Firstly I know this has been bandied around on many occasions here on ST but in light of the situation with many of our clubs at present ( being run by the NRL), and the recent revelation that the Dragoons are also in financial trouble I wonder if the NRL are considering a real rethink of the competition make up in the years to come.
I know that with Greenslime in charge this won't ever see the light of day but he won't be around forever ( hopefully) and perhaps in the near future those running the game will gain some sense and think carefully about the longevity of the game.
Clearly Sydney is a very very crowded space , two AFL sides , two A League sides ( all doing pretty well) and with sponsorship dollars at a premium and sides like Brisbane benefiting from a whole city to themselves it's clear to me that a real shake up is needed.
Let's think about the obvious.
Brisbane needs a second side, located either in Logan or Ipswich.
For no other reason than being able to fit another live game in, Perth needs a side.
Central QLD is mad , in fact crazy mad on League and a side say based in Rockhampton would be a great success and add additional interest in RL mad Queensland.
Adelaide has been tried before but it would be no different to Melbourne, a long hard slog to get a side established BUT, it would make the NRL really " national" and from a TV perspective create additional opportunities.
And NZ is another untapped market ( other than Auckland) with say Wellington a possibility and also opening up another time slot to have early games live in a Saturday / Sunday.
I think the Titans are a lost cause but you can bet with the Suns going well they will still remain, and Newcastle ( despite their current issues ) is RL heartland so nothing's happening in either spot.
So we come back to Sydney , where we have Penrith / Parramatta / Bulldogs / Souths / Wests Tigers / Manly / St George / Cronulla.
To me it seems logical , Sydney needs only FOUR sides , one in the west, one in the south, one ostensibly east ( or central) and one north.
Now not one fan is going to want to see their sides gone , especially with some having plus 100 year histories BUT other than a gigantic **** fight how could this be done.
Well not easy but four brand new " super franchises" is one way, in essence everyone " loses their side" and we start again.
The other way is to offer mergers to existing clubs ( yes further mergers ) to create these four super franchises , another very hard excercise but not impossible.
Clearly this is just hypothetical and designed to create discussion , so for a moment take off your Manly goggles and voice your Independant opinion.
I know that with Greenslime in charge this won't ever see the light of day but he won't be around forever ( hopefully) and perhaps in the near future those running the game will gain some sense and think carefully about the longevity of the game.
Clearly Sydney is a very very crowded space , two AFL sides , two A League sides ( all doing pretty well) and with sponsorship dollars at a premium and sides like Brisbane benefiting from a whole city to themselves it's clear to me that a real shake up is needed.
Let's think about the obvious.
Brisbane needs a second side, located either in Logan or Ipswich.
For no other reason than being able to fit another live game in, Perth needs a side.
Central QLD is mad , in fact crazy mad on League and a side say based in Rockhampton would be a great success and add additional interest in RL mad Queensland.
Adelaide has been tried before but it would be no different to Melbourne, a long hard slog to get a side established BUT, it would make the NRL really " national" and from a TV perspective create additional opportunities.
And NZ is another untapped market ( other than Auckland) with say Wellington a possibility and also opening up another time slot to have early games live in a Saturday / Sunday.
I think the Titans are a lost cause but you can bet with the Suns going well they will still remain, and Newcastle ( despite their current issues ) is RL heartland so nothing's happening in either spot.
So we come back to Sydney , where we have Penrith / Parramatta / Bulldogs / Souths / Wests Tigers / Manly / St George / Cronulla.
To me it seems logical , Sydney needs only FOUR sides , one in the west, one in the south, one ostensibly east ( or central) and one north.
Now not one fan is going to want to see their sides gone , especially with some having plus 100 year histories BUT other than a gigantic **** fight how could this be done.
Well not easy but four brand new " super franchises" is one way, in essence everyone " loses their side" and we start again.
The other way is to offer mergers to existing clubs ( yes further mergers ) to create these four super franchises , another very hard excercise but not impossible.
Clearly this is just hypothetical and designed to create discussion , so for a moment take off your Manly goggles and voice your Independant opinion.