NRL NRL Expansion

[Shogun]

What an all around terrible idea.

Partnership with super rugby team that's on the verge of collapse - check.

Playing out of a terrible stadium that they'd battle to get a quarter full - check.

Trying to muscle in on a city that's riding a Warriors wave - check.

Reckon they might need to check the guys backing this for CTE.

I never said anything about some partnership. If Perth Rugby are on the verge of collapse, I could not care less. Rugby's not 1 of my sporting interests.

For their 1 game last year they got 20k. I understand they wouldn't get 20k for every game esp if they're loosing but hard to believe they wouldn't get 5k 25%.

If Perth had their own team chances are they'd ride that team.

All that said I'm not burning inside for a Perth team, I don't care that much and you're against it which is totally fine by me.

 

[WA Warrior]

I never said anything about some partnership. If Perth Rugby are on the verge of collapse, I could not care less. Rugby's not 1 of my sporting interests.

For their 1 game last year they got 20k. I understand they wouldn't get 20k for every game esp if they're loosing but hard to believe they wouldn't get 5k 25%.

If Perth had their own team chances are they'd ride that team.

All that said I'm not burning inside for a Perth team, I don't care that much and you're against it which is totally fine by me.

I believe he’s talking about the new Mana Pasifika bid that would be based in Auckland.

 

[Matiunz]

If it wasn't for the evil News Corp & the weak as wet paper ARL we'd have 20 teams. 10 in Sydney and 10 outside and there wouldn't be this PNG nonsense where the government of gigantic Alcatraz are giving them $60m every year for 10 years.

As for a team in Perth, Sth Sydney's the only club without a home ground. Crowe would probably bite my head off for the suggestion. Alternatively they could take over Henson Park. It's less than 7klm from Redfern and they claim it can hold 30k, which is hard to believe looking at it on google maps.

Superleague missed a golden opportunity to relationise Sydney if done properly- no way should they have 10 teams, maybe 7 max if you were including the satellites like Wollongong and Gosford.
I’ve played at Henson park and there’s no way it has 30,000 Capacity, I’d estimate 15k max. Souths should just got to Allianz Henson is a bit of a shithole in reality worse than liechardt and smack bang in dense suburbia of Newtown/Marrickville there’s not a lot of space

 

[wizard of Tauranga]

For all the negatives about a pacific team it has some good features:

- It represents a huge player base so would have a lot of players interested. More so than PNG or Perth
- given the above I believe it will be more competitive. Not a powerhouse but consistently above bottom 4 level.
- it expands the game into more countries than Perth or SI. You could say it’s a South Pacific competition involving 6 countries if you include representing Samoa, Fiji, and Tonga.
- it would strengthen the pacific test teams and give pathways for coaching, support staff and improve infrastructure
- I don’t accept the union comparison. Union is on a downward spiral and their pacific team was a rushed attempt to bolster team numbers after South Africa left. As a growing sport with the salary cap, the league version would be in a much better position.
- the pacific islands and Eden park is closer than Perth and safer than Port Moresby as a new team destination.
- I think Auckland can handle 2 teams and doing it via a pacific team is a smart way to distinguish it and not cannibalise existing Warriors support to much. Many would support both. Auckland has the population for 2 teams, more so than Christchurch.
- if they can tie in Hawaii as a part of the representation it’s a sneaky back door into the US. Huge potential for growth and corporate support…

Of course there’s still the lots of challenging issues and I don’t think it will go anywhere but I wouldn’t write it off straight away.

 

[tajhay]

It represents a huge player base so would have a lot of players interested. More so than PNG or Perth

More than PNG? Where are you basing that information on? Everywhere ive looked, the PNG base would be atleast double even if all the pacific islands were combined.

I like the idea of a combined Pacific islands team (Tonga, Samoa, Fiji) playing. PNG went about it the right way via establishing the Hunters. Fiji did well with in starting up the Silktails. They have moved to pathways program and now compete in U21 Jersey Flegg. Been to a few of their games and they are very raw. Ideally a combined PI team is established via NSW cup to see how viable they really are. A proper combined PI team should have homegrown talents as their foundation and they need a bit of time in the lower comps for that development to really come through else they will flounder.

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

I'm against the Pacific team in auckland, I think Christchurch as a city in this country is on the up.

