Interesting view on the NRL and it's tiers, I hadnt viewed it that way
They use and market their community based games with the Telstra Premership to create interest and support.
Then tiers 1 & 2 benifit as a whole through Tests and Origins.
They have created their support at the foundation levels.
Putting 3T aside for a moment, or looking at it from a different angle - we have an empty rugby space after the Super & Shute comps that the 2 countries ranked us have both filled.
Filling that with a comp including the best players not on test duty is all that we need.
It will have Super players not on test call up included, it will have acadamy players included, and it will have the best of the Premier clubs included - and natuarally drag the quality of rugby up.
What Pulver is suggesting is 1. stupid, and 2. clogs up and competes with systems that are already in place.
Expense, and the level of it comes down to structure and how it is developed, an example;
Top 4 Shute, Top 4 Premier, and Top 2 ACT would be alot cheaper to roll out than.
Creating 4 Rep NSW, 4 Rep QLD, and 2 Rep ACT as new entities need to be created, and then supported.
Maybe it starts with the Top 4 and then it is enhanced / modified as weakness are spotted - I.e. other players can be recruited as suggested earlier.
Jumping in with something new as Pulver is suggesting does concern me.
A new modified game with new rules????
We have 7's,
We have 10's
And we have 15's