16th Team in the NRL.....Wellington?

[Ms.Storm]

Saw on the News tonight, that NZ are pushing to have the 16th team to come out of that country.

This is going to be one big bumfight IMO, because Singo wants the Bears to be re-admitted and really we should have another Brisbane team, or a team out of the Gold Coast..

Personally, I would love to see Perth and Adel. get teams (with plenty of support needed here) and a couple of the Sydney teams relocating some of their games.

Any ideas on this one?

 

[Player]

Wellington, very marginal I would have thought.

(1) I'm not sure adding another sub 10,000 crowd team to the competition would add.

(2) Without a Leagues Club the Warriors depend on nationwide pay TV revenue to stay afloat ($7 million from memory last year), I'm sure they would gladly forgo $3.5 million dollars.

Remembering where the Warriors were two years ago I think it would not be a very wise move at all.

Mind you the threat of Wellington (Wellingtons? Dukes? Bombers?) might force the Warriors to play more games (ie at least one) in the rest of the country.

 

[I_LUV_AFL]

Wellington would attract atleast 15,000 for the first year and then the support would only grow but I think it is a bit early now.

 

[Ms.Storm]

Tatuki and Player
I suppose you guys are somewhat agreeing that another team should be playing out of NZ, but later on.

Finances are important to a club....Storm are in a similar position where Ch.9 have asked to do their games live against the gate again next year (much to the chagrin of supporters here in Melb. as many can't make that particular timeslot).

I think Moff posted on another thread that there are about 10,000 kids playing rugby league in NZ, so the future sounds promising.

I know we have discussed expanion of league before on other threads, but as mentioned in my above post, I would love the NRL to give Perth another chance.

Player:

I'm actually enjoying the rugby on Foxtel of late coming out of NZ...player can you give me a bit of a run down on the comp. being played at the moment....I do like Union too.

 

[I_LUV_AFL]

Ms.Storm- There are actually closer to 40,000 playing the game in NZ.
I agree there should be a team there but not for a fair while yet. I thing the Auckland Warriors success will increase that figure by alot more.

 

[Player]

A couple of points

According to "Player" (nifty name that) August 2002 rugby league player numbers in New Zealand are down 31 percent since 1996. The last player numbers I saw for league was about 96 and the report said 22,000.

But playing the game and supporting it are two completing different issues. It is difficult to measure but there is no way support for League mirrors the fall in player numbers.

For a Wellington team I'd follow a Super12 model, base the team in Wellington but play half the games in Wellington and the other half in Christchurch.

For local fans it would be rare enough that at each venue the game is a novetly, but long enough that you are involved, if you get my drift.

Thinking about it the biggest difficulty would be choosing a home ground in Wellington, The first class 'Cake Tin' has thousands of life members who won't contribute a cent to a new team, or the Basin which has a fine grass bank for test cricket but must be pretty ordinary for rugby league.

New Zealand Rugby? How long is a piece of string.

The National Provincial Championship (NPC)
Three Divisions of Nine teams with a promotion/relegation game. Round Robin where you play everybody in your division once and 1v4,2v3 finals.

Ranfurly Shield (The 'Log of Wood', the 'Log', the 'Shield') where the holder (Currently Canterbury) is challenged for the shield on every home game, and the challenger must win the game to take the shield. A shield challenge is easily the biggest regular season game of the year.

WAIKATO (Mooloo/The Mooloomen)
Red, Yellow and Black hoops.

Played at the same ground, in an unchanged Jersey with the same sponsor since 1923.

Famous for:
Cowbells
Corrupting the ole song to Mooloo ole ole ole
Not 'updating' our Jersey in the 90s.
A city with the population of 100,000 main rivals having in excess of 1 million.

Beating the Sprinboks in 1956
Winning the Ranfurly Shield off Auckland in 1980 while still in the second division
Twice beating the invincible Auckland team at Eden Park in the 1992 semifinal/1993 Ranfurly Challenge.

http://www.nzrugby.com/2002/history/ranfurly.asp

Audio of Arthur Stone's 80 intercept try and the end of the 93 challenge.

'Up and Under, here we go,
Are you ready yes or no.

Up and Under, here we go,
Is the song of the Waikato front row.'
(Waikato Song 1980)

Waikato's got Mooloo Magic,
On the park we are supreme.

And it's clear for all to see,
For national champions are we,
Waikato's the greatest rugby team.
(Waikato Song 1992)

We'll all part of Mitchell's army,
We'll all part of Mitchell's team.

And we will show 'em how it feels,
When we take away their shield,
Waikato's the greatest rugby team.
(Waikato Song 1993)

What I posted on AFL Grand Final Day on another board:

WAIKATO vs AUCKLAND

Waikato Stadium Hamilton

Saturday 28 September 2002 2:35pm

Aisle 39 Row N Seat 39 Price $25.00

Waikato 25 (Regan King, Bruce Reihana tries; David Hill 5 pen)

Auckland 16 (Iliesa Tanivula (which wasn't), Brent Ward tries; Carlos Spencer 2 pen)

Halftime: 14-6.

