Cumbrian Mackem 367 Posted March 1 Report Share Posted March 1 Not able to post the link but an article on NRL.com suggests that Brisbane2 as the 17th NRL team will lead to an 18th team based in NZ. The only downside is that it could be 10 years from now but potentially exciting news for NZRL. I’d personally go with a Christchurch franchise over a Wellington or bizarrely Auckland 2 bid. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Eddie 4,148 Posted March 1 Report Share Posted March 1 I’d love it if it happened, but even the CEO of the NZRL doesn’t think this is viable yet. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cumbrian Mackem 367 Posted March 1 Author Report Share Posted March 1 9 minutes ago, Eddie said: I’d love it if it happened, but even the CEO of the NZRL doesn’t think this is viable yet. Because of player depth/pool? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Eddie 4,148 Posted March 1 Report Share Posted March 1 16 minutes ago, Cumbrian Mackem said: Because of player depth/pool? No, lack of sponsorship and money in NZ. https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy8xMDNmZmM0L3BvZGNhc3QvcnNz/episode/ZGNkNDhiM2ItNzNiZC00OTI5LWE5NTctY2U5YjQ2NjU0ODkw?sa=X&ved=0CAYQkfYCahcKEwiYz6qRxY_vAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Kevin Sinfield 2,350 Posted March 1 Report Share Posted March 1 1 hour ago, Cumbrian Mackem said: Not able to post the link but an article on NRL.com suggests that Brisbane2 as the 17th NRL team will lead to an 18th team based in NZ. The only downside is that it could be 10 years from now but potentially exciting news for NZRL. I’d personally go with a Christchurch franchise over a Wellington or bizarrely Auckland 2 bid. Auckland has a population of about 1,500,000 they could easily have 2 clubs in the city. We have 2 Super League clubs in each of the towns of Wakefield and Wigan remember. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cumbrian Mackem 367 Posted March 1 Author Report Share Posted March 1 7 minutes ago, Sir Kevin Sinfield said: Auckland has a population of about 1,500,000 they could easily have 2 clubs in the city. We have 2 Super League clubs in each of the towns of Wakefield and Wigan remember. Yeah but it’s not really expansion if you place another franchise in a city that already has one. Best to award it to either Christchurch or Wellington that are at opposite ends of the country to Auckland. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The storm 146 Posted March 1 Report Share Posted March 1 1 hour ago, Cumbrian Mackem said: Because of player depth/pool? Every single NRL team has numerous Kiwis in their squad, so there must be at least 100 top class kiwis in the NRL before we even look at the NZ Warriors and the UK super league 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cumbrian Mackem 367 Posted March 1 Author Report Share Posted March 1 1 minute ago, The storm said: Every single NRL team has numerous Kiwis in their squad, so there must be at least 100 top class kiwis in the NRL before we even look at the NZ Warriors and the UK super league U16&u18 teams, Queensland cup and NSW cup as well. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Man of Kent 7,854 Posted March 1 Report Share Posted March 1 (edited) 1 hour ago, Cumbrian Mackem said: Yeah but it’s not really expansion if you place another franchise in a city that already has one. Best to award it to either Christchurch or Wellington that are at opposite ends of the country to Auckland. Pins in a map, eh? Auckland is by far the biggest league city in New Zealand and by far the biggest city in New Zealand, so I wouldn’t dismiss it out of hand. Edited March 1 by Man of Kent 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cumbrian Mackem 367 Posted March 1 Author Report Share Posted March 1 5 minutes ago, Man of Kent said: Pins in a map, eh? Auckland is by far the biggest league city in New Zealand and by far the biggest city in New Zealand, so I wouldn’t dismiss it out of hand. RL is played in both Wellington and Christchurch so it’s Not exactly pins in a map is it. All be it at a smaller rate. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Eddie 4,148 Posted March 1 Report Share Posted March 1 1 hour ago, The storm said: Every single NRL team has numerous Kiwis in their squad, so there must be at least 100 top class kiwis in the NRL before we even look at the NZ Warriors and the UK super league Over 30% Kiwis in the NRL. 1 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Eddie 4,148 Posted March 1 Report Share Posted March 1 2 hours ago, Sir Kevin Sinfield said: Auckland has a population of about 1,500,000 they could easily have 2 clubs in the city. We have 2 Super League clubs in each of the towns of Wakefield and Wigan remember. They also have professional teams in other sports, and the NRL isn’t comparable to SL in terms of money required. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tommygilf 7,780 Posted March 1 Report Share Posted March 1 1 hour ago, Man of Kent said: Pins in a map, eh? Auckland is by far the biggest league city in New Zealand and by far the biggest city in New Zealand, so I wouldn’t dismiss it out of hand. I agree, though you'd assume somewhere in the Auckland periphery, probably Waikato, would be looked at. So Auckland 2 but not Auckland 2. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Future is League 3,050 Posted March 1 Report Share Posted March 1 3 hours ago, Cumbrian Mackem said: Not able to post the link but an article on NRL.com suggests that Brisbane2 as the 17th NRL team will lead to an 18th team based in NZ. The only downside is that it could be 10 years from now but potentially exciting news for NZRL. I’d personally go with a Christchurch franchise over a Wellington or bizarrely Auckland 2 bid. https://www.nrl.com/news/2021/03/01/nrls-growth-mindset-points-to-18th-team-in-new-zealand/ 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Eddie 4,148 Posted March 1 Report Share Posted March 1 2 minutes ago, The Future is League said: https://www.nrl.com/news/2021/03/01/nrls-growth-mindset-points-to-18th-team-in-new-zealand/ Thanks for that link. An inspiring read, makes you think they have a plan and know what they’re doing, a marked contrast to Super League and the RFL. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mumby Magic 828 Posted March 1 Report Share Posted March 1 For mine it should be a PNG team but hey ho. 1 Quote Like poor jokes? Thejoketeller@mullymessiah Link to post Share on other sites
