Broadcast options for Australian Rugby

[Tomikin]

I think in that scenario, a few Brumbies fans heads would explode trying to justify how 46 players deserve positions in the Wallabies match-day 23.

We would be playing ourselves... Aus vs Aus Brumby... No problem here

EDIT- Gungahlin game 1 , Tuggers game 2 and Final at the Concrete Esky... Winner to be crowned the ultimate universe world champions. Like the NBA.

 

[Sir Arthur Higgins]

Narr image the cluster fuck when two ACT teams made the final and neither a NSW or Qld team didn't make the final...

Call them 'Reg's Reds' drop the Qld tag, call them East Coast Elitist Tah's with out the NSW..

Then add the Townsville Two Heads and the Western Sydney Wally's and we are home and hosed.

wouldn't you just call them the Brisbane Reds and the Gold Coast/South Brisbane/whatever Moreton Bay Bugs.
The Sydney Waratahs and the Paramatta/Western Sydney whatever.

I don't think the world implodes if the Queensland Reds become the Brisbane Reds. as an existing rugby fan, you can decide if you want to throw your lot in with Brisbane Reds or South Brisbane Bugs.

Tahs are an eastern suburbs club anyways and might as well be Sydney Waratahs. now a Western Sydney Team playing out of Parramatta stadium (please not ANZ) and you have a great cross town rivalry building up. just call them the Two Blues or something so they don't come across as a "made up club".

The only question for me in going it alone is where does the talent come from if you are adding two new teams.

I think there is immense value in being with the Kiwis. their brand of rugby is good, there are long standing rivalries and it just gives you another 5 teams.

so you have a 10-14 team competition which i think is the minimum you need.

 

[Sir Arthur Higgins]

I said it in another thread but i think NZRU and ARU need to come together and realize they do in fact need eachother.
keep fiji and moana pasifika in the tournament
add two more australian teams and kiwis and aussies are eligible for national teams regardless of which super rugby team they play for. that gives access to NZ depth in the 7 Australian teams (one additional team could be just kiwis probably...) and tap into the PI talent from Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, Cook Islands etc etc.

Then you have a 14 team tournament. all in nearly the same time zone, weighted to the largest market in terms of eyeballs and relatively even distribution of talent with open selection. Australian fans also probably care about a auckland v chiefs game if there's 4 top wallabies/prospects playing in it. same with a force v melbourne game if you have will jordan and a barrett in it.

to survive as elite, the tournament really needs to evolve in a manner that attracts more tv viewing. Stan Sport is showing there is a good audience for good rugby. you probably see the bledisloe get more competitve with talent spread around the clubs and that's probably the real catalyst for more eyeballs. that becomes "state of origin" equivalent again.

 

[Rebel man]

I said it in another thread but i think NZRU and ARU need to come together and realize they do in fact need eachother.
keep fiji and moana pasifika in the tournament
add two more australian teams and kiwis and aussies are eligible for national teams regardless of which super rugby team they play for. that gives access to NZ depth in the 7 Australian teams (one additional team could be just kiwis probably...) and tap into the PI talent from Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, Cook Islands etc etc.

Then you have a 14 team tournament. all in nearly the same time zone, weighted to the largest market in terms of eyeballs and relatively even distribution of talent with open selection. Australian fans also probably care about a auckland v chiefs game if there's 4 top wallabies/prospects playing in it. same with a force v melbourne game if you have will jordan and a barrett in it.

to survive as elite, the tournament really needs to evolve in a manner that attracts more tv viewing. Stan Sport is showing there is a good audience for good rugby. you probably see the bledisloe get more competitve with talent spread around the clubs and that's probably the real catalyst for more eyeballs. that becomes "state of origin" equivalent again.

There is no commercial benefit being aligned with NZ

 

[Adam84]

Historically the commercial benefit was the TV broadcast rights; RSA, RA and NZRU would pool the rights and split them with significant income from European broadcasters also flowing in. Broadcast rights are no longer pooled and the price paid by European broadcasters has declined since RSA were cut. There is still some commercial benefit to be aligned with NZ for Super Rugby, but they aren’t what they used to be.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

Could we add NSW and QLD Country to the mix if we went our own way? Add Fiji and we've got an eight team comp.

I love it because they have an established Identity that means something to those areas in the Cockatoos & Heelers. Would be a chance to get out and play in areas that produce a lot of Rugby players.

Rae Rae

 

[hoggy]

I said it in another thread but i think NZRU and ARU need to come together and realize they do in fact need eachother.
keep fiji and moana pasifika in the tournament
add two more australian teams and kiwis and aussies are eligible for national teams regardless of which super rugby team they play for. that gives access to NZ depth in the 7 Australian teams (one additional team could be just kiwis probably...) and tap into the PI talent from Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, Cook Islands etc etc.

Then you have a 14 team tournament. all in nearly the same time zone, weighted to the largest market in terms of eyeballs and relatively even distribution of talent with open selection. Australian fans also probably care about a auckland v chiefs game if there's 4 top wallabies/prospects playing in it. same with a force v melbourne game if you have will jordan and a barrett in it.

to survive as elite, the tournament really needs to evolve in a manner that attracts more tv viewing. Stan Sport is showing there is a good audience for good rugby. you probably see the bledisloe get more competitve with talent spread around the clubs and that's probably the real catalyst for more eyeballs. that becomes "state of origin" equivalent again.

It may need to be an elite competition and continue to evovle, but that is the one thing the last 25 years has shown will not happen. NZ & (Aus to a lesser extent) treat this as an extension of there All Black program as such it pretty much ensures the competition will not evolve.

 

[Jimmy_Crouch]

I love it because they have an established Identity that means something to those areas in the Cockatoos & Heelers. Would be a chance to get out and play in areas that produce a lot of Rugby players.

