An Nrl Club To Be Axed?

[Tigerlily]

**NRL club to be axed for new Brisbane team**
NWWOS
06:29
Cronulla, Manly and the Gold Coast are at risk of being axed from the NRL as the Nine Network pushes for a new Brisbane rugby league team.

The broadcaster's director of sport Tom Malone wants to axe one existing club to make way for a new club in the Queensland capital by 2023 with the final call to be made as early as December this year.

The newspaper reports that the Sharks, Sea Eagles and the Titans are the sides who are most at risk of the chop.

"That could come from another team being relocated there, or better still another club being discontinued and a new club established in Brisbane," Malone told the Sunday Mail.

"In a perfect world you'd probably have one or two less teams.

"What clubs should go? I'm not going to get into that one. It's a hard decision but probably one that needs to be made in the longer term interests of the game."

Malone says he prefers the option of axing an existing club rather than adding another club because having 17 teams and a bye each week would increase costs without generating any "incremental revenue".

NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg reportedly met with Queensland Premier Annastasia Palaszczuk on Friday to discuss a new Brisbane team.

Foxtel chief executive Patrick Delany supports a second team in the River City but doesn't believe in axing an existing club.

"They love their rugby league in Brisbane and it seems a natural fit," Mr Delany told the Sunday Mail.

"You get that inter-city rivalry which enhances tribalism and that's ultimately what we want.

"It's all about generating more fans and bigger TV audiences. I don't know if you'd get that real tribal traction with rugby league in Perth that you'd get in Brisbane."

©AAP2019

 

[Tim Sheens]

Sounds good to me and love the choice of the beachside Sydney clubs.

 

[hobbo1]

It’s all talk ...

 

[Cultured_Bogan]

Since when does Channel Nine get to dictate another businesses expansion plan?

 

[Fitzy05]

Geography
IMO Three teams in the South of Sydney and Four teams in the West of Sydney is not good for us.

Why doesn't the NRL look at more Mergers?
Gold Coast and say Ipswich is about the same travel time form Leichhardt to Camptown.
Cronulla and Saints should go back to being the one club.
Or two of Parra, Penrith and the Bulldogs should merge.

If Manly go it would be like the NRL saying we aren't interested in having a team on the North side of Sydney.

All the talk about one home ground is good but the WestsTigers need to keep getting good crowd numbers at games. We aren't Easts. If we start playing at half empty home grounds we will die off.

 

[Demps]

It's really not necessary....

Qld has 3 teams and only one of em is continuously competitive.

Titans suck. Cowboys are lame and Brisbane is the power house.

A new team is gonna struggle with fans and development... we've got enough struggling clubs as it is.

Let's sort out our backyard first.

 

[BirchgroveTigers]

Must say this makes me worried. Hopefully, the COE gets going soon and the Balmain/Wests merger + leagues club at Rozelle go through too. Would give us a stronger case to survive if this is being seriously considered.

 

[cktiger]

When does some knob from a TV station tell the NRL what to do? He might only last a year in the job.

 

[BalmainJnr]

Since when does Channel Nine get to dictate another businesses expansion plan?

Was thinking the same. All for their 2-3 games a week. On a positive note, this would have to be the first time this topic has come up and we weren’t mentioned.

 

[Coastie_Tiger]

I think the NRL would be hating that we have become financially viable, hence why i think they came down so hard on Pascoe. The CEO the possible things happening with leagues clubs and Balmain and Wests as Birchgrovetiger mentioned only makes us stronger. IMO we have done our bit by the NRL with our merger we have had our pain together and ultimately our success in 05 which is hopefully not a one off.

 

[pawsandclaws1]

Geography
IMO Three teams in the South of Sydney and Four teams in the West of Sydney is not good for us.

Why doesn't the NRL look at more Mergers?
Gold Coast and say Ipswich is about the same travel time form Leichhardt to Camptown.
Cronulla and Saints should go back to being the one club.
Or two of Parra, Penrith and the Bulldogs should merge.

If Manly go it would be like the NRL saying we aren't interested in having a team on the North side of Sydney.

All the talk about one home ground is good but the WestsTigers need to keep getting good crowd numbers at games. We aren't Easts. If we start playing at half empty home grounds we will die off.

It is the St George Illawarra Dragons which is a merger. The Illawarra part of the club is probably the most productive junior district in the NRL and you want to merge the club again with Cronulla? The Illawarra is rugby league heartland (as is Newcastle) and is very poorly represented. I would have thought the Roosters is the obvious club to go. No juniors which provides the club with a serious advantage over clubs who do have juniors. They can pick the eyes out of other clubs and not have to worry about development. A relocation would even out the competition and force expenditure on juniors as well as giving 9 the second Brisbane team it wants.

 

[Harvey]

Dictating what will happen in 2023 when the current TV deal finishes in 2022. I smell more sensationalism from news.

 

[gallagher]

I think the NRL would be hating that we have become financially viable, hence why i think they came down so hard on Pascoe. The CEO the possible things happening with leagues clubs and Balmain and Wests as Birchgrovetiger mentioned only makes us stronger. IMO we have done our bit by the NRL with our merger we have had our pain together and ultimately our success in 05 which is hopefully not a one off.

They would love us to be successful. Big supporter base that gets large ratings for tv. They don't want to get rid of us, that just conspiracy rubbish.
Manky and Cronulla are the ones that were correctly named as endangered species.

 

[Milky]

Why don't the NRL just get rid of the Titans and create a new Brisbane team?

 

[TCL]

if I was investing millions into a sporting code I would want to ensure that I got maximum return. I would certainly be making recommendations to ensure I got that.

Given the talk is about either manly, Cronulla or Titans, I can cop that. I personally think both manly and Cronulla should go and we should have a second team in Brisbane and one in Perth.

 

[Coastie_Tiger]

@gallagher i dont agree i think the NRL would love to swing the axe on us, imo have been itching to for quite some time, hopefully your right and im wrong though.

 

[Russell]

Manly has to stay - only club on the Northern side of the harbour.

I'd vote for Roosters and Souffs - small areas and few junior clubs and crowds in the Eastern Suburbs. Won't hold my breath though.

 

[Don Kershane]

Manly is needed as a foil to Rugby .That area is one of the few holdouts for the leather patches. Cronulla on the other hand really has no strategic significance. However moving them may cause a riot. Oops!

 

[TCL]

@The_Doc nrl might but the tv doesn’t, our games rate highly on tv. The commentators love the Sunday afternoon LO game as the atmosphere reflects in the broadcast.

 

[Tiger_Steve]

@gallagher i dont agree i think the NRL would love to swing the axe on us, imo have been itching to for quite some time, hopefully your right and im wrong though.

Us not being mentioned is like the board saying the coach has our full support.
We will be hunted by Greenberg without a doubt.