February 5, 2012
A man of the land ... Geoff Murphy.
Businessman Geoff Murphy wants an NRL team in central Queensland and he went all the way to Wisconsin to find out how to do it.
He did his bit to make central Queensland the beef capital of Australia and now construction tycoon Geoff Murphy wants the region to host a different species of cattle - an NRL team that would enjoy access to the NFL's Green Bay Packers brains trust, thanks to a deal that he brokered last month.
Murphy, the chairman of Beef Australia, was estimated in 2010 to be worth $120 million through his conglomerate of businesses under the JM Kelly umbrella, which includes construction, kitchen design and installation, a window company, plumbing, properties and cattle farms.
As the person who is credited with bankrolling central Queensland's NRL bid he also possesses the tenacity and old school gumption to leave no stone unturned to succeed - including his convincing the world renowned Packers to support a team that doesn't exist - to add considerable bang to his considerable buck.
With Green Bay Packers boss Mark Murphy.
As chairman of central Queensland's NRL bid team Murphy harbours the same view as Newcastle Knights owner and mining billionaire Nathan Tinkler that representation in the national competition would provide locals with a source of aspiration and inspiration.
Two years ago Murphy offered to buy crisis-stricken Melbourne Storm's licence after the salary cap scandal. That didn't happen but his passion to follow the dream was best summed up when he described himself as being like ''a wild boar''.
Murphy, who was named the 2011 Red Meat Achiever of the Year because of his contribution to that industry, told The Sun-Herald the sign that accompanied the 1958 Chevrolet tailgater pick-up truck displayed on the merchandise floor at the Green Bay Packer's Lambeau Field encapsulated the reason why he's determined for central Queensland to enter the NRL.
''It choked me up,'' he said of the placard's sentiment. ''I've been telling people they don't understand what a rugby league team would do for the central Queensland area.
''It's a beautiful-looking vehicle and beside it was a sign which said something along the lines that this vehicle was donated to the Green Bay Packers [by Bergstrom Automotive of Wisconsin] to acknowledge what the team had done for business in the area.
''So, it just about choked me up because that's what I'm about for central Queensland. That car was proof people recognised what Green Bay did for that area,'' he said.
Murphy has adopted the famous NFL franchise as a model for central Queensland to follow because he said there were too many similarities to ignore, including the populations, ties to the meat industry, a salt works and the fact that while they had to work within a small population base it was a passionate one.
Murphy spent part of last month with the Packer's chief executive Mark Murphy and both agreed their entities had much more in common than their surname.
''One of the things I wanted to bring home from the experience was to form an exchange system of employees [players] and management when we get our team,'' he said. ''The idea was they'd spend time with us and we'd spend time with them. I asked if we could become associate sister clubs and after a lot of discussion their solicitor is drawing up an MOU.
''There's no doubt we can learn a lot from the Green Bay Packers, they're the most successful franchise in America even though they come from the smallest [population] base. They're No. 8 as far as their standing in terms of their income and so on, but they lead the pack in results.''
According to Murphy the similarities between the two entities were:
❏ The immediate population around the Packers is 110,000; Rockhampton where the bid team's stadium would stand has 120,000 people.
❏ The Packers history stretches back to their old meat packing industry, Rockhampton has two meatworks.
❏ Both regions have salt mines.
❏ Packers fans drive up to four hours to attend a game, central Queensland research suggests a similar commitment from its potential supporter base.
''We have 450,000 people in our [surrounding] area, which is a lot more than they do, but they have a stadium that holds 72,000 and every game is booked out through annual subscription,'' he said.
''I have a note that says if I'd applied for a subscription while I was there I'd have to wait something like 1900 years to get my annual tickets. Something like only 40 become available each year.
''The demand for Green Bay tickets is so great you aren't allowed to sell them to anyone else. You can allow people to use it, but you can't on sell your subscription.''
Murphy said while central Queensland might not follow the NRL franchises's ownership system he said it had piqued his interest.
''It's a unique system and one that we might not necessarily use, but the people are the shareholders of the Green Bay Packers,'' he said.
''However, they can't sell their shares. They can give them away to members of their family but they can't sell them. It has been so successful there is a limit on how many you can buy.''
Despite the global economy's immediate future looking grim with the collapse of the euro zone and fears of a depression, Murphy was adamant central Queensland would continue to thrive due to developments in the mining and resource industry, which would bring an anticipated influx of workers from around Australia and New Zealand.
''I have no doubt we can do it,'' he said of entering the national competition. ''We have preliminary plans for a 20,000-seat stadium and we have reasons for that number. I'd prefer to have a full stadium rather than one that might occasionally hold 25,000 but only 10 to 15,000 most other times.
''We have done an enormous amount of work on our bid, when the time comes we will have a comprehensive business plan to present to the game's hierarchy and it will prove we're viable.
''[A business approach] has been missing in rugby league until now. We had a touch of it with the Broncos, but it is a business and you need a business outlook.''
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