3rd tier is back in 2014 [Discontinued]

[GaffaCHinO]

From the Gordon Website

Members and supporters will be aware that the ARU has recently announced plans for the creation of a so called Third Tier of Australian Rugby to commence at the end of the 2014 Premiership season.

There has been much speculation and conjecture for some time now about the ARU’s plans for the Third Tier and how it will impact on club Rugby. To the extent any clubs have been able to gain insight into the ARU’s thinking, the GRFC has been as active as possible.

Given the uncertainties about the structure, the costing and the timing of the ARU’s Third Tier, it has simply not been possible to provide any coherent message to members and supporters until now.

The Board has been actively engaged in discussions with various clubs within the Shute Shield with a view to protecting, not only the interests of GRFC, but also the wider interests of the Shute Shield Rugby community.

Whilst the precise terms of the Club’s involvement in the Third Tier have yet to be finalised, the Board is very pleased to confirm that the Club, together with our traditional rivals, Northern Suburbs, Manly and Warringah, have committed to lodging an expression of interest for a north of Sydney Harbour team to participate in the Third Tier.

Read more: http://gordonrugby.com.au/indexa1.php?x=NEWS~Feature-News|December-2013^Gordon-Rugby-Third-Teir`245

 

[GaffaCHinO]

From the Gordon Website

Members and supporters will be aware that the ARU has recently announced plans for the creation of a so called Third Tier of Australian Rugby to commence at the end of the 2014 Premiership season.

There has been much speculation and conjecture for some time now about the ARU’s plans for the Third Tier and how it will impact on club Rugby. To the extent any clubs have been able to gain insight into the ARU’s thinking, the GRFC has been as active as possible.

Given the uncertainties about the structure, the costing and the timing of the ARU’s Third Tier, it has simply not been possible to provide any coherent message to members and supporters until now.

The Board has been actively engaged in discussions with various clubs within the Shute Shield with a view to protecting, not only the interests of GRFC, but also the wider interests of the Shute Shield Rugby community.

Whilst the precise terms of the Club’s involvement in the Third Tier have yet to be finalised, the Board is very pleased to confirm that the Club, together with our traditional rivals, Northern Suburbs, Manly and Warringah, have committed to lodging an expression of interest for a north of Sydney Harbour team to participate in the Third Tier.

Read more: http://gordonrugby.com.au/indexa1.php?x=NEWS~Feature-News|December-2013^Gordon-Rugby-Third-Teir`245

 

[I like to watch]

The question about what teams should be answered by knowing the objective of the comp.
If the principal objectives are to develop talent at a low cost.
Then expansionist teams like Perth & Adelaide do not meet these objectives.
IMO, they should concentrate on fielding teams where the talent resides,and expand to growth areas at a later date.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

http://www.theherald.com.au/story/1964775/nhru-keen-on-national-rugby-competition/?cs=306

Newcastle union says they're interested in having a team. As much as I'd like to see it happen, it won't.

Would be great if they were able to get up.

 

[TOCC]

So with that statement from Gordon, i'd hope the remaining clubs are in similar talks:

Sydney North
Manly, Northern Suburbs, Warringah and Gordon


with the remainder possible going in these teams:

Western Sydney
West Harbour, EastWood, Parramatta, Penrith

Sydney South
Randwick, Eastern Suburbs, Southern Districts & Sydney Uni

 

[Braveheart81]

Sydney Uni have already suggested they will be going for a team in their own right.

 

[TOCC]

From the Gordon Website

IT IS a marriage proposal that nobody thought would ever happen - but wedding bells are in the air on the northern beaches.

Arch rivals Manly and Warringah are set to become partners in a bid to enter a team in next year's new National Rugby Championship in what would be a momentous time in the history of both clubs.
The Manly Daily can reveal that behind-the-scenes negotiations are already under way for the Marlins, Rats, Northern Suburbs and Gordon to form a northern Sydney franchise.
"That is what we want to do - we feel there is strength in numbers and we feel there has to be buy-in from all the north shore clubs," Manly president David Begg said.
"It makes abundant sense and is very exciting."



The team would be based in northern Sydney, with Brookvale Oval the obvious venue as the home ground.
The Australian Rugby Union announced the competition would have eight to 10 teams and run from August to October at the end of Shute Shield. Games will be shown on Fox Sports.
Begg has held preliminary discussions with his Warringah counterpart Phil Parsons about what the new team would look like.
"Obviously, there is a lot of work that needs to be done," Begg said.Parsons said northern Sydney was a strong catchment for rugby.
"This is a great opportunity to bring the various tribes together and put a strong team together," Parsons said.
"To be able to participate in a national competition will give our juniors another pathway to the top level."

Negotiators are hoping the next major step will be for the four northside clubs to come together for further discussions before Christmas.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ne...onal-competition/story-fngr8iii-1226780856036

 

[Braveheart81]

They could be called the Gay Fishrats of the North Shore.

