Roosters chair Nick Politis is making a push for Perth to be included ahead of a team representing Papua New Guinea when the NRL expands – and he is adamant the competition should be split into two conferences.
He believes PNG is too unstable to become the 18th team even if the club was based in Cairns and is convinced Perth would be a better option, possibly in a joint venture with the North Sydney Bears, who are looking to attach themselves to a prospective expansion outfit.
Politis is also adding his weight to a switch to a conference system in the NRL which would mean the nine Sydney-based teams, including St George Illawarra would form one division and the rest of the teams in the other one.
In an in-depth interview with the Sydney Morning Herald from Los Angeles where the Roosters are preparing for this weekend’s Las Vegas double-header to open the season, Politis said an 18-team season needs to happen in the next few years.
“We need to do it when we go to 18 teams, not wait for 20,” Politis told the SMH.
“Eighteen is perfect. We’ve got to do that. I think it makes sense. It’ll be great for the gate. Playing all the Sydney teams twice is better for us than playing the Titans or Dolphins at home. Revenue will go through the roof. You’ll get better crowds. It’s fair.
“They should fast-track it. Bring in the Bears in Perth. We can’t ignore Perth when you have the Premier [WA Premier Roger Cook] wanting to come into the competition. I met the Premier myself who said they have a lot of big businessmen ready to back them. I told [ARL Commission chairman Peter] V’landys and [NRL CEO Andrew] Abdo. Now they’re looking at PNG.”
Under his model, each team would play each other once with the conference rivals clashing a second time to form a 25-round season.
Nick Politis with James Tedesco. (Getty Images)
“You can’t have an Australian team linked with Papua New Guinea,” Politis said.
“It’s not going to work. PNG is its own country. For me, it makes sense for the [North Sydney] Bears to merge with Perth. That gives you another market for the TV deal and helps us focus on growing the sport across the nation. Eventually we should get to 20 teams, but Papua New Guinea should come after Perth.
“It’s not a draw. Don’t use that word,” he said. “A draw doesn’t exist. We have a TV schedule. V’landys needs to fix it. We get back to playing a proper draw, not all over the place like it is now. That’s fairness.”
Sharks make captaincy change
Hot on the heels of Canterbury dumping Matt Burton and Reed Mahoney for new recruit Stephen Crichton as skipper, Cronulla have raised a few eyebrows by the decision to bypass Nicho Hynes as a captaincy option.
Dale Finucane will remain as co-captain but with Wade Graham retiring, most observers expected Hynes to be elevated to the role considering he filled in as captain several times over the past two years.
However, coach Craig Fitzgibbon has named experienced forward Cameron McInnes as Finucane’s co-captain for 2024 ahead of the Dally M Medal-winning halfback.
Walters set to sign new deal
Brisbane No.6 Ezra Mam says keeping the current Broncos squad together is a priority to achieve their ultimate goal of winning a premiership and his wish is on the cusp of being granted.
Hooker Billy Walters is set to become the next key player in the Brisbane spine to re-sign after skipper and halfback Adam Reynolds inked a one-year extension on Monday until the end of 2025.
Walters had a breakout season in 2023 at No.9 to help lead the Broncos to the grand final. The off-contract 30-year-old confirmed he was in talks with the club and that a new deal, likely for two years, was imminent.
“I’m sure it will get done in the next couple of weeks. I am pretty keen to stay,” Walters said. “I know the club is pretty keen to keep me, so there is no rush.
“I am focusing on footy and playing good football and repaying the faith of the club.”
The Walters signing would mean the Broncos’ key starting players in the spine would all be together until at least the end of 2025.
Ezra Mam celebrates with teammates after scoring in the GF. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
Earlier this month the 21-year-old Mam re-signed until the end of 2029. Fullback Reece Walsh is on the books until the end of 2025 but said in an interview in Los Angeles that he intends to get a long-term extension locked away.
Mam was just relieved to get his own deal done and hoped the team stayed together.
“I think having that (contract) finished now it is a big weight off my shoulders,” Mam said. “All of us boys are encouraging (Walsh) to stay and hopefully he does. It is his choice and his life.
“We are all bonding pretty good here and are close mates so we’d like everyone to stay and take this journey together.
“Footy is a business in itself … but hopefully we can keep the team we have and build on it in the coming years.”
Brisbane have been training at the LA Rams’ base and head to Las Vegas later this week ahead of their clash with the Sydney Roosters.
KiwiBear
Roar Rookie
@ Rosie Well Central Coast Bears weren't allowed to get off the ground despite a successful membership drive and having enough public support. So give the West Coast Bears a shot I say.
KiwiBear
Roar Rookie
@tufanooo I think the Bears have made and remade their position clear over and over until they’re blue in the face. Simply it is let us back in. Prey tell us why they folded as I suspect an uninformed projection of opinion.
Brett Allen
Roar Rookie
There’s no way the Eels & Panthers would not want to be in the same conference as the Dogs & Tigers, two of their most fiercest rivalries. And how are the Warriors, the most southern club in the North not South.
Brett Allen
Roar Rookie
Except then you lose the benefits of developing divisional & conference rivalries.
Rosie
Roar Rookie
Absolutely bring back the Bears! This can’t be a merger though, it’s a relocation. Perth Bears, Western Bears whatever you want to call them, they need to forget North Sydney if they want to make a success of this.
