Roar Rookie
Joined September 2019
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2015 GF. Cowboyz.
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How many Australians cared about Scott Robertson breakdancing after the Crusaders won? Not many. If any. The fact of the matter is Super Rugby…
A hand grenade was dropped by the head of rugby in Australia, Hamish McLennan: "All bets are off." Australia may ditch the Super Rugby…
The talk last week was about NRL expansion and a potential conference system. This may not suit clubs like the Canberra Raiders or Newcastle…
To set the scene, in 2020 the Broncos finished last and lost David Fifita to the Titans. The worst team from 2020 then has…
Super Rugby has just expanded to include an Auckland-based Moana Pasifika team. A Fiji team has also been added, with some games reportedly to…
It has been reported that there is open warfare between Australia and New Zealand rugby regarding the makeup of a Trans-Tasman Super Rugby competition.…
Should COVID19 continue to escalate in Victoria, and a near empty MCG be frowned upon by most the AFL world, where should the AFL…
There is talk of the trans-Tasman Super Rugby champions or top teams facing off against the top South Africa and Japan Top League sides,…
If you’ve seen The Last Dance, Michael Jordan used tough love to harden his team for the NBA. With this amazing basketball talent at…
Since 2013, the Australian Super Rugby audience has dropped by 43 per cent. That is according to the Gemba Group, a leading sports consultancy,…
Along with COVID9, NRL and RA broadcast deals are pressing issue for both codes. Networks are playing hardball. Perhaps the unthinkable might now be…
It has been a busy month in rugby union. Australian and New Zealand rugby pockets are a few million dollars lighter. Australia has sacked…
With the COVID-19 pandemic, Super Rugby 2020 is dead in the water. Super Rugby to date has been an internationally FIFO sport. With international…
The next NRL television deal is due to commence in 2023 - and Tom Malone, Nine’s director of sport, wants to relocate an existing…
Agree M. Need a nucleus in Brissy and one in Sydney. Sydney effectively has 4 teams including ACT. Keeps costs low.
Should we give Super Rugby the flick forever?
Adam, agree with your second point. All clubs need skin in the game when it comes to reserve grade and player development. It is so bad at the moment.
This is another reason why a condensed end of season comp would be great . NRL top line players, combining with the best reserve players from Q-Cup and NSW Cup.
Would three NRL conferences be better than two?
Hold the phone! You nearly had me 😊
The current top 8 has five NSW teams (Rabbitohs, Panthers, Dragons, Eels, Roosters, and 3 Greater Conference teams (Titans, Storm, Warriors). But…
The two expansion teams don’t exist yet. 😢
Look, on the law of averages, I think things would work out pretty even.
Perhaps this would be more fair….
Maroon Conference: Broncs, Titans, Cowboys, Brisbane Dolphins, Storm, Western Jets, PLUS a group of 3 teams rotated in from NSW/NZ each year.
NSW-NZ Conference:
Group 1: Eels, Penrith, Raiders
Group 2: Manly, Knights, Tigers
Group 3: Dragons, Roosters, Bunnies
NZ Group: Warriors, Canterbury Bulldogs, Cronulla-Wellington Sharks (who never change draw)
Championship however would still be as per article, a Sydney-Centric Championship and an outside of Sydney Championship.
Would three NRL conferences be better than two?
Ahh now we are getting somewhere. NSW and QLD cup finals highlights. We are talking the same language here Paul.
Rather than the highlights though, bring the best of these players into the NRL for 8 rounds + finals.
The NRL should be thinking less is more
Plus…
With test window, we have slim pickings on international contests. The NRL is Oceania centric + England so after about 4 years product would become a bit stale like the tri-nations in rugby eventually did.
Union has much broader international base with the big 10: All Blacks, Wallabies, Springbox, England, France, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Argentina, Fiji. And Japan from time to time.
The NRL should be thinking less is more
I agree with shorter NRL seasons and some of the points in this article. Tests can be great to watch, but when it comes to fully fledged tests team, less is certainly more.
Oceania Tests would be brutal like SOO. With player welfare important, consider this, a player having to play x3 SOO, then Tonga, Samoa and the kiwis each year. PLUS NRL club duties and body on the line finals.
As per my previous article, I agree, wrap up the 17 games and finals early, but I don’t think International Tests are the answer after that.
