Gus sparks more NRL debate
EVERY SATURDAY The Chronicle team talks about the big issues in sport locally, nationally and internationally.
Today Glen, Jason and Sean are talking about Phil Gould’s thoughts about the future of the NRL – more specifically the two 10-team conference.
Jason Gibbs: Earlier this week I was thinking what is Gus on. Two conferences of 10teams – that’s crazy.
My stance has softened as the week has progressed, though.
Finding homes and quality players for another four teams is a big ask, but it’s a good idea in theory.
The game is a little bent out of shape right now.
It’s not broken but it certainly needs a little TLC.
Maybe this expansion/conference system is the answer.
The fans need a reason to give their hearts, minds and time back to the game - a new look and some new teams could be the right medicine.
It has to be expansion, though - re-branding or relocating a team will never work.
I’m not your typical NRL fan – born in Melbourne and living there only briefly – the only reason I started following the game was because my hometown got a team. But if they moved them inter-state I’m not sure I could follow them any more.
Sport is about passion and pride and turning a fan is near impossible - you can give them a reason to love, though.
So with that in mind, I think the powers that be must make the NRL work in Adelaide and Perth - the fans there need their own club.
Over to you, Gus. Glen McCullough: I’m sort
of with Gus here.
The NRL competition make-up as it stands, doesn’t need a lot of tinkering.
It’s an indestructible product that continues to stand the test of time.
Two more clubs could be added, one from southern Queensland and another from perhaps Perth.
They must come from major cities.
“Areas” such as the the NSW Central Coast etc don’t work.
The demographics are too wide and loose and people simply don’t relate to the teams as theirs.
That’s exactly why relocated clubs are a flop.
Remember the Northern Eagles? What a joke.
I like the two team conference idea as well.
At least all teams would get to play each other twice in a genuine home-and-away season, instead of the “dart board” draw as it currently stands.
The leading four teams in each conference could then battle out a finals’ series with the two winners meeting in a grand-final similar to the NFL Superbowl.
How you decide which teams play in each conference, I wouldn’t have a clue.
But there a lot smarter people about than me who I’m sure could nut out some commercially viable format.
It sounds radical, people will fight to the death against it and it will likely never happen.
But it does have potential and is an idea worth tossing around.
I’ve heard a lot sillier suggestions.
Sean Teuma: Gus has come up with some pretty out-there ideas over the course of his career. I remember one involved having tries from kicks worth less points than an “ordinary” try.
While this idea isn’t nearly as ridiculous as that suggestion, it’s something the league should dismiss.
With the current state of the NRL, I doubt there is enough talent across for two additional teams, let alone four.
Look at the likes of Canterbury and Manly. Does anyone actually consider those sides to be up to first-grade standard at this point in time?
It is inevitable that the game will expand in the next few years, and why wouldn’t it with the potential to add millions to the league. Perth is a lucrative market, especially with the time-zone difference. The league can clearly see the west on the radar with a State Of Origin game heading that way this year.
Brisbane is another obvious choice. Look at how many teams are based in and around Sydney, while Brisbane, just as, if not more league-mad than the harbour city, has just one.
But let’s keep the expansion at a slow, realistic pace, and not detract from the quality of the product that draws so many fans in.
While twenty teams would be great at some stage, that is a question better asked for 2030 than 2020.
As for conferences, no thanks.