As a Queensland fan, I enjoy watching the EPIC battles between the North Queensland Cowboys and Brisbane Broncos the most each year.
Just as I know the St George Illawarra Dragons look forward to playing the Cronulla Sharks, the Sydney Roosters competing against the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Penrith Panthers going to war with the Parramatta Eels.
This is why the plans to expand to Perth are ludicrous in my opinion! How many times is the NRL going to try the same old strategies and test the patience and loyalty of the fans unnecessarily before they get it through their skull that it is not working?
We need to fix the teams that already exist before the NRL even think about expanding the game. The West Tigers are a basket case, the Parramatta Eels can’t make it through a season without a scandal, The Titans and Newcastle are broke etc. There is no point introducing more teams into a competition if you can’t handle the current load. How do they fix it you ask?
Either the West Tigers or the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs must be relocated to Gosford. To have 4 teams located in the working-class area of the western suburbs of Sydney where money is often tight for families, then be asked to have stadiums sold out week after week is unfair.
All money that is going to be spent "expanding" the game, should be filtered into the teams that need it. And to ensure that these teams do not re-create the same mistakes with wastage, the NRL must stop its policy of "taking a back seat" while letting the clubs run their own houses respectively. Put simply, if you accept a handout from the NRL you must accept the set of rules that accompany the money instead of the spending being left to the discretion of the club.
If there is to be expansion than it needs to be in area’s proven to be rugby league worthy and where there is a proven fan base, not a hope of one.
The best games each year are the one’s in which the teams get geed up to play each other. The easiest way to provide said matches is to schedule and market frequent rival matchups. Sure the NRLletss the fans know that certain team are rivals but they could do a lot more. Some possible solutions?
Let’s be honest, no one likes to watch the half an hour Channel 9 personnel drone on about before the matches. But if they made it useful and spoke about the rich history and reasoning between rivalries, maybe the pre-game ratings would increase.
During the rivalry game, hire an ex-player of each team to be a guest commentator or panel member to discuss the game. And make a point of telling the public who they are as players, so we understand their importance to the game they are commenting on.
Regular fan days before the game. NOT ONE A YEAR! Make the players accessible to the fans to peak the interest in the upcoming match.
This particular topic could have an entire article to itself. But clearly the game is slowly falling into a precipice of money grabbing and it’s safe to say the general consensus is that the players and game of rugby league is losing touch with the people who love it. Fixes?
If a player signs a contract, they fulfil the contract. Period. That’s the way the real world works. No contract negotiating until you finish your current contract. That way the fans feel like it’s worth their time to invest in their team.
Show some loyalty to homegrown talent. This will instil loyalty to clubs from players so that when they are presented with an offer from a rival team or code switch, they will find it easier to stay true to rugby league. This will also trickle down to loyalty from fans which will strengthen the game for future expansion.
Shorten the amount of time allowed for contract negotiation. For example, have a 2-week window for mid-year transfers. Then 4 weeks at the end of the year is the allocated time period for all negotiations so that teams, players and fans all know where they stand year to year. This will also create a lot of news and buzz once the season has finished.
The NRL are not going to win the war on AFL in Western Australia, so just concede. So what about the future?
Even though the Brisbane Broncos would not be happy, Brisbane can certainly afford a second team. Averaging the highest crowd attendances in the game, hosting a match a week at Suncorp is only a positive.
Moving a team to Gosford will ignite a rivalry against the Newcastle Knights. Every time the Bulldogs play a game at Gosford it is a sellout. Creating a fan base will not be an issue. This will also help the logjam of teams in the western corridor and free people up in western Sydney to attend other games.
Another team in New Zealand! There is the number one place to start an incredible rivalry! If another team was introduced to the South Island, it may be the fuel needed to kick start the Warriors finally. It would also create a potential representative series to be played alongside the State of Origin.
Rugby league will always be loved and adored by the fans. But the NRL needs to be smart. Do not be afraid to ask the fans for help.