or that Souths supporting computer geek with a company called Atlantis or something. Ok? Finance – done and dusted.
Number two disclaimer
For the purposes of this article, I’m just going to look at the big picture. I’m going to miss the trees for the forest.
Now that the disclaimers are out of the way, here goes.
We will have 32 teams over eight conferences. That’s four per conference.
It will include 16 current NRL teams and 16 invited/expansion teams.
As the 16 current NRL teams would be much stronger, use the Olympic soccer rule of U23s with three open players allowed. For the 16 invited/expansion teams, they can field their first-grade side.
The prize for winning the whole thing?
If you’re an expansion team, then $500,000.
If you’re an NRL team, then four competition points in next year’s competition. This will ensure they send their best U23 team and three open players and take the comp seriously.
Each conference will contain two NRL teams and two expansion teams.
I’ve tried to build some rivalries in there. Also, the geographical names are loose and more for categorising rather than exactness.
Here are the teams.
Australian League Conference (ALC)
ALC East
Easts
Souths
Balmain Tigers
Newtown Jets
ALC West
Canterbury
Wests Tigers
Cabramatta Two Blues
Wentworthville Magpies
ALC North
North Queensland
Newcastle
Papua New Guinea Cutters (their national game)
Fiji Silktails (green shoots)
ALC South
St George Illawarra Dragons
Cronulla
Illawarra Steelers (Payback on the Dragons)
Tasmanian Devils (Is there a better name for a Tasmanian team?)
National League Conference (NLC)
NLC East
Manly
Auckland Warriors (ditch the New Zealand name)
Wellington Orcas (Warriors need a close by rival to give them a kick up the *^&)
North Sydney Bears (bring them back. Bring back the Manly versus Norths rivalry. Payback time!)
NLC West
Parramatta
Penrith
Perth Western Reds (No second Perth team just yet. Just use the Perth versus Adelaide rivalry)
Adelaide Rams (ditto above)
NLC North
Brisbane
Gold Coast Titans
Burleigh Bears (Should replace Titans as they have lots of history)
Tweed Heads Seagulls (Even more history. They are the oldest sporting club in Australia and have a great rivalry with Burleigh)
NLC South
Canberra
Melbourne
Redcliffe Dolphins (very loose geographically)
Ipswich Jets (extremely loose geographically)
So we have all the states of Australia covered except the N.T, four international teams in Papua New Guinea, Fiji, and two from NZ. Common mascot names – Bears (North Sydney and Burleigh), Tigers (Wests and Balmain), Jets (Newtown and Ipswich).
Similar colours – Maroon and White (Burleigh and Manly), Red and White (St George and Illawarra). Lucky I didn’t include the Western Suburbs Magpies – that would have done even my head in.
Format can be like the NFL – 16 rounds which includes playing your conference teams twice, followed by the round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and the Super Bowl.
I deliberately tried to avoid using the Americanism ‘play-offs’ but couldn’t avoid the last one.
If this is too difficult, then use this as a pre-season tournament. Round Robins, then round of 16, quarters etc then final. Done and dusted in seven weeks.
All games to be played on Wednesdays across eight ovals.
Sydney: North Sydney Oval, Henson Park, Lidcombe Oval and Leichhardt Oval (televised match of the round)
NZ: Mount Smart Stadium
Melbourne: One of the suburban VFL grounds
North Queensland: Cowboys stadium
SE Queensland: Robina Stadium or Pizzey Park
Each oval will have two games each Wednesday.
Make it four times 20 minute quarters.
White balls with brown stripes (like the old Penrith jerseys). Black shoe polish under the eyes is mandatory.
The name of the comp? The Amco Cup.
Time Out.
Guest
If you’re limiting the players that would be available to play for the teams playing an NRL team name. Then you’d have to do the same for the Queensland Intrust Super Cup ,teams that you’d proposed would participate in any such competition. As the likes of the Burleigh Bears & Redcliffe Dolphins, are the feeder clubs for Queensland, Melbourne & some other NRL clubs. They have many the NRL’s reserves & best up & comers playing for them. Otherwise those teams would easily win the competition every year.
max power
Guest
yes, i saw you there Nat and 3 other people
Rellum
Roar Guru
You picked all the new teams and only two of those are ex BRL teams and Ipswich barely counts. There are teams you left out with histories stretching back to 1909. I am still very big that we have three grades but those grades are made up of permanent affiliations to State teams and others, So reserve grade will be made of teams like the old BRL teams, Newton and the like. Then you get the better standard lower grade and keep those great teams in the game at a level fans can still engage with.