A broadcasters wants broadcast content. More rounds x More teams = More broadcast content. Far more than a thought bubble, that is why the back end of the season ‘smaller division’ that taps into a large pool of smaller players makes sense. This provides the round, the teams as well as peaks the fans interest. Nothing wrong with innovating, you need to do it to jump the curve.
The NRL should be thinking less is more
Shorter NRL definetly creates opportunities. But be careful, there are serious hairs on 3 months of test matches at the back end of the year.
The NRL should be thinking less is more
An all Sydney final would be great to watch. There is something about all Sydney finals.
For above btw, you could always have this type of conference system just for home and away, and then come finals, the top five;
1. Sydney Teams Championships (Rabbitohs, Eels, Penrith, Manly, Tigers, Canterbury Bulldogs, Sharks, Dragons, Roosters, Bunnies)
2. Non-Sydney Team Championships (Everyone else).
An NRL Super Bowl has a ring to it, and could certainly capture the interest of USA.
The efficiency factors can also come into play. Grouping geographically closer teams together save costs, time and travel fatigue. Has to be balanced though.
My club's not from Sydney: Sell me on NRL conferences
Yeh the more I think about it, the three team rotation is the way to do it.
Feel free to rip off any of the above 😊
My club's not from Sydney: Sell me on NRL conferences
QLD-VIC-WA Conference:
Broncs, Titans, Cowboys, Brisbane Dolphins, Storm, Western Jets (Ipswich/West Brisbane/West QLD/WA/NT), PLUS a group of 3 teams rotated in from NSW/VIC/NZ each year.
NSW-NZ Conference:
Group 1: Eels, Penrith, Raiders
Group 2: Manly, Knights, Tigers
Group 3: Warriors, Canterbury Bulldogs, Cronulla-Wellington Sharks
Group 4: Dragons, Roosters, Bunnies
My club's not from Sydney: Sell me on NRL conferences
Great article Joe. Make some good points there.
Raiders and Knights are the biggest losers in the conference system. They need to be considered to be part of a NSW conference. As should Auckland. Three teams from NSW should then rotate out each year to the other conference.
I’ve never really taken a good look at the Cowboys attendance. Cowboys: https://www.austadiums.com/stadiums/qcb-stadium/crowds
For NRL games, Broncs attendance 1st (22k), daylight second. Dragons this year have been 2nd biggest turnout (15k). Last year when Cowboys were having a horror run of losses Sydney teams all pulled around 7k each in crowds.
Indigenous All-Stars games extremely well supported at 20k. Maybe this could be the compensation for the Cowboys, being the annual, or biannual location for the All-Stars fixture?
Being a QLD’er. My motivation for a conference system is more QLD derbies. If a nucleus of 6 teams comes from QLD (Broncs, Titans, Cowboys, Dolphins, Jets, semiQLD-Storm), the Broncs, Titans are instantly compensated and travel reduces. Storm are mostly QLD lads anyway so camping in QLD for a spell no different to what they are doing now.
My club's not from Sydney: Sell me on NRL conferences
Much appreciated R N 👍
Was with my old man putting aside a few bundy rums. We had ear to ear grins the entire 80. 😊
The Broncos-Titans derby was a game for the ages
That is exactly right. Equity in the draw is needed.
The Broncos-Titans derby was a game for the ages
The Broncs were getting torched by commentators post round 7 even though 5 of those 7 games were against top four sides and the Broncs took Penrith to the wire.
And another big point, in 2021, the Broncs have 15 matches against 2020 finalists. No other team has 15 games. In fact no other team has 14 games. The Titans and Cowboys have 11 and 12.
There is a great article and table on the NRL website that shows this. The draw toughness score for the Broncs is the highest in the NRL at 234. The draw toughness for the Titans and Cowboys is 194/196.
https://www.nrl.com/news/2020/11/27/strength-of-schedule-how-tough-is-your-teams-2021-draw/
The Broncos-Titans derby was a game for the ages
It certainly worked in the AFL.
Sydney Swans (South Melbourne Swans)
Brisbane Lions (more of a merger, but still the Fitzroy Lions live on in the moniker)
Expansion, NRL Super Bowl and the Polynesian heavyweight title belt
Expansion, NRL Super Bowl and the Polynesian heavyweight title belt
Yeah good point. I’d be just as happy running with University of Sydney and University of QLD. With QLD Country being retained and Bond University slashed across the chest perpetually.
Should we give Super Rugby the flick forever?