NRL expansion (Merged Threads)

[John bird]

PNG bid facing more and more pushback of late.

 

https://www.theroar.com.au/2024/06/21/money-talks-but-does-600-million-speak-loudly-enough-to-make-png-feasible-for-nrl-expansion/

[Martyn Sadler]

2 hours ago, John bird said:

PNG bid facing more and more pushback of late.

 

https://www.theroar.com.au/2024/06/21/money-talks-but-does-600-million-speak-loudly-enough-to-make-png-feasible-for-nrl-expansion/

What worries me is that a government's offer of $600 million could be reduced to zero if another party wins the next election.

The proposal seems inherently unstable and there are several alternatives that look far more attractive.

[John bird]

14 minutes ago, Martyn Sadler said:

What worries me is that a government's offer of $600 million could be reduced to zero if another party wins the next election.

The proposal seems inherently unstable and there are several alternatives that look far more attractive.

That’s exactly the huge risk a project like this is susceptible to and is ultimately at the mercy of 2 governments of the day in both Canberra and Port Moresby.

There’s also the question of what happens next after the 10 years of government funding is up?

Edited June 21 by John bird

[Damien]

22 hours ago, John bird said:

Wise words from a PNG legend.

 

https://www.lismorecitynews.com.au/story/8669671/nrl-wants-me-to-stay-out-of-png-discussions-olam/

 

when his playing career is over I’d love to Justin olam involved on the development side of the game in PNG.

His coments dont really make sense. No one is talking about a PNG entering today and he talks of a couple of years to get these pathways in place, which is the minimum lead in time that they'll get anyway.

I do understand the general comments about improving the domestic competition and pathways. However arent the Hunters meant to be part of that pathway too? He seems to have forgotten that. Money and a NRL team will certainly make it easy to make great strides with the domestic competition I'd have thought.

[Sports Prophet]

2 hours ago, Martyn Sadler said:

What worries me is that a government's offer of $600 million could be reduced to zero if another party wins the next election.

The proposal seems inherently unstable and there are several alternatives that look far more attractive.

 

2 hours ago, John bird said:

That’s exactly the huge risk a project like this is susceptible to and is ultimately at the mercy of 2 governments of the day in both Canberra and Port Moresby.

There’s also the question of what happens next after the 10 years of government funding is up?

I think this is a project which requires approval from both parties for the NRL to move forward. Not impossible by any means, but the NRL would best be sure both parties welcome the strategy.

Edited June 21 by Sports Prophet

[Martyn Sadler]

9 minutes ago, Sports Prophet said:

 

I think this is a project which requires approval from both parties for the NRL to move forward. Not impossible by any means, but the NRL would best be sure both parties welcome the strategy.

True, but even if the opposition gives its tacit approval, that doesn't mean it won't change its mind if it gets elected at the next election, particularly when it will come under the inevitable pressure of having to economise on spending.

And then of course there will be journalists like Peter Fitzsimons writing in the SMH that the whole thing is a misuse of public spending (which of course he wouldn't write if this were a rugby union project).

[Damien]

14 minutes ago, Martyn Sadler said:

True, but even if the opposition gives its tacit approval, that doesn't mean it won't change its mind if it gets elected at the next election, particularly when it will come under the inevitable pressure of having to economise on spending.

And then of course there will be journalists like Peter Fitzsimons writing in the SMH that the whole thing is a misuse of public spending (which of course he wouldn't write if this were a rugby union project).

RU already get funding like this for the Pacific Islands. Yeah sure the scale is different but so too are the countries involved.

[unapologetic pedant]

PVL's "You scratch my back, I'll scratch my balls" approach to dealing with pollies could come horribly unstuck with the PNG bid.

[John bird]

Will/could this be the most important date in the history of the NRL so far with expansion being discussed at the ARL commission meeting in Melbourne?

talks of 18 or 20 teams with bids from a standalone Perth, New Zealand South Island, PNG and Brisbane being discussed as well as joint venture teams in the form of the north Sydney bears or the Newtown Jets linking up with the Perth bid.

not sure if we’ll get the names of all 3 teams if the NRL is to indeed expand to 20 teams but more perhaps the entry dates of all 3 expansion teams.

all very exciting stuff for NRL expansionist fans and should set the competition up for the next 20-25 years.

my hope is we’ll see the following :-

#18 perth standalone team 

#19 NZ2 South Island team

#20 Brisbane/south east Queensland team 

[Dunbar]

There is an 8 page NRL expansion thread... usefully titled NRL expansion. 

[Damien]

2 minutes ago, Dunbar said:

There is an 8 page NRL expansion thread... usefully titled NRL expansion. 

I was thinking that too, this is just the same. That was started by the same person as well!

[John bird]

30 minutes ago, Dunbar said:

There is an 8 page NRL expansion thread... usefully titled NRL expansion. 

That was before the meeting was announced which is somewhat more pivotal.

[John bird]

29 minutes ago, Damien said:

I was thinking that too, this is just the same. That was started by the same person as well!

We’re now starting to get down to the nitty gritty and business end of the expansion debate with bids and dates being set.