Auckland since 1984
NPC Champions: 84,85,87,88,89,90,93,94,95,96,99
Ranfurly Shield Holders: 85,86,87,88,89,90,91,92,93,96,97, (might have missed a couple of years)

Waikato since 1984
NPC first division relegation: 86
NPC second division promotion: 87
NPC Champions: 92
Ranfurly Shield Holders: 93,94,96,97,98,99

When Waikato's accomplishments make them one of the most successful domestic teams of the era (over twenty years I can still count all our Auckland victories on one hand), you begin to appreciate the attitude most rugby supporters have towards Auckland.

A domestic competition like this, effectively the Scottish Premier League without Celtic, is the very reason the NRL got traction in New Zealand 10 years ago, and why I believe by the end of the decade the AFL will be a major niche (an oxymoron? but you probably get the idea) sport in New Zealand.

Even in the Super12 I secretly barrack for the Australian teams when they play them.

One Collingwood fan certainly celebrated a rare win.

All that said Canturbury should win the NPC this year, beating an injury depleted Waikato in the final.

 

[Player]

Isn't that like the net, go to the effort of finding a site, listen to the audio, post a link, and then the site goes dead.

 

[fabulousphil]

Originally posted by Ms.Storm


This is going to be one big bumfight IMO,

Is that why they call league players bumsniffers ?????

 

[I_LUV_AFL]

I think that is referring to the scrums but it's alot better then what some of th AFL players are called.

 

[fabulousphil]

Originally posted by Tutaki
I think that is referring to the scrums but it's alot better then what some of th AFL players are called.

Bumsniffing ........... hmmm ............. its got to happen in those scrums...... sticking your head up someones bum........... surely youd have to get a whiff........... everyone seems to deny that they do it, but i reckon they do but just dont admit it.

Its not my cup of tea but surely theres no shame in it, doesnt make you gay or anything ( not that theres anything wrong with that )

 

[Player]

I know this was a bit of a hot topic on the AFL board so TV audiences according Neilson (sp?) Media Research:

NRL Grandfinal
SKY TV (live) 505,000
TV3 (1 hour delay) 440,000

950,000 ia about 250,000 less than watched the semi-final showing how pathetic Sunday night finals are for New Zealand

AFL Grand Final
PRIME TV 50,800

 

[MoffOnTou]

i dunno, we cant please everyone. I take the point of NZ having poor viewer numbers, but goodness sakes, it was the biggest footy game in the country for ages and it would've finished by midnight right?? Come on, for goodness sakes, do they all go to bed early to milk the cows in the morning??

Moffo

 

[fabulousphil]

Originally posted by MoffOnTou
Come on, for goodness sakes, do they all go to bed early to milk the cows in the morning??

Moffo

No but sheep are always early to bed...............

 

[MoffOnTou]

Perhaps the question is, early to bed with whom???

Moffo

 

[Ms.Storm]

Player

Originally posted by Player
I know this was a bit of a hot topic on the AFL board so TV audiences according Neilson (sp?) Media Research:

NRL Grandfinal
SKY TV (live) 505,000
TV3 (1 hour delay) 440,000

950,000 ia about 250,000 less than watched the semi-final showing how pathetic Sunday night finals are for New Zealand

AFL Grand Final
PRIME TV 50,800

Thanks for those figures......did you post them on the afl board?
Hope so

Also thank you for the info on Union....much appreciated.

Will be watching this Sat. night.

 

[Ms.Storm]

Fantastic Phil

Originally posted by fabulousphil


Bumsniffing ........... hmmm ............. its got to happen in those scrums...... sticking your head up someones bum........... surely youd have to get a whiff........... everyone seems to deny that they do it, but i reckon they do but just dont admit it.

Its not my cup of tea but surely theres no shame in it, doesnt make you gay or anything ( not that theres anything wrong with that )

Hi Phil

What a difference it makes to a message board when moderators are appointed ?

Anyway...welcome

Bumsniffing = rugby union more so.....if you know your sport

You have forgotten :

RL = Thugby
RL = Thick Necks (lol)
-------------------------------------
AFL = GayFl
AFL = Aerial Ping Pong
AFL = Basketball with Kicking
AFL = AwFl

Only kidding Phil

 

[I_LUV_AFL]

Basketball with kicking is a new one but all the others are well known.

 

[fabulousphil]

Re: Fantastic Phil

Originally posted by Ms.Storm


Hi Phil

What a difference it makes to a message board when moderators are appointed ?

Anyway...welcome

Bumsniffing = rugby union more so.....if you know your sport

You have forgotten :

RL = Thugby
RL = Thick Necks (lol)
-------------------------------------
AFL = GayFl
AFL = Aerial Ping Pong
AFL = Basketball with Kicking
AFL = AwFl

Only kidding Phil

You took your time i posted my smartarse remarks ages ago.

 

[fabulousphil]

Originally posted by Tutaki
Basketball with kicking

Only if its Kung fu kicking, that would get the crowds in.

 

[Ms.Storm]

Re: Re: Fantastic Phil

Originally posted by fabulousphil


You took your time i posted my smartarse remarks ages ago.

Haven't had much time on the net lately but better late than never.

There's more where they came from, if you want

 

[fabulousphil]

Originally posted by Tutaki
Basketball with kicking is a new one but all the others are well known.

Actually i think u mean cross country basketball

 

[I_LUV_AFL]

Say what?