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Ideas for NRC

Dave Beat

Paul McLean (56)
You're not wrong Dave, but with the exception of props (Recruiting first Duncan Chubb and then when Tim Metcher was injured, Tom Moloney), we were already much better in 2015 compared to 2014.

Aside from Placid and the starting halves, most of the backs were Dewar Boys.

Plus Murray Douglas, Pom Simona, Fereti Sa'aga and the Hooker who's name escapes me ATM were regulars in the forward pack, along with this year's Vic U20 hooker Jordan Uelese making his debut.

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Love that sort of news.
Because i dont know - when you say Dewar boys do you mean players that have come from elsewhere to play for the Rebels and now have to play in the Dewar. Or are they players that came up through the Dewar competition over the last couple of years?
 

Highlander35

Andrew Slack (58)
By Dewar boys I mean the local players, not the drop ins from the Rebels.

While they're not necessarily Victorians, they play for Local Clubs

Mitch Andrews- Unicorns
Murray Douglas- Harlequins
Maradona Farao- Quins
Stacey Ili- Uni
Lloyd Johansson- Quins
Justin Marsters-Quins
Fereti Sa'aga- Uni
Pom Simona- Quins
Leo Taliu- Quins
Sione Tuipulotu- Southern Districts
Filipe Vilitati- Box Hill

All of the above played at least 3 games this season, a number of them 6 or more.

It's not a huge amount, but our 11-14 and 21-23 were regularly composed of only Dewar Shield players. Along with a few local heads sprinkled throughout the forward pack.

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Dave Beat

Paul McLean (56)
By Dewar boys I mean the local players, not the drop ins from the Rebels.

While they're not necessarily Victorians, they play for Local Clubs

Mitch Andrews- Unicorns
Murray Douglas- Harlequins
Maradona Farao- Quins
Stacey Ili- Uni
Lloyd Johansson- Quins
Justin Marsters-Quins
Fereti Sa'aga- Uni
Pom Simona- Quins
Leo Taliu- Quins
Sione Tuipulotu- Southern Districts
Filipe Vilitati- Boxes Hill

All of the above played at least 3 games this season, a number of them 6 or more.

It's not a huge amount, but our 11-14 and 21-23 were regularly composed of only Dewar Shield players. Along with a few local heads sprinkled throughout the forward pack.

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That's great, the bigger that list gets the better it is for rugby.
 

neilc

Bob Loudon (25)
With regard to Adelaide not being viable for a team base there, why not take the AFL model where one of the established teams regularly plays some matches there - say it was the Stars, and get them to play 2 home matches in Adelaide each season, as the AFL does in Tasmania (and used to do on the Gold Coast until the GC Suns were introduced) to build up the support.

They could work with the local rugby community - hold training sessions for kids and emerging players etc, get media attention. I know that the Tasmanian Govt sponsors the AFL team that goes there (not sure which one it is) because it develops tourism, and it caters to the local AFL fans there who probably buy team merchandise etc.

I think that this would be a way to build the support without the overall cost of putting a team there when the infrastructure isn't developed enough. Yes there would be costs to the ARU for the travel of the teams to get there but this is part of growing the game. While the Rising might be more close geographically to Adelaide I think they need to keep working on growing the support in Victoria, and since the NSW teams are struggling for support, get one of them to take a couple of games - might get a bigger crowd than the Stars did at home. Possibly Sydney Uni has some links to Adelaide Uni so could tie this in as well.
 

Ozee316

Ward Prentice (10)
It makes perfect sense for NSW Country to align with the Brumbies.
The competition was not hemorrhaging money so give the teams a chance to consolidate their strategies and relationships with clubs and Super teams.

Long Term the NRC and Super Rugby could aim for a 6/12 team ratio by 2020:

Reds - 2 teams
Waratahs - 2 teams
Sydney Rams - 2 teams
Brumbies - 2 teams
Rebels - 2 teams (Spirit + Adelaide)
Force - 2 Teams

TOTAL 12 teams
 

Ozee316

Ward Prentice (10)
Maybe not yet but the same could have been said of the Rebels and Force. Also we are talking about an NRC team so it is semi-pro level and there are a number of people in other provinces who would jump at the chance.

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kiap

Steve Williams (59)
It makes perfect sense for NSW Country to align with the Brumbies.
It really does. Not sure that the Brumbies want it though.

The only way it would have even an ice cream's chance in hell is for it to be another partnership where the third party brings all the dough and the Ponies mainly contribute in kind (i.e. release players and perhaps provide coaches).

Plus they'd have to be bullied into it by the ARU.

I mean even the Vikings' money wasn't good enough for sanctified Canberrans (;)) so the Brumbies are going to boot the Red and Whites into touch.

