NRL NRL Expansion

[Wrighty]

My mother is a very sweet 70 something year old lady. I told her today that the South Island team that has been proposed has chosen the name of Keas. I told her it is a wimpy name for a rugby league team.
She disagreed and said amongst birds Keas are quite tough and have powerful beaks !!!!

 

[Wrighty]

If I were naming the Southern team I would call them "the Waka"

Two reasons
1) Maui fished up the North Island and it is well known by legend the South Island was his Waka
2) The name Waka really lends itself to stirring motivational team talks.
"We are all in the Waka together"
"We all need to pull our weight in the Waka in harmony".

 

[Wellington Taniwha]

My mother is a very sweet 70 something year old lady. I told her today that the South Island team that has been proposed has chosen the name of Keas. I told her it is a wimpy name for a rugby league team.
She disagreed and said amongst birds Keas are quite tough and have powerful beaks !!!!

They fck up sheep! Farmers used to exterminate them as they’d ride them and tear into ‘em. Nasty as and smart.

Kea on a sheep

This drawing, published in the Lyttelton Times in 1882, shows a kea riding on the back of a sheep. Kea had a reputation for pecking through the fleece and skin to take fat from around a sheep’s kidneys. While this might not kill the animal immediately, often a fatal blood infection...

teara.govt.nz

 

[Wrighty]

They fck up sheep! Farmers used to exterminate them as they’d ride them and tear into ‘em. Nasty as and smart.

Kea on a sheep

This drawing, published in the Lyttelton Times in 1882, shows a kea riding on the back of a sheep. Kea had a reputation for pecking through the fleece and skin to take fat from around a sheep’s kidneys. While this might not kill the animal immediately, often a fatal blood infection...

teara.govt.nz

Interesting !!!

 

[wizard of Tauranga]

They fck up sheep! Farmers used to exterminate them as they’d ride them and tear into ‘em. Nasty as and smart.

Kea on a sheep

This drawing, published in the Lyttelton Times in 1882, shows a kea riding on the back of a sheep. Kea had a reputation for pecking through the fleece and skin to take fat from around a sheep’s kidneys. While this might not kill the animal immediately, often a fatal blood infection...

teara.govt.nz

Imagine if they got let loose with a dolphin around!

 

[Matiunz]

Imagine if they got let loose with a dolphin around!

I keep seeing dolphin jokes around- what’s the story there?

 

[Kav1]

My mother is a very sweet 70 something year old lady. I told her today that the South Island team that has been proposed has chosen the name of Keas. I told her it is a wimpy name for a rugby league team.
She disagreed and said amongst birds Keas are quite tough and have powerful beaks !!!!

and cheeky with it. They also live around the east-west mountain passes

 

[Kav1]

I keep seeing dolphin jokes around- what’s the story there?

Yachting on Lyttleton Harbour was postponed due to the possibility of injury to dolphins.

 

[Playdaball]

Fiji could be entering the race for a spot in the NRL ...

PNG?
South island ?
Perth?
Fiji?
Another Qld side?

Is it time to re-look at kicking out one of the Sydney based sides???
What role will the Bears and Jets play with these sides , if any?

 

[Wellington Warrior]

I keep seeing dolphin jokes around- what’s the story there?

Some rich white dude schedules a boat race in the middle of a marine reserve… which has conditions about racing not being allowed if an endangered dolphin that lives in the area is seen. Apparently a foiling boat at 100km/h could cut them in half which is not ideal. The rich white dude agrees to said conditions.

A dolphin is then sighted at the starting box on the first day of the racing. After a while the racing is called off and the rich white dude (who also made a special trip to the anti government protests in Wellington a few years ago) loses his shit and starts threatening to never bring the race to the marine reserve again, then later doubles down and says all of NZ may miss out because of the red tape.

Enter the politicians…

Boo hoo rich white dudes.

 

[snake77]

Fiji could be entering the race for a spot in the NRL ...

PNG?
South island ?
Perth?
Fiji?
Another Qld side?

Is it time to re-look at kicking out one of the Sydney based sides???
What role will the Bears and Jets play with these sides , if any?

I have little faith that any of the Syndey sides will get the boot. Before the Commission was formed all of the talk was "big calls need to be made" or "rationalization". Now it is Sydney is a strong footprint of the competition or "tribalism".

The ownership of the sport is also essentially the NRL clubs and the NSW & QLD Rugby Leagues so they essentially need to push out one of their owners. In the past under previous administrators a few high-profile people in club land like Politis, Gould etc have grouped together to force the Commission's hand. That was just around the salary cap, think it was the only way John Grant kept his job as the head of the Commission. Imagine how hard a club would politic and get others on their side if they were forced out of the competition or to relocate.

In the past, there was talk of no more handouts if a club goes broke. Financially they all seem in a lot better place now as the NRL Grants cover the cap and a bit more I believe.

Either some rationalization or relocation would help with getting these other locations into the competition.

