3rd tier is back in 2014 [Discontinued]

[mudskipper]

These teams will be run by the state unions/super franchises (which are being re-merged in most states I think). They might sell the second sydney team to private investors but who knows.

I'd like to see good tier 3 rugby back at North Sydney oval... a great ground to catch a match...

 

[gel]

I Am quite surprised they went this way. It seems to be quite an expensive option to take given the existing (reported) financial situation the ARU has. Almost has an air of "all in" desperation.

The brisbane and sydney club comps appeared to be the perfect breeding ground of organically growing the Australian competition.

Creating something completely new is not only very expensive, it also creates another fracture in the already broken landscape that is Australian rugby. Growing the 3rd tier through the evolution of the club scene just seemed logical.

I can't really recall many successful competitions that have been created out of nothing in the modern era without reference