Long Term the NRC and Super Rugby could aim for a 6/12 team ratio by 2020:

Reds - 2 teams
Waratahs - 2 teams
Sydney Rams - 2 teams
Brumbies - 2 teams
Rebels - 2 teams (Spirit + Adelaide)
Force - 2 Teams

TOTAL 12 teams
That's aiming high!

But I like that goal - even the Rams as a potential 6th Supe side.
 

Ozee316

Ward Prentice (10)
Yes it's interesting how it works out. In the beginning of Super Rugby in New Zealand each Franchise was 'aligned' with 3-4 provinces the spanned the first to third division within their region. For instance the Chiefs originally had Waikato, Bay of Plenty, King Country and Thames Valley. In the original rules a player could not play for the Chiefs unless signed for one of those teams. This was originally devised because those unions collectively owned the Chiefs together with NZR and they effectively ran the Chiefs team. However cracks began to show when players who wanted to change Super teams couldn't because they needed to sign up to an NPC team. We had All Blacks signing up to play for 3rd division teams they would never play for in order to move Super Clubs. At the same time Super Franchises were partially privatized and recruitment became more international. The regional model became untenable and was abandoned about 4 or 5 years back but there is still a strong unofficial link between Super Clubs and local NPC teams.

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Ozee316

Ward Prentice (10)
This Season the Chiefs have recruited Dominic Bird from the Canterbury ITM Cup team while the Crusaders recruited Marty McKenzie from Taranaki and the Chiefs

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kiap

Steve Williams (59)
The regional model became untenable and was abandoned about 4 or 5 years back but there is still a strong unofficial link between Super Clubs and local NPC teams.

Yup, I'm always interested in the history of these things.

Australian rugby should be stealing good deas from NZ, but the provinces (regional model) is not one that we can use, IMO. It was a legacy of the way the amateur game developed over there that, to an extent, became ingrained. But unlike the Kiwis and Saffers, our game didn't grow provincial identities so much in that way.

Something that it appears we haven't done properly, though, is the Challenge trophy. Every NZ team that wins the log o' wood gets their name on the Ranfurly Shield.

But I fear the ARU have stuffed it up when nicking the concept and forgot to read the instructions. They've turned our version into a plate for the NRC's minor premiership ... yawn ... zzzzzzz.
 
T

TOCC

Guest
Jeez mate it's only been one season, doesn't help that Brisbane City haven't lost a game since 2014


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kiap

Steve Williams (59)
Jeez mate it's only been one season, doesn't help that Brisbane City haven't lost a game since 2014

Which mean's it's not late for the ARU to fix it!

:)

After all the impetus G&GR put into the thing, it's the least they could do.
 

Ozee316

Ward Prentice (10)
Yes Ranfurly Shield is still huge in NZ Rugby. Waikato won it of Hawkes Bay in the last game of the season after Waikato not having won anything hardly all season. Coaches and players were all on the line, fans were turning away... Then BOOM! The shield holds mystical powers. It's older and more prestigious than the ITM Cup. And because it's so hard to get and keep winning it is a big deal as you know. I remember going on buses from Hamilton to Auckland as a kid to watch a shield challenge. A couple weeks later I think I watched Waikato in the NPC final on TV

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Ozee316

Ward Prentice (10)
I'm personally not that enthused about the Mitre 10 (ITM) Cup format of 7 Premiership teams + 7 Championship teams. They play all teams in their own division plus four crossover matches.

One good thing about the format is it gives the Championship teams a tilt at the Shield. As mentioned before both the Currie Cup and Mitre 10 Cup have too many teams and neither were able to cull teams. Currie Cup decided to run a full round Robin starting during Super Rugby. NZ tried to demote two unions and faced severe opposition so decided to split 14 teams into two top divisions you see today.

The ITM Cup and Currie Cup have both had their challenges. The Top division of the Currie Cup was basically Super Rugby teams which bores many South Africans. In NZ fitting ITM Cup games in has meant in recent seasons upto 2 midweek matches within 13 weeks which players, coaches and TV fans all found in palatable - rating floored in empty stadiums and players were under pressure and unions were posting losses.

The 2015 season of ITM Cup was a massive turnaround. One midweek game only, a resurgence of Championship division teams beating Premiership teams and widespread calls to merge the divisions as the quality of both have gotten so good. Problem is how you fit in 13 round Robin matches plus finals... But I'd love to see them try!

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blindsider

Billy Sheehan (19)
I've mentioned this before (less teams for 2016) and I'm hearing it again, with Sydney stars and NSW country Eagles in a possible merge.


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WorkingClassRugger

David Codey (61)
So they're going to essentially a Wicks/Easts/Uni alignment. Like they really should have done from day one. Hopefully they continue to run under the NSW Country banner and continue taking games to the country.
 
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