Onya.
Guest
As Wentworthville, St.Mary’s , Mounties & the other semi-professional clubs. Are already big clubs. No need to create teams, as they already exist. No need for them to borrow any young players from elsewhere either. They’ve already got their own. Why draw the line before including clubs that may actually be competitive? By all means throw together some players, to try & create a competitive team though . For whatever area. No massive thrashings to be seen with that idea.
Pickett
Roar Rookie
My answer to you would be the same that I gave Rellum - have to draw the line somewhere. Why stop with St Marys? What about Colyton, St Pats Blacktown or the Windsor Wolves? What about Renown (Gasnier's club) or the Redfern All Blacks or the Chester Hill Hornets? Unfortunate, but can't accomodate all. That said, I did think about Mounties - great setup and facilities. Maybe they can take the place of Cabramatta. In terms of Adelaide and Perth - they were there once, and it'd be great to get a footprint there again.
Sammy
Guest
I'd support the proposal if licences were granted to the Young CherryPickers and the Lithgow Shamrocks.
Onya.
Guest
I’ve watched the Penrith NSW Cup team defeat Newtown well. When Penrith had to put in 7 players from the St.Marys club , to make up the numbers. Due to a Covid disruption , players had to be left out. So just wondering how the semi-professional teams such as : Wentworthville, St.Mary’s , Mounties ( the actual club at Mt. Pritchard ) don’t get a run , in your imaginary competition? They’d be better quality teams than say the Adelaide Rams. Western Reds etc. That don’t actually exist.
Pickett
Roar Rookie
Exhibit A: Joseph Suaalli
Paul
Roar Guru
even still, I can see the Clubs mothballing their really good U23 players the closer it get's to the finals. As we've seen this year, Clubs injury lists mean some of these young fellas might get a run in first grade.
Opposed Session
Roar Rookie
I have a soft spot for PNG mate so just making sure they get the right representation! Also think the pathway model if perfected can solve the “enough talent” debate around expansion. Only think a couple of clubs do it right and therefore a lot of clubs are missing the chance to develop talent to industry standard.
Pickett
Roar Rookie
That's an interesting one Rellum. Although I have included Redcliffe, Burleigh, Ipswich + the 3 NRL Queensland team. You can include a few teams from the Intrust Cup too. Tweed & PNG - that's in Queensland! The excellent history of QRL by Matth earlier this year was a real eye opener. Never realised how tribal and rivalrous things were WITHIN QLD. Us NSW men always thought you were one big happy family. I guess it's a case of 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend'... when it came to the Blues. Unfortunately, Brisbane Norths, Easts, Souths and Valleys, Wynum have to be represented by Brisbane Broncos. I met a bloke who's lost his love for RL when the Bronco's came in. He said it destroyed the QRL teams and comp that he loved. Very interesting...
Maxtruck
Roar Rookie
Time to change hands
Pickett
Roar Rookie
I did say U23's for the NRL teams with 3 open players. They'd be lining up against an experienced Wenty Magpies side with a couple of ex-first graders and journeymen? 'Ambo Cup' - Freudian slip? :happy:
Pickett
Roar Rookie
I probably got a bit excited Paul - yeah I think you're right. They were established in 1908 according to Wiki. Injuries? Abolish the 6-Again rule!!!
Pickett
Roar Rookie
Bozo Fulton ran out for the Armed Services I believe in his earlier days.
Pickett
Roar Rookie
Good stuff mate - all things American is definitely not all good.
Pickett
Roar Rookie
Great question Muck. It's what I always had about the NFL system - especially when the conferences (actually it's really divisions) are so random. eg my team Dallas is in the NFC East with NY, Philli and Washington DC. Geographically makes no sense whatsover. Americans are a lot more conservative than we think as well. May not like change. Or too hard.
Pickett
Roar Rookie
Agree Beathy. Tim Buck reckons the reserve grade FB should've played in the 75 GF instead of Changa. Scoreline might've been 28-0 instead?
Pickett
Roar Rookie
Transitor radios and Frank Hyde were like Batman & Robin, Pizza and Cheese. Inseparable.
Pickett
Roar Rookie
I knew that. Just making sure you were alert. :happy: Agree with you Opposed.