More games for Wollongong?

[Copa]

The locals appear happy.

http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/5220879/wollongongs-worldwide-win-thanks-to-historic-super-league-stoush/

“And noises coming out of both the Wigan and Hull camps after the match suggests more Super League games are coming Wollongong’s way.

“I don’t know if it is an annual event. It may well be a bi-annual event but I have no doubt this won’t be the last time we see Super League footy in Wollongong,” Mr Sleigh said.”

[Guest]

I hope not. At least play the games in expansion areas like Perth, Adelaide or even Darwin.

[Oxford]

Now I don't know whose idea this was but SL games before playing NRL sides is brilliant and whoever it was deserves a pat on the back big time. Have to disagree about the Oz expansion areas as that's the NRL's responsibility!

A spell checker that doesn't recognise RL towns and brings up NHL for NRL .... no wonder we find expansion a tough ask!

[deluded pom?]

Plus Darwin at this time of year will be a tad warm and very humid. Today’s forecast for example is 29 degrees C and cloudy! Also 72% humidity.

[Lowdesert]

3 hours ago, walter sobchak said:

I hope not. At least play the games in expansion areas like Perth, Adelaide or even Darwin.

Commercial viability will dictate it, not expansion ideals.  Despite some negative media, there will be someone from the nrl who sees the $ signs.

I don’t think we’ve heard the last of these games though.  Both camps seem to be chuffed with how it’s gone.   Hull have suffered some serious injuries and still consider the trip worthwhile.

[Copa]

It has to be said..... it was very obvious on the beach who was used to a beach and who was from Hull or Wigan.

They clearly need more trips down under to adapt.

One guy walked right down to the water’s edge and jumped right into a rip in an unpatrolled part of the beach. He was swept out to sea screaming and yelling. 

Two young locals and myself swam to him. I was third to arrive (I cannot swim as fast as I used to) but wasn’t needed as the two guys had him and were calming him down. They got him to a safer depth just as the lifeguard arrived.

[Guest]

16 minutes ago, Lowdesert said:

Commercial viability will dictate it, not expansion ideals.  Despite some negative media, there will be someone from the nrl who sees the $ signs.

I don’t think we’ve heard the last of these games though.  Both camps seem to be chuffed with how it’s gone.   Hull have suffered some serious injuries and still consider the trip worthwhile.

Of course but surely there are more expats in Perth or even Adelaide compared to Wollongong?

[Old Frightful]

3 minutes ago, Copa said:

It has to be said..... it was very obvious on the beach who was used to a beach and who was from Hull or Wigan.

They clearly need more trips down under to adapt.

One guy walked right down to the water’s edge and jumped right into a rip in an unpatrolled part of the beach. He was swept out to sea screaming and yelling. 

Two young locals and myself swam to him. I was third to arrive (I cannot swim as fast as I used to) but wasn’t needed as the two guys had him and were calming him down. They got him to a safer depth just as the lifeguard arrived.

I knew we should have carried on as Hull Sharks.

[Lowdesert]

1 minute ago, walter sobchak said:

Of course but surely there are more expats in Perth or even Adelaide compared to Wollongong?

Probably, but the game was made for profit, not for expansion.  We don’t know what the ultimate plan was, but neither Pearson or Lenegan are financial fools.  I would suspect the money in Sydney was the draw.

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, Lowdesert said:

Probably, but the game was made for profit, not for expansion.  We don’t know what the ultimate plan was, but neither Pearson or Lenegan are financial fools.  I would suspect the money in Sydney was the draw.

Maybe I’m missing something but I can’t see how 12500 people attending win stadium is a financial success?

[Old Frightful]

10 minutes ago, walter sobchak said:

Maybe I’m missing something but I can’t see how 12500 people attending win stadium is a financial success?

I'm assuming it's the financial benefit for the local economy of Hull and Wigan fans spending like it's going out of fashion more than the gate receipts.

[wackojacko]

12 minutes ago, walter sobchak said:

Maybe I’m missing something but I can’t see how 12500 people attending win stadium is a financial success?

That won't have been the biggest payday. The tourist board amongst others were happy to cough up big time for the exposure and fans they brought.

[Copa]

18 minutes ago, walter sobchak said:

Maybe I’m missing something but I can’t see how 12500 people attending win stadium is a financial success?

Wigan have said they also nabbed their most valuable shirt sponsor in club history.

[Guest]

Just now, Copa said:

Wigan have said they also nabbed their most valuable shirt sponsor in club history.

FairPlay to Wigan. If it makes RL clubs richer then I’m all for it. Even if it’s wigan.

[Guest]

10 minutes ago, wackojacko said:

That won't have been the biggest payday. The tourist board amongst others were happy to cough up big time for the exposure and fans they brought.

Good news.

[Scubby]

You take the money where you can. That is the business of sport. If Woollongong want to underwrite a SL game and offer a nice tidy sum then you take it. If US promoters want to offer $1m to go and play a test in Denver then you take it. It is not as if we are short of SL games on our menu over here? People in the UK are saying 30 rounds of the same old, same old is far too much anyway.

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, Scubby said:

You take the money where you can. That is the business of sport. If Woollongong want to underwrite a SL game and offer a nice tidy sum then you take it. If US promoters want to offer $1m to go and play a test in Denver then you take it. It is not as if we are short of SL games on our menu over here? People in the UK are saying 30 rounds of the same old, same old is far too much anyway.

True. In an ideal situation you’d like to make money and expose RL to new markets but beggars can’t be choosers.

[Scubby]

1 minute ago, walter sobchak said:

True. In an ideal situation you’d like to make money and expose RL to new markets but beggars can’t be choosers.

Exactly. Now if Perth offered a decent whack SL could open with a February double header over there and it would be a fantastic hit IMO. Potentially four sets of fans out there and a city that is starved of RL and full of UK ex-pats. If the NRL clubs don't want to play ball with the World Club Series we should give them the finger and have faith in our own product.

[Scubby]

1 minute ago, scotchy1 said:

Good to see them make a success of it.

A bi-annual event sounds good to me. Poses an obvious question of whether or not we could make a success of it over here as well. If clubs are already there it allows for an expanded WCC as well.

London would be an amazing success for a Super League and NRL double header for competition points IMO. Pitch it in March time (so Round 1 of the NRL)  and you could be looking at 40,000. If you wanted to develop it further then you would play two WCS games in the North the week before. Not necessarily with the same SL clubs who will be in London.

[Guest]

14 minutes ago, Scubby said:

Exactly. Now if Perth offered a decent whack SL could open with a February double header over there and it would be a fantastic hit IMO. Potentially four sets of fans out there and a city that is starved of RL and full of UK ex-pats. If the NRL clubs don't want to play ball with the World Club Series we should give them the finger and have faith in our own product.

This. Played at the new stadium. Could be a huge hit.

[Guest]

9 minutes ago, Scubby said:

London would be an amazing success for a Super League and NRL double header for competition points IMO. Pitch it in March time (so Round 1 of the NRL)  and you could be looking at 40,000. If you wanted to develop it further then you would play two WCS games in the North the week before. Not necessarily with the same SL clubs who will be in London.

Aim for spurs or Chelsea’s new stadiums for extra publicity.

[DoubleD]

3 hours ago, deluded pom? said:

Plus Darwin at this time of year will be a tad warm and very humid. Today’s forecast for example is 29 degrees C and cloudy! Also 72% humidity.

Darwin is also tiny and I don’t think you can call it an expansion area anymore. RL is quite well developed there and a number of Aussie schoolboys have come through from that region 

[The Future is League]

IF there is going to be a new NRL club it will probably be in Perth, so perhaps play a Super League game there just to whet the appetite of the locals before a NRL  club is based there hopefully.

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, The Future is League said:

IF there is going to be a new NRL club it will probably be in Perth, so perhaps play a Super League game there just to whet the appetite of the locals before a NRL  club is based there hopefully.

Exactly. They’ve played international matches there as well as NRL games. I also believe state of origin is headed their too.

[Lowdesert]

1 hour ago, Old Frightful said:

I knew we should have carried on as Hull Sharks.

Someone I know, who got his lower leg tattooed ‘Sharks’ shares that view OF!