Dionysus
Roar Rookie
It could work if the conference system was based on "ladder" position rather than geography. Gee, drawing teams out of a hat every year would work better than geography.
Dionysus
Roar Rookie
I am not against a conference system but I am adamant that any conference system must NOT be based on geography. There are untold problems with such a system as well as distinct unfairness but of course, Politis is just looking after his own.
Succhi
Roar Rookie
Agree with Nick on PNG - crazy to try and put a team there this century. As for the two tier comp I agree but not one for Sydney and one for the rest. Why should one tier travel from NZ to Perth, whilst the other tier can use Uber to get to games?
Poss
Roar Rookie
Spot on Pickett :thumbup:
Poss
Roar Rookie
I would absolutely love to see a PNG team in the NRL but I'm talking from my heart & not my head..The country is so into Rugby League & a proud people...Also a Fiji,Tonga,Samoa,Cook Is. (Pacifica) team as well...But that will be a long way away I'm guessing...
sheek
Roar Guru
Tufanooo – thanks big white bwana who knows all! And no, North Sydney Bears do have a bargaining chip. It’s called the NRL’s desire to expand. They are in the game for a place as well as anyone else. Geeeshh…
sheek
Roar Guru
Pickett, Thanks for that. I still think PNG in the NRL is a very bad move. They weren't ready for independence in 1975 (I was born & grew up there until I came down for high school boarding). They shouldn't have got Independence until probably 2000 but Oz was pressured by African & Caribbean Nations in the UN. Bad move! Much of the administrative (mainly from Oz), technical & intellectual know-how (from various countries) all left after 1975 in droves because PNG couldn't pay the same salaries as Oz. Did I say bad move!! Papua & New Guinea territories were both colonised respectively by the British & the Germans in 1885, & became an independent modern country just 90 years later. Sorry, it doesn't work like that, & it hasn't! Admitting PNG to the NRL before about 2050 will also be a very bad move. But again, political pressure will make it happen. History repeats for those who don't respect it.
Abbot
Roar Rookie
North Sydney to Central Coast (as they should’ve been allowed to do). Wests to Campbelltown. Perth come in along with Adelaide m. 3 new teams, everyone plays each other once with a representative window in the middle for SOO and a pacific nations cup which will involve most players in the NRL and take away any singular impact (good or bad) to any particular clubs plus keep weekends full for broadcasters and fans.
Brett Allen
Roar Rookie
That never happens, but there’s also all sorts of other inequalities that never or can’t be corrected. The NFL, NBA, MLB & NHL all have somewhat unbalanced conferences / divisions, but few if any of their champions are ever questioned.
Tufanooo
Roar Rookie
has anyone enquired as to what the Bears want? Why should they be consulted? They have zero bargaining chips in this fight. Their choices are pretty simple: Either join a potential Perth bid or stay in reserve grade. Because they are never coming back to the top flight as a stand alone club in North Sydney. There was a reason they folded in the 90's and nothing has changed for the better since. The idea that Sydney needs another team, let alone one on the north shore is folly.
Andrew01
Roar Rookie
Uncle Nick is on the right track. Perth - tick Bears - cross Conference - tick Sydney / Non sydney conference - cross He is right about calling it a 'draw'. These draws where we play clubs based on last years results is farcical to me. Why should where teams finished last year, with different players, dictate who a club plays this year? The issue with Uncle Nicks plan is he wants to go to conference at 18 then add 2 more teams. If you do that, one of your teams has to be Sydney based given his preference for conferences and we don't need more teams in Sydney. To me (since everyone has an opinion): 16 teams - 4 conferences of 4 (rivalries and easier for new fans to follow who their rivals are). Each year you play your own conference twice, 1 other conference twice, and the other two conferences once. They rotate that 'alternate conference double header each year' in a 3 year cycle. That's a 22 game season. 16 teams - better standard of play 22 games - games mean more. Top 8 is 4 conference winners and next best 4 win-loss records. - Better chance of making the 8 in a shorter window for everyone. - Fans stay more invested. So even though fewer games for broadcaster, games mean more, more people watch them.
Pickett
Roar Rookie
Yeah, that was a bad call from Nick. I think most Roosters fans disagreed with him including me.
Pickett
Roar Rookie
Sheek Politis didn't shut the door on PNG. He said Perth should be 18th team but Central Qld and PNG should be 19th and 20th, giving PNG enough time to build pathways instead of stacking it full of imports. The Roar has just taken exerpts from a longer article in the DT.
Nick Maguire
Roar Rookie
“It’s not a draw. Don’t use that word,” " We get back to playing a proper draw" :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: Yep, the conferences sound about right. Sydney clubs jump on the freeway, eveyone else jumps on a plane. I see no self interest in that arrangement.
Tim Carter
Roar Pro
Remember when Politis suggested that when the 2020 NRL season was paused by Covid that the first two rounds (which preceded the pause) should be stricken from the records? It just so happened that the Roosters had a 0-2 record at that point. Sydney and non-Sydney conferences are from the same self-serving, ridiculous thought process. I’ve written about it before; the double-up games need to be based on the previous seasons ladder rankings to give every team (on paper, at least) an equally difficult draw. If you get the Panthers, you also get the Tigers. And if you get the Knights, you also get the Titans, or whatever combination of teams gives an average ranking. Spare me reducing the travel burden on the Sydney clubs and increasing it on the non-Sydney clubs.