[Dunbar]

7 minutes ago, John bird said:

That was before the meeting was announced which is somewhat more pivotal.

You missed a trick.  We could have had a thread on the announcement of the meeting and another on the meeting itself.

[Damien]

1 hour ago, John bird said:

That was before the meeting was announced which is somewhat more pivotal.

You literally posted about the meeting 2 weeks ago on that thread. As you did on the NZ expansion thread that you started which covers much the same. It's silly just everyone repeating themselves over 3 threads:

On 12/06/2024 at 20:54, John bird said:

According to this article there is to be a bidding process for team #18 after the next ARL commission meeting June 26.

 

https://www.northweststar.com.au/story/8660682/nrl-insists-competitiveness-part-of-png-criteria/

 

I was under the impression that there wouldn’t be a bidding process for team #18 as PNG were dead certs.

 

[John bird]

1 hour ago, Dunbar said:

You missed a trick.  We could have had a thread on the announcement of the meeting and another on the meeting itself.

What makes you think that we won’t?

[John bird]

6 minutes ago, Damien said:

You literally posted about the meeting 2 weeks ago on that thread. As you did on the NZ expansion thread that you started which covers much the same. It's silly just everyone repeating themselves over 3 threads:

 

If I knew how I’d merge all the threads together.

[Lowdesert]

1 hour ago, John bird said:

If I knew how I’d merge all the threads together.

Put them all on the Aussie forum and Graham will give you advice.

[John bird]

2 hours ago, Lowdesert said:

Put them all on the Aussie forum and Graham will give you advice.

More eyes on the general forum.

[Sports Prophet]

https://thewest.com.au/sport/rugby-league/perth-believed-to-be-leading-nrl-expansion-cue-as-league-settles-on-timeline--c-15153760.amp

As expected, the ARLC have rubber stamped the Peter V’landy’s and Andrew Abdo’s strategy to increase the competition to 20 teams with reports varying this to be completed between 2030 and 2032 and the first team welcomed in 2027 being the final year of the existing TV deal.

PNG appears to have dropped down the order of favoritism to Perth. Thankfully in my opinion. The federal government are set to sign off on $600m of funding for PNG over 10 years. I think the NRL and the federal government would be best utilizing these funds over the course of the next 6-8 years primarily to improve living standards in PNG and Port Moresby for nationals (ie all the important stuff that money is for) as well as improving the pathways over the same period to give a PNG team as much opportunity to be stacked with locals from game 1.

In the mean time, Perth appears to have it in the bag and I hope they have the balls to go it alone. Western Venom sounds good to me.

[Wellsy4HullFC]

1 hour ago, Sports Prophet said:

Western Venom sounds good to me.

Better than the Perth Jet-Bears?

[Sports Prophet]

9 minutes ago, Wellsy4HullFC said:

Better than the Perth Jet-Bears?

What about a merger of all three, the Perth Bets. Inserts immediate naming rights opportunity for the club like Vodafone Warriors. Let’s say Sportsbet Bets perhaps?

[Damien]

2 hours ago, Sports Prophet said:

https://thewest.com.au/sport/rugby-league/perth-believed-to-be-leading-nrl-expansion-cue-as-league-settles-on-timeline--c-15153760.amp

As expected, the ARLC have rubber stamped the Peter V’landy’s and Andrew Abdo’s strategy to increase the competition to 20 teams with reports varying this to be completed between 2030 and 2032 and the first team welcomed in 2027 being the final year of the existing TV deal.

PNG appears to have dropped down the order of favoritism to Perth. Thankfully in my opinion. The federal government are set to sign off on $600m of funding for PNG over 10 years. I think the NRL and the federal government would be best utilizing these funds over the course of the next 6-8 years primarily to improve living standards in PNG and Port Moresby for nationals (ie all the important stuff that money is for) as well as improving the pathways over the same period to give a PNG team as much opportunity to be stacked with locals from game 1.

In the mean time, Perth appears to have it in the bag and I hope they have the balls to go it alone. Western Venom sounds good to me.

If PNG were told they were the 20th team and had 8 years to build and get everything in place then that would be a pretty good result I think. It's only the money that really presses it forward and if that will wait then great.

Perth and and NZ2 as 18th and 19th before that would be the dream from a growth point of view. 

[Sports Prophet]

30 minutes ago, Damien said:

If PNG were told they were the 20th team and had 8 years to build and get everything in place then that would be a pretty good result I think. It's only the money that really presses it forward and if that will wait then great.

Perth and and NZ2 as 18th and 19th before that would be the dream from a growth point of view. 

But the money doesn’t need to wait. The $600m is not all for the NRL as far as I understand it. The $600m is an overall project budget to improve living standards in PNG and funding an NRL club is worth about 10% of this amount. The rest is for infrastructure and development of living standards and opportunity.

The money needn’t wait, the project can start now and the NRL can utilise their 10% in 2030 or 2032 once they are satisfied the years of development have demonstrates PNG is in a position to host a sustainable top tier club.

[eal]

PNG still sounds insane, essentially the plan is to build a compound where players can live, train, and play all in the same facility. I can't imagine signing up for that, sounds like a long term Covid bubble.