 

[snake77]

Some rich white dude schedules a boat race in the middle of a marine reserve… which has conditions about racing not being allowed if an endangered dolphin that lives in the area is seen. Apparently a foiling boat at 100km/h could cut them in half which is not ideal. The rich white dude agrees to said conditions.

A dolphin is then sighted at the starting box on the first day of the racing. After a while the racing is called off and the rich white dude (who also made a special trip to the anti government protests in Wellington a few years ago) loses his shit and starts threatening to never bring the race to the marine reserve again, then later doubles down and says all of NZ may miss out because of the red tape.

Enter the politicians…

Boo hoo rich white dudes.

Thanks. I haven't been keeping up with the news besides seeing comments around the place.

The speeds those boats go any wildlife swimming through the course they will be in for it.

If he agreed to it beforehand. Tough. If he agreed to it and thought no one would enforce it. Tough.

 

[Kav1]

Fiji could be entering the race for a spot in the NRL ...

PNG?
South island ?
Perth?
Fiji?
Another Qld side?

Is it time to re-look at kicking out one of the Sydney based sides???
What role will the Bears and Jets play with these sides , if any?

I think two pools of 12 teams is a viable option with five new teams added to the competition. Amalgamation such as Cronulla and St George, Tigers and Eels would free up players for the new teams.
The Bears and Jets to remain as feeder clubs.
The naming of the National Rugby League would also have to be considered. Quite a change but exciting to think about for the future.

 

[Worried2Death]

I think two pools of 12 teams is a viable option with five new teams added to the competition. Amalgamation such as Cronulla and St George, Tigers and Eels would free up players for the new teams.
The Bears and Jets to remain as feeder clubs.
The naming of the National Rugby League would also have to be considered. Quite a change but exciting to think about for the future.

Western Eels or Parra Tigers?
Crunulla Dragons?
Merg clubs rarely work, one of them has to lose the licence and become reserve grade feeder clubs probly. I'd say Sharks and Tigers relegated.

 

[Wrighty]

Uncle Google says there are 396 000 people in CHCH in 2023

Dunedin 134 000 in 2020

South Island 1.2 million

Unless they can get people travelling to each game from Nelson and the West coast I don't see this expansion franchise succeeding.

Christchurch isn't big enough to support in terms of ticket sales in years where they have a bad coach like SK or Brown and are in the bottom 4.
I don't see this working centred in chch and dunners in bad years, yes when they playing well but every team goes in cycles.
Maybe i could see it working if you tapped the whole south island by giving a game every year to Queenstown and invercargill and Nelson

 

[Falcon]

Uncle Google says there are 396 000 people in CHCH in 2023

Dunedin 134 000 in 2020

South Island 1.2 million

Unless they can get people travelling to each game from Nelson and the West coast I don't see this expansion franchise succeeding.

Christchurch isn't big enough to support in terms of ticket sales in years where they have a bad coach like SK or Brown and are in the bottom 4.
I don't see this working centred in chch and dunners in bad years, yes when they playing well but every team goes in cycles.
Maybe i could see it working if you tapped the whole south island by giving a game every year to Queenstown and invercargill and Nelson

You might be right … but what if you’re not?
What if the new club got the right coach and infrastructure?
The facilities are going to be first class that’s a given.
Chch has the same population as Canberra and Newcastle
It’s whether the potential new club can navigate the bumpiness of the first few seasons and get established quickly. Canterbury crowds - NZ crowds,
can be very fickle so a really strong sense of tribalism will be important as well as a strong roster.

 

[Lord Gnome of Waiheke]

3 games Dunners, 6 games Chch and 3 games Welly?

South Half Integtated Team.

Up the SHITahs!

 

[wizard of Tauranga]

Chch has the same population as Canberra and Newcastle

The Canberra and Newcastle teams didn’t start up directly competing with union as the established main local sport.

Coming in as a second pro rugby team in a less popular local sport is going to be tough.

Need great marketing, a handful of genuine stars and success in the field straight away to build a following.

 

[John Nick]

The Canberra and Newcastle teams didn’t start up directly competing with union as the established main local sport.

Coming in as a second pro rugby team in a less popular local sport is going to be tough.

Need great marketing, a handful of genuine stars and success in the field straight away to build a following.

Setting up a new team needs a lot of things to gel to get established.
Remember the Gold Coast with not much opposition from other teams back in the day.
Seagulls failed.
Chargers failed.
Giants failed.
Of course the GC has other sources of entertainment .Sun Nightclubs beaches fun attractions.
Needs a great marketing system & local buy in.

 

[Mr Drag]

They fck up sheep! Farmers used to exterminate them as they’d ride them and tear into ‘em. Nasty as and smart.

Kea on a sheep

This drawing, published in the Lyttelton Times in 1882, shows a kea riding on the back of a sheep. Kea had a reputation for pecking through the fleece and skin to take fat from around a sheep’s kidneys. While this might not kill the animal immediately, often a fatal blood infection...

teara.govt.nz

I'm sure back in the day Farmers would also ride them and tear into them!