PNG Hunters
- Thread starter AyiosYiorgos
- Start date
Awesome, Im really hoping that if the Nrl extends the comp to 18 teams, PNG are one of them with another Qld team north of Brisvegas. Theres plenty in NSW, Brisbane don't need a second team and we've already tried SA & WA with little success. That's my 2 cents, good luck 2 em. Cheers for sharing
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thenamesgould
OzCardTrader
One word: Wellington.
I wouldn't disagree with that either, think it will be great to have a few more overseas teams, especially a second in NZ. Have heard tho that their not sure if there ready for a second team as yet. After the mass support of the nines tho, I don't see why not aye
thenamesgould
OzCardTrader
Got a crowd of over 30,000 to a Warriors Bulldogs game played in Wellington last year too. I've heard there's two different groups who are interested in starting a side up here.
But anyway, I don't want to hijack the thread.
The Mad Hatter
OzCardTrader
They'd need a decent stadium, and unfortunately, safety is not guaranteed in many parts of PNG. That said, they do love the game of RL up there, so maybe this will unite them towards that goal and benefit the game/country/people in the long run.
I still think Perth, Brisbane 2, Central Qld and 2nd NZ are the next cabs off the rank, but having PNG come in would be see a 3rd country in the NRL along with NZ and Australia.
I still think Perth, Brisbane 2, Central Qld and 2nd NZ are the next cabs off the rank, but having PNG come in would be see a 3rd country in the NRL along with NZ and Australia.
Rugby league is PNG's national sport. The amount of prodigious talent on the small islands surrounding PNG and their love for the game is unfathomable. They are building a new stadium in Port Moresby which is a way off but having them back in the Q Cup is a great start. It will be a tough road trip!!
Is there enough talent out there tho for a National comp with more teams or do we move the GC to Central Q and the Sharks to WA/PNG, expanding the comp by region but not team? We saw 20 teams back around 96 and a couple were only ever second rate. Fair enough that's what the salary cap is for but would it weaken the comp?
Expansion has to be dealt with so carefully or else we will see what happened after 1996 with most of the new teams falling over. Despite not knowing a great deal about RL our CEO is very switched on innbusiness and judging by his efforts in increasing the profitability if RL last season I think he will treat expansion with a conservative approach.
So where should the NRL expand? This is a very tough question, do we merge two Sydney teams or just move one? I don't think this is the answer because Sydney is the heartland of RL and despite having had 2 previous successful merges there is done thing about a Sunday arvo game at one of the local Sydney grounds which really embodies what RL is all about. For me I think we need a central QLD team mainly because of the prodigious talent that comes that area but also the huge geographical distance between Brisbane & Townsville. For a second team I lean more toward WA if we want a truly 'national' RL as opposed to an eastern seaboard RL
So where should the NRL expand? This is a very tough question, do we merge two Sydney teams or just move one? I don't think this is the answer because Sydney is the heartland of RL and despite having had 2 previous successful merges there is done thing about a Sunday arvo game at one of the local Sydney grounds which really embodies what RL is all about. For me I think we need a central QLD team mainly because of the prodigious talent that comes that area but also the huge geographical distance between Brisbane & Townsville. For a second team I lean more toward WA if we want a truly 'national' RL as opposed to an eastern seaboard RL
PNG Hunters beat Redcliffe today 24-18 in their Q Cup debut. For those who are not familiar with the QCup Redcliffe are one of the better teams, especially at Dolphin Oval and are always in the thick of the finals. I watched most of the game, PNG were very impressive in most areas but particularly in attack playing with alot of flair as expected. PNG are at home for the next 3 games which I imagine would be a tough road trip. They don't have a big pack which may cause them dramas as Refcliffe made easy yards and offloads up the middle all day. In saying that they hit hard often and scrambled really well, great day for league!
