From my cold dead hands...

[Supermercado]

Now this is obviously just a ruse to try and get the NRL to approve the Gold Coast bid - and their Miami Dolphins ripoff uniform - for the 16th spot in their league but it's disturbing nonetheless.

From - http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/08/03/1091476495051.html?oneclick=true

NRL chief executive David Gallop will this week make inquiries with his AFL contacts after being told the Melbourne Demons may relocate to the Gold Coast.

Alarmed after hearing the AFL had offered to contribute to an upgrade of Carrara Stadium, the head of the city's NRL bid team yesterday was granted a meeting with Gallop.

"We've been told, and I think it's been reinforced today by the Gold Coast City Council, that there's been an expression of interest to play games there in 2006 with a view to fast-tracking a relocation to the area," bid chief Michael Searle said.

Searle admitted to a degree of panic at the news and warned Gallop in Sydney the NRL would be "locked out" of south-east Queensland if it did not announce on August 16 that the Gold Coast Dolphins would join the league in 2006.

But Gallop appears to have already heard about suggestions of the Demons' move - which would send shockwaves through the AFL if confirmed publicly.

Hawthorn - who last night confirmed an interest in playing games at Carrara - the Kangaroos and the Western Bulldogs were also mentioned at yesterday's meeting, as were reports of a letter from the Demons to the Gold Coast City Council expressing interest in relocation.

Searle said: "We always assumed AFL would come to south-east Queensland around 2012, 2015, which for us would have been adequate lead time if we were in in 2006. This isn't a fear campaign, it's a fact campaign."

Dolphins official Ian Buchanan added: "The Southport Sharks [AFLQ side] have been talking to a team down there [in Melbourne] about relocating up here."

Gallop said he would try to get to the bottom of the speculation as soon as possible.

"We will obviously make our own inquiries," he said. "We've got people ... I can't tell you who. Obviously there are huge challenges in relocating teams holus-bolus. There are a lot of hurdles.

"It's a significant thing to think about when we are considering taking a foothold in what is obviously fertile and uncluttered territory.

"That's one of the attractions of the Gold Coast - the massive population and no other football code or team in a national competition.

"It will obviously be part of what we [NRL partnership] talk about when we get together."

The NRL CEO also revealed for the first time other regions had expressed interest in joining the competition in recent months - but would not reveal their identity or how many there were. "Not with the level of detail that these three [disclosed] bid teams have provided," he said. "I can't say [who they are] because I don't know if they want people to know."

Gallop said the three applicants for the 16th NRL licence - the others are Central Coast and Wellington - should be prepared for the fact that there may be no announcement on August 16, or that no new team would be admitted.

"For a 2006 kick-off, I don't see what difference a little bit more time will make" he said.

"Apart from playing strength, clubs have been put together in much shorter time frames than that."

Gallop said adding no new teams was " obviously one of the options, particularly when we've got major television contracts coming up and uncertainty about what our revenue position will be until those contracts are finalised.

"And you've got the poker machine tax," he said.

I don't believe a second of it but let me tell you there'd be a trail of blood from Melbourne to Queensland if they tried to pull this **** for real.

 

[MightyFighting]

I don't believe it either, but:

http://www.crikey.com.au/columnists/2004/08/04-0002.html

 

[melbournemartin]

i'd move to queensland

and i mean that atleast semi seriously

YOU CANT TAKE MY DEMONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[BT]

I wonder who Gallop's "AFL contacts" are?

Caroline Wilson? Patrick Smith or anyone else from his rag?

 

[Supermercado]

i'd move to queensland

I'd stop watching AFL

 

[MightyFighting]

I suspect that Melbourne was just discussing playing a few home games in Carrara (probably in 2006). And the Sydney media got hold of the story, and beat it up. That'd be why the Melbourne media haven't mentioned it (to my knowledge).