They have the new stadium, they have the local talent, it's a no brainer.

 

[wizard of Tauranga]

More than PNG? Where are you basing that information on? Everywhere ive looked, the PNG base would be atleast double even if all the pacific islands were combined.

Players? At a lower level there may be more PNG players but at elite NRL level, 45% of current NRL players identify as Pacifica.

 

[Shogun]

Hopes fade for Bears return as Perth plans ditched​

Story by WWOS staff

The NRL looks set to scrap its western expansion, reportedly pulling out of discussions with the Western Australian government.

Having rejected a bid from a private consortium last year, the NRL had been in negotiations with the WA government for a Perth-based team with a formal affiliation with the North Sydney Bears.

But according to The Sydney Morning Herald, the NRL has told the WA government it wants to park the plans and revisit them at a later date.

The talks had been put on ice through the WA election cycle, which could have been a factor in the decision.

Chris Caruana of the North Sydney Bears in 1997. The Bears had hoped to enter the NRL in an affiliation with a Perth team.© Getty

The NRL wanted $120 million of taxpayer money over 10 years to get the team established.

The board will next week vote to formally abandon the introduction of a 19th franchise in the next broadcast cycle, which begins in 2028.

The timing of the vote coincides with a double-header at Perth's Optus Stadium next Saturday.

The next broadcast deal is expected to achieve record figure for the code, as it prepares to add an extra game per round with the addition of the Papua New Guinea team in 2028.

 

[WahsaurusRex]

NRL treated State like 'cash cow': WA Premier​

Western Australia premier Roger Cook has accused the NRL of treating his state like a ‘cash cow’, as Perth’s chances of joining the league appear perilous at best.

In a sign of the Perth Bears’ deteriorating chances of joining in 2027, Cook on Saturday suggested the NRL had ignored the strategic value of a team in the west.

The Western Australia premier also claimed the NRL had instead only been interested in money, as negotiations reached a crucial point.

Perth had loomed as the most likely expansion option for the NRL in recent years with their chances further enhanced by a deal struck with the North Sydney Bears.

There had been a setback last October when the NRL rejected a bid from the Perth-based consortium leading the charge.

But even when Papua New Guinea’s 2028 entry was announced last December, it was assumed a deal would eventually be struck with the WA Government for 2027.

Negotiations were then put on hold during the state election campaign in February and early March, before resuming in recent weeks.
But concerns emerged on Friday a deal would be difficult to complete, before Cook hit back at reports Perth’s entry could be pushed back to 2028 or abandoned.

“This week, we made an offer to support a potential NRL licence in WA,” Cook said in a statement.

“It was based upon support for grass roots development of the game, while protecting the interests of WA taxpayers.

“Given our location on the Indian Ocean Rim and in the same time zone as 60 per cent of the world’s population, the strategic value of a Western Australian side should be self evident to the NRL.

“Unfortunately, like some people from the east, the NRL only appears to see WA as a potential cash cow.

“I love rugby league, but as I said during the election I will always do what’s right for WA.”

Cook’s comments come just a week out from Perth hosting a double-header at Optus Stadium, with Cronulla, Manly, South Sydney and North Queensland all headed west.

There are now serious fears in a parochial state that crowd will now be down on the 45,800 who attended the last double-header there in 2023.

Optus Stadium is also set to host State of Origin II in June, which is on track to sell out.

The Cook government had initially supported the consortium-based bid for a Perth team, led by Cash Converters boss Peter Cumins.

But that fell over last October when Cumins was accused of low-balling the NRL when he did not offer a license fee to enter the competition.

A subsequent $20 million was also rejected by the NRL, as head office opted to pursue a deal with the state government for the team.

Talks have centred around $120 million in funding over 10 years, along with stadium upgrades at HBF Park, favourable hiring fees, a rugby league state centre and the introduction of the sport into the high-school curriculum.

But they now appear to have hit a stumbling block, with the ARL Commission expected to discuss the prospect shortly.

If the Perth bid was abandoned the NRL will begin negotiating the next TV rights deal from 2028 as an 18-team competition.

Any eventual move to 20 teams would give the NRL more freedom around season strength and structure, potentially through conferences that could allow for fewer rounds and more representative football.