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I guess they could do 9 teams and have a bye round?

Does the North Harbour bid have any university backing or involvement? Is the 5th NSW team a country team or a Newcastle team?

The fundamental problem with quotas is they add an artificial element to the competition. One of the main reasons the ARC failed was that fans and in many cases players had no affinity with the team. This time around the teams are far more connected to the fan base. We've got established...

The QLD and NSW teams will catch up with the 3 expansion teams within 2 or 3 seasons, simply because QLD and NSW produce far far more players. I'd even go as far as saying the brisbane team will be right up there in the first season.

It is possible that Eastwood are taking a long term view of the situation. Arent they in line to receive a full redevelopment of their home ground and facilities? Maybe they are waiting for others to fail before launching a stronger bid in a few seasons time.

A few points re - Randwick that haven't been mentioned: Immediate access to high quality coaches. It is not unreasonable to expect guys like Dwyer, Ella or Gaffney may end up involved in coaching a Randwick NRC team in the short term. Also regular 'masterclasses' from Jones, McKenzie etc...

At the end of the day I just want to see blokes who actually give a damn about the team they play for. A bit of pride and loyalty to the jersey goes a long way in terms of support, especially with the old school crowd.

I imagine if marquee players start coming over their salaries will be paid for by tycoon team owner types like livingston. Heck, marquee players will probably be the only ones on anything close to decent money. Keep in mind Chabal and Bod are both well and truly past it, if they came over it...

If Fifita is coming to rugby he might as well ask for an early release and come now. At the very least he should be straight into the NRC if his league club doesn't make the finals.

I think foreign marquee players and league converts should be encouraged, at least in the first few seasons, in order to lift the standard of the competition and generate interest. For example I would love to see Chabal running out for the Balmain-Sydney Uni team. Likewise imagine seeing a guy...

He already knocked back the storm last October, which was around the time every man and his dog was telling him to fuck off and grow up, so I assume he is fairly committed to rugby.

Interesting idea but it could get a bit complicated. Realistically, I don't mind if the Force, Rebels and Brumbies NRC teams are stronger than the rest in the short term. With my plan of players retaining their NRC allegiances when signing with other super rugby teams, the greater depth of...

On the idea of Force, Rebels and Brumbies players being release to qld/nsw, I said this on another thread: The Force, Rebels and Brumbies should have full access to everyone on their playing roster for their NRC teams, unless a players signs on the proviso they can continue to play for their...

I think all teams have the best interests of the game at heart. The teams you mention will just face more challenges being successful.

I think the idea of country teams should be discussed at length. I can see the merit in having a Newcastle team and if there are to be 5 teams in NSW I hope one of them is based out of Newcastle. Maybe they could go on a road trip every season and play some games in regional centres as well...

Randwick have a brand though. Rugby people all over the world know of Randwick, the ella brothers etc. If you asked rugby people in Brisbane to name a sydney club team Randwick is one that comes to mind straight away. They get a mention on the tv every second time a Cheika or McKenzie coached...

Which leads me to my next point: This comp will take off quicker if players don't chop and change teams each year, so unnecessary change and bidding wars over a few thousand bucks should be discouraged.

I think a player should only be released if he has a long standing history with another NRC team. Say a few years down the line the Rebels sign a bloke who has already played 4 or 5 seasons for Randwick in the NRC. He might be signed on the proviso he can return to sydney at the end of the...

Reds start the season 3rd seeds in Australia behind a start studded Waratahs team and a battle hardened Brumbies outfit.