Roar Rookie
Joined March 2019
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Apart from a 90-metre intercept try in the dying minutes to win the game, nothing seems to quite get an NRL fans heart racing…
If the NRL wants to expand, the only way is to move to 18 teams, for the simple fact that it brings an extra game to sell in the broadcast rights- and the NRL will only expand if it is going to bring them more money.
The argument that there isn’t enough talent for 2 new teams often seems to ignore that expanding into new territory (talking about a Perth team, not 2nd Brisbane) should also bring more fans and junior players, leading to more talent. If the NRL is even slightly serious about expanding into Perth, they should be investing in junior development there now to build support and players. A reserve grade club should be established in the next 2-3 years with the plan to promote to the NRL a few years later. With a stronger junior development and reserve grade representation based in Perth, a new team there could start developing local talent now to be ready to be drawn from when they join the NRL.
NRL expansion: What the NRL should do
Of course there is enough talent. Just look at some of the players that get dropped to reserve grade or forced overseas. Don’t forget as well that more teams mean more NRL experience for junior players to develop as well.
I expect you would find that it would work itself out. If new teams are entering into 2023 then that is 2-3 years for the clubs to find players and in the long term, especially with a Perth team, a whole new source of players.
The NRL is expanding… to Brisbane!
Agree that Facebook likes is not an accurate measurement of the whole supporter base, but in this case I have used it only as a guide of each teams base in comparison to the others. Yes many 50+ don’t have Facebook but this is true of all teams and so should effect all teams equally. I would expect actually supporter numbers would result in a list that is in almost the same order as the one I have.
I agree with your statement on the bulldogs but do not see Souths and Rooster merge ever working. Perhaps a Dragons- Bulldogs merge would be better in my idea than Dragons-Souths?
I disagree that the dragons are mainly a Wollongong club. Certainly the st George leagues club is the more powerful and they took all the dragons branding in the merge and very little Illawarra. These days it seems it’s still st George with a nursary in Wollongong.
On your sixth point, yes rugby league is tribal, but these tribes are based on regions. If you moved a team away from the region, fans will lose touch and loose support. NRL is a geographic sport.
Agree there is little interest in NRL away from the way coast but this is because we haven’t really invested in anything else. I also agree QLD needs at least another team but I think we need to give Perth a go as well. The fact there is no support there no just means there’s more new fans to sell the game to. Look at it as an opportunity rather than a problem.
A controversial opinion on NRL expansion
Agree with many of your points Bearfax, although I’m not a bears supporter. I honestly don’t care who sits up north, but feel that team needs to represent northern Sydney and the central coast. Happy for manly to do that but if they don’t then perhaps they need to be replaced with someone who could. Whether the Bears is the best team or not I’m not sure but again I don’t care if a new team there was called the Gosford- Northern Sydney Moost Towelletes, as long as they connect with and engage a wider area than just the northern beaches.
One thing with rugby league is for sure, any team you do remove will result in loss of fans. A merger to me seems the best way to reduce teams while minimising fan loss.
A controversial opinion on NRL expansion
This link is what makes NRL great. There is such intense tribalism for your local team and they really do represent and become part of the identity of your local area, and I would never want to change this. I want to build on this and make sure all areas have a team that represents them
A controversial opinion on NRL expansion
Thanks mate, I had the aim of starting a conversation about it and feel I’ve achieved that.
Amalgamations are tricky, mainly due to the club politics that come out of them. This would no doubt be one of the major risks in my idea and one I honestly don’t have an answer to.
Not sure removing the sharks is the best way, you would loose thousands of fans in the area and would take decades to bring some back, if at all.
Agree with the tigers as well, south west is a booming area and the tigers must push more out that way.
Rugby league is a tribal sport, and for the most part people support their local team. We need to keep this in mind and make sure areas are being properly represented by a team or the fans there will lose touch and fall away from the game.
A controversial opinion on NRL expansion
Guess again.
I don’t support the bears, I just think the north needs better representation. Manly is the logical team that should be doing that to me so I think the NRL should set that as their criteria- engage more with the greater northern Sydney and central coast or risk losing your place to someone else
A controversial opinion on NRL expansion
Interesting breakdown The Barry. If the talent is there 2 new teams are easily the best way to go and from what you’ve said I would have to think it could be done. A second Brisbane team would probably have no issue finding players, but I wonder how a Perth team would go convincing players to move there? Do you think they would end up picking up the ‘leftovers’ from the other teams? And what are your thoughts on giving them extra salary cap space to get them started, like the AFL did for GWS?
A controversial opinion on NRL expansion
Maybe we should just get all the club mascots into the ring and let them sort it out. The first to fall has their team booted from Sydney. Could double as the halftime entertainment.
A controversial opinion on NRL expansion
No one wants to support a failed Sydney club. Any Perth team will need to be a new creation, the NRL would want the excitement and media around what they will be called, what their colours will be and what the jersey will look like. This might seem minor but is critical to build interest in the new team by creating hype around it in their new area.
Moving any existing teams would only be seen as Perth getting the Sydney cast offs. I think relocation of teams is off the table for the NRL- they will drop teams before they relocate but I think expanding to an 18 team competition is the NRL’s preferred way to go
A controversial opinion on NRL expansion
Definitely a better metric but unfortunately I don’t have the raw numbers on this. To clarify I don’t think the NRL will make their decision based on Facebook likes, rather they will take number of paying supporters into consideration and Facebook likes was the best way I could think of to get a judge on the size of each teams supporter base, relative to each other.
A controversial opinion on NRL expansion
A-league is certainly stronger now than it was 15 years ago. Junior participation in soccer is skyrocketing in some areas that used to be rugby league junior nurseries, as more parents look for a low contact (and less media negative) sport for their kids to engage in. Whose to say where it will be in another 15 years, maybe gone the way of the NSL, but can the NRL risk waiting it out and hoping it goes away?
And yes, Facebook likes was the best I could find, but it gives us a good enough ball-park figure to start from. The assumption I’ve made is that if you’re a paying fan or watch games regularly- the only fans that make the NRL money so the only ones they care about- then you will probably have liked your team on Facebook.
A controversial opinion on NRL expansion
Thanks for the response Barry. The question on talent for two new teams is one I don’t have the answer to, but the common answer i’m seeing in the media is no. I think you might be right though that there are vested interests in play here as well.
I think the focus should be not getting the Bears back, but greater representation of Northern Sydney and the central coast, or I fear the NRL will start to lose these areas to other codes. Whether that is a sea eagle or bear doesn’t really bother me.
The South’s-Dragons Sharks-Illawarra certainly would be complicated and maybe more trouble than it’s worth, but would it be the best way to keep the most fans engaged in the sport? As my team would be involved in this merge, I know I would rather see this happen than it relocated or removed, but I’m interested to see what other fans feel.
Agree that who the chairman is shouldn’t be a factor, but I just don’t see the Roosters facing the chop, even if they were the most logical choice, while Nicks still around.
A controversial opinion on NRL expansion
As a Sharks fan that missed out on tickets to the final at Shark Park, I 100% support the decision to have the week 1 final there.
This year Sharks have won 9 out of 10 games played at PointsBet Stadium, so they clearly have an advantage that helps the team perform better. Why would they give this advantage up if it risks them not progressing further into the finals?
I would rather miss out on week 1 finals tickets at Shark Park, if it means I have a better chance of getting tickets to the preliminary or grand final.
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