 

[RugbyFuture]

The team would be based in northern Sydney, with Brookvale Oval the obvious venue as the home ground.

I hope thats just the mainly dailys one sided skew coming through, I wouldn't travel there to watch a rugby team, I would go to North Sydney Oval however...

 

[The Red Baron]

And I know a cracking way to dupe all the leaguies into coming along. We could name them the:

Good to see clubs working together though, it bodes well for the comp if SS sides are willing to put aside their differences to get a team in.

 

[Hawko]

I wonder of Melbourne and Perth should be included to start with? The NRL built a decent competition before expansion. The AFL did the same and only introduced teams that were never going to be able to compete (Suns and Giants) when the league could afford to subsidise these two teams for years.

Can the ARU really afford to have teams that struggle? I would love a national competition, but surely we need to go with what has the best chance of success and then bring in other teams.

There's a big difference now with the Force and Rebels fully ensconced in their cities and with their squads playing in the local state competition. The Force have a Super squad of 35. Lets say 3 of that squad make the Wallabies and 5 are in rehab. That's 27 Perth-based players living in Perth to form the bulk of the squad. Likewise for Melbourne. I think both those teams will be very competitive for the finals and costs will not be prohibitive as they were with the last ARC. You would expect the Canberra team would be similarly strong based on the Brumby squad minus Wallabies and rehabbers. They'll get the rest from the best of the JID players. I'd also bank on the Sydney Uni team being very competitive.

Teams that will struggle? Western Sydney, possibly Sydney South, one of the Brisbane teams and any regional teams, because they are going to be getting the dregs of the available recruits.

 

[D-Box]

Chatting to guys in the Force Academy and on the fringes are very much excited to have a chance to get a gig in a Perth team. Develing these guys and giving them an opportunity will be benificial to rugby in Aus.

Hopefully the Perth Spirit is resurrected with the same classic jersey.

 

[TheKing]

Good to see Sydney has got the ball rolling. Can't wait to see which other clubs start to join together. I can see this format really reinvigorating the third tier fan base as well as the comp. It all has a real 'all-stars' feel about it, doesn't it? Imagine a Sydney Uni vs Rest of Sydney (or something like that) being televised at 2 o clock in the afternoon on foxsports? I'm drooling over my 2014 TV guide just thinking about it.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Gibbo]

Thursday is the biggest FoxSports (and sports betting company) hole is the winter calendar. I'm guessing this one live game will fill that hole.

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[the coach]

Thursday is the biggest FoxSports (and sports betting company) hole is the winter calendar. I'm guessing this one live game will fill that hole.

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There was an earlier report suggesting mid-week telecast, but I wonder if that means live or delayed coverage? Certainly doesn't seem as though there will be any weekend telecast.

 

[Train Without a Station]

Based on some of the shit they telecast on the sports channels on Foxtel you'd like to think a few more games shown in timeslots that suit Fox would have to be at least a chance.

 

[MACCA]

There's a big difference now with the Force and Rebels fully ensconced in their cities and with their squads playing in the local state competition. The Force have a Super squad of 35. Lets say 3 of that squad make the Wallabies and 5 are in rehab. That's 27 Perth-based players living in Perth to form the bulk of the squad. Likewise for Melbourne. I think both those teams will be very competitive for the finals and costs will not be prohibitive as they were with the last ARC. You would expect the Canberra team would be similarly strong based on the Brumby squad minus Wallabies and rehabbers. They'll get the rest from the best of the JID players. I'd also bank on the Sydney Uni team being very competitive.

Teams that will struggle? Western Sydney, possibly Sydney South, one of the Brisbane teams and any regional teams, because they are going to be getting the dregs of the available recruits.

Agree with your first paragraph & think its a strong point for those regions.
Disagree that the "dregs" are all that is left. The talent may tail off however there are a lot of young guys emerging and seeking a gig. Also, lets not overlook that Uni have had Supe players running around in 2nds (& 3rds). Didn't Scott Fardy head OS because he couldn't get a game in Australia? This will be a great time for young players to get an opportunity.
Agree that some teams may struggle however it will be because the others are more established , not because all other players out there are the dregs of Australian Rugby.

 

[Snort]

The whole point is to concentrate the talent.

The whole point is that the talent is already concentrated. Australia has five Super Rugby franchises. That's - what? - about 200 professional Rugby players when you take account of the extended player squads. And it doesn't include the various academies and ARU junior development squads.

So the question becomes, what to do with the 160-odd professional players who aren't in the Wallaby squad once the Super Rugby season finishes. Now, there's one school of thought that says, you create a competition for them to play in against each other, with a few other players tossed in to make up the numbers. And yes, man for man, teams in such a competition would be stronger than club teams. What that achieves is that those players turn out in a competition that is weaker than the one they have just been playing in. I don't really see how they benefit form this. The only players who stand to gain are the handful of club players who get to run around in the competition and call themselves representative players for a few weeks.

You don't just need to go back to 2007 to see that this achieved nothing much. The same thing was tried in the Ricoh Cup back in around 2000 or 2001. That competition allowed a few guys to wear State jumpers who otherwise would not have done so. That was nice for them. Not one went on to become a Wallaby.

The other option, which no-one likes because it's too hard, is to strengthen the base of the pyramid. Make the second half of the club competition as strong as possible by re-injecting the professionals into it. That could help to reinvigorate the game's base and provide a better foundation for the game.

The idea that the new competition will be "revenue-neutral" is wishful thinking. There is one potential provider of broadcasting revenue for the competition - the same company that already pays for the Super Rugby competition. The idea that Fox Sports can be treated as an ATM is just nuts - negotiations tend to be difficult when you're completely reliant on the party with whom you're negotiating. And it says very little about the health of the game.

I know, I know, the argument's over and I lost. But here are my three predictions: it will lose money, crowds will be dismal, and not one player will emerge from the competition who goes on to become a Wallaby. Don't tell me I'm wrong now - come back in a year and do it.

 

[Brumby Runner]

The whole point is that the talent is already concentrated. Australia has five Super Rugby franchises. That's - what? - about 200 professional Rugby players when you take account of the extended player squads. And it doesn't include the various academies and ARU junior development squads.

So the question becomes, what to do with the 160-odd professional players who aren't in the Wallaby squad once the Super Rugby season finishes. Now, there's one school of thought that says, you create a competition for them to play in against each other, with a few other players tossed in to make up the numbers. And yes, man for man, teams in such a competition would be stronger than club teams. What that achieves is that those players turn out in a competition that is weaker than the one they have just been playing in. I don't really see how they benefit form this. The only players who stand to gain are the handful of club players who get to run around in the competition and call themselves representative players for a few weeks.

You don't just need to go back to 2007 to see that this achieved nothing much. The same thing was tried in the Ricoh Cup back in around 2000 or 2001. That competition allowed a few guys to wear State jumpers who otherwise would not have done so. That was nice for them. Not one went on to become a Wallaby.

The other option, which no-one likes because it's too hard, is to strengthen the base of the pyramid. Make the second half of the club competition as strong as possible by re-injecting the professionals into it. That could help to reinvigorate the game's base and provide a better foundation for the game.

The idea that the new competition will be "revenue-neutral" is wishful thinking. There is one potential provider of broadcasting revenue for the competition - the same company that already pays for the Super Rugby competition. The idea that Fox Sports can be treated as an ATM is just nuts - negotiations tend to be difficult when you're completely reliant on the party with whom you're negotiating. And it says very little about the health of the game.

I know, I know, the argument's over and I lost. But here are my three predictions: it will lose money, crowds will be dismal, and not one player will emerge from the competition who goes on to become a Wallaby. Don't tell me I'm wrong now - come back in a year and do it.

I can quickly name three (and I'm sure there were a whole lot more) players who came to notice in the ARC and who went on to play for the Wallabies - Scott Higginbotham, Ben Alexander and Christian Lealiifano. I fully expect the NRC will similarly bring forward a number of players who will go on to represent at higher levels.

 

[Braveheart81]

The whole point is that the talent is already concentrated. Australia has five Super Rugby franchises. That's - what? - about 200 professional Rugby players when you take account of the extended player squads. And it doesn't include the various academies and ARU junior development squads.

So the question becomes, what to do with the 160-odd professional players who aren't in the Wallaby squad once the Super Rugby season finishes. Now, there's one school of thought that says, you create a competition for them to play in against each other, with a few other players tossed in to make up the numbers. And yes, man for man, teams in such a competition would be stronger than club teams. What that achieves is that those players turn out in a competition that is weaker than the one they have just been playing in. I don't really see how they benefit form this. The only players who stand to gain are the handful of club players who get to run around in the competition and call themselves representative players for a few weeks.

I know, I know, the argument's over and I lost. But here are my three predictions: it will lose money, crowds will be dismal, and not one player will emerge from the competition who goes on to become a Wallaby. Don't tell me I'm wrong now - come back in a year and do it.

The idea is to bridge the gap between club rugby and Super Rugby by focusing the talent into a smaller competition such that you have the non-Wallaby Super Rugby players and the best players from the various club rugby competitions around the country playing together. The primary focus of the competition is improving the standard of players who don't have Super Rugby contracts. The secondary focus would be to provide a strong competition for the non-Wallaby Super Rugby players so they can work hard on getting closer to being Wallabies.

This will start at the end of the club rugby competition so it shouldn't interfere with that. In fact most of the teams involved will be made up of various groupings of club rugby teams.