Eddie 4,148 Posted March 1 Report Share Posted March 1 6 minutes ago, Mumby Magic said: For mine it should be a PNG team but hey ho. Would that bring much sponsorship though? The NRL is about big money, and PNG doesn’t have it. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Future is League 3,050 Posted March 1 Report Share Posted March 1 2 minutes ago, Eddie said: Would that bring much sponsorship though? The NRL is about big money, and PNG doesn’t have it. You are right PNG doesn't, but it has fanatical Rugby League fans Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Pulga 1,295 Posted March 2 Report Share Posted March 2 5 hours ago, Eddie said: Would that bring much sponsorship though? The NRL is about big money, and PNG doesn’t have it. Not only that but a ridiculous crime rate and the worst violence against women in the entire world. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Yakstorm 1,696 Posted March 2 Report Share Posted March 2 Quote “Moving to 17 teams wouldn’t be an end point. It gets you closer to 18 teams and obviously 18 teams gives you a few different options. “An 18th team allows you to think about what we might want to do about expanding in New Zealand. Having two teams in New Zealand creates a tribalism and a new rivalry in New Zealand. “It also gives you options around pools because you can have two pools of nine teams. As you see with some of the big US sports, as you grow your competition and the scale of the number of teams, you can create a dynamic around who plays who and ultimately create more rivalries in regional areas and have competitions within competitions. I do like that the quotes from Abdo also infers that 18 is not necessarily the 'cap' either for the NRL, that once the NRL is in a position to create pools, it opens up new opportunities for the game to scale. It means, whilst NZ is currently earmarked for spot 18, there are still opportunities for WA, PNG, etc to join beyond that, especially if pools / conferences are introduced. As for where a second NZ franchise could be based, after Auckland, the next biggest areas are Canterbury (656K), Wellington (542K) and Waikato (497K). Arguably basing the team out of somewhere like Hamilton means you can maximise the rivalry as the two cities are only a bit over an hour apart, and also makes it easier to get access to the Auckland player pool. On the flip side, Christchurch has the larger immediate population, plus any team there can arguably become a South Island side. Any clash between the North Island based Warriors and a South Island side is likely to get solid media coverage as well, whilst also being far away apart enough not to eat into the same commercial dollars. 4 Quote PACIFIQUE TREIZE: Join the team by registering as a fan today at pacifique13.com Link to post Share on other sites
eal 264 Posted March 2 Report Share Posted March 2 As a New Zealander, I think a second NRL team in the country would be madness. There isn't the corporate money for the team to be competitive. Perth would be a much better option I reckon. Outside of Auckland, Rugby League has nothing more than a moderate following and certainly has little money behind it. 1 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cumbrian Mackem 367 Posted March 2 Author Report Share Posted March 2 6 hours ago, Mumby Magic said: For mine it should be a PNG team but hey ho. PNG is a 3rd world country with a high crime rate unfortunately. Not much disposable income for the local population. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Copa 4,771 Posted March 2 Report Share Posted March 2 (edited) 12 hours ago, Eddie said: No, lack of sponsorship and money in NZ. https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy8xMDNmZmM0L3BvZGNhc3QvcnNz/episode/ZGNkNDhiM2ItNzNiZC00OTI5LWE5NTctY2U5YjQ2NjU0ODkw?sa=X&ved=0CAYQkfYCahcKEwiYz6qRxY_vAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ There’s also a country next door with 25 million people with companies that love the exposure an NRL team can bring. So they don’t have to rely purely on local money. The Warriors are regularly on Australian TV and their highlights are shown on prime time television news broadcasts here in Australia. Their jerseys, complete with sponsorships, are in photographs in the largest selling newspapers and online media too. Radio programs also talk about them. They probably get more exposure in Australia than any other sporting team from NZ. The All Blacks get sporadic peaks but the Warriors are there during preseason and during the season. Edited March 2 by Copa 5 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Copa 4,771 Posted March 2 Report Share Posted March 2 I get the impression Abdo and V’landys are going to do some revolutionary things for the NRL. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Henson Park Old Firm 600 Posted March 2 Report Share Posted March 2 1 hour ago, Copa said: I get the impression Abdo and V’landys are going to do some revolutionary things for the NRL. NRL Europe 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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