Rae Rae

It sounds well and good but it just isn't financially viable.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

It sounds well and good but it just isn't financially viable.

You're probably right.

Would a re launch of the Western Sydney Rams or whatever a think tank would come up with that might get 4000 people max be any better financially than getting a bigger crowd in towns like Bathurst, Dubbo, Orange etc...

Just spit balling

Rae Rae

 

[Tomikin]

You're probably right.

Would a re launch of the Western Sydney Rams or whatever a think tank would come up with that might get 4000 people max be any better financially than getting a bigger crowd in towns like Bathurst, Dubbo, Orange etc...

Just spit balling

Rae Rae

Well, I'm guessing if you were going to launch in Western Sydney, you would lean on the hate of the Tah's team to try and get more than 4000 rusted on, the idea that traveling out to country areas and bringing the game to the people is great for pre-season.. But a side needs a home base that has a bunch of fans local who can see them every week or two.

Parra is ready made...

 

[PhilClinton]

This is where the NRL are two steps ahead again. Any second QLD team needs to be based on the Brisbane peripherals to attract enough current Reds fans to swap teams. No use going too rural or to the Gold Coast aka the place professional teams go to die.

The NRL launching the Dolphins as a professional team has given them a leg up in the area I would say is next best suited to host a team both from a ready made stadium perspective and possible fan base.

 

[qwerty51]

Eastern Sydney and Western Sydney could easily work. Home grounds SFS and Parra Stadium.

Reds being split bit more complicated.

 

[drewprint]

This is where the NRL are two steps ahead again. Any second QLD team needs to be based on the Brisbane peripherals to attract enough current Reds fans to swap teams. No use going too rural or to the Gold Coast aka the place professional teams go to die.

The NRL launching the Dolphins as a professional team has given them a leg up in the area I would say is next best suited to host a team both from a ready made stadium perspective and possible fan base.

Spitballing here - what about Toowoomba?

 

[Marbig]

I really don't see a genuine option for a Brisbane based Reds split unless you did a north/south divide and tried to align each team with respective club sides but even then I think you'd struggle to get any major support for the team that isn't the Reds.

 

[RugbyReg]

Spitballing here - what about Toowoomba?

I like that idea but whether there is the commercial backing to have it. There is a lot of individual wealth out there so perhaps. They are also likely to get a ground update for 2032. A constant source of players to the Reds too.

Similarly Sunshine Coast a likely candidate for similar reasons (Council would get behind I reckon).

Prefer both options over the GC. Toowoomba the stronger rugby community though

 

[Wilson]

I like that idea but whether there is the commercial backing to have it. There is a lot of individual wealth out there so perhaps. They are also likely to get a ground update for 2032. A constant source of players to the Reds too.

Similarly Sunshine Coast a likely candidate for similar reasons (Council would get behind I reckon).

Prefer both options over the GC. Toowoomba the stronger rugby community though

I think the Storm had pretty solid success based up the Sunshine Coast for covid. Mostly small crowds (3000-4000) but healthy given it was a transplanted team during covid. After that there would likely be a good bit of momentum behind any pro team coming in, particularly given the Dolphins will have cut them off from getting an NRL team any closer. Not sure what the olympic plans are for it, but it's in the heart of a sporting complex and it was up to a capacity of 12,000 with temporary seating, so it's not unbelievable to think it'll get a 10-15,000 seater there more permanently.

 

[drewprint]

I like that idea but whether there is the commercial backing to have it. There is a lot of individual wealth out there so perhaps. They are also likely to get a ground update for 2032. A constant source of players to the Reds too.

Similarly Sunshine Coast a likely candidate for similar reasons (Council would get behind I reckon).

Prefer both options over the GC. Toowoomba the stronger rugby community though

Yeah, I think there’s some nice building blocks for a good Toowoomba-Brisbane rivalry too. Taps a bit into that city country divide. And it’s that kind of early built in rivalries and competitiveness that would be vital for any new teams. But you’re right as far as commercial backing, that may be a challenge.

 

[RugbyReg]

Sunshine Coast Stadium is due for an upgrade to be a proper stadium I believe. I just don’t think the region embraces rugby. It’s a league town. But I reckon the Council would subsidise it like they do the netball team up there.

Toowoomba have been a huge contributor (not just players) since rugby was formalised here about 140 years ago. Two major rugby schools up there. No other competing national sporting teams. It has a lot going to it. Wagners perhaps looking for some greater national and international profile (Asian market) would be a good sponsor option.

 

[Tomikin]

Sunshine Coast Stadium is due for an upgrade to be a proper stadium I believe. I just don’t think the region embraces rugby. It’s a league town. But I reckon the Council would subsidise it like they do the netball team up there.

Toowoomba have been a huge contributor (not just players) since rugby was formalised here about 140 years ago. Two major rugby schools up there. No other competing national sporting teams. It has a lot going to it. Wagners perhaps looking for some greater national and international profile (Asian market) would be a good sponsor option.

So you think there's an option for Ipswitch / Logan Rugby team.. or is it more a League area.

 

[hoggy]

I live on the Sunny Coast, rugby has a good presence up here but a long way behind AFL & league, There are a few good clubs that really do a good job and quite a few private schools that it is prominant.
The Dolphins starting next year are going to target the coast for support, and the Sunshine Coast stadium is a great pretty new ground with further upgrades due.

Any second team would still need to be based primarily in Brisbane, but you will need areas like the Sunny Coast & Toowoomba to garner support, and they are fast growing areas.

The issue you have is the longer you leave it, the less chance you have of growing that supporter base. Dam if you do scenario!!! it may struggle to support a team, but you'll have no chance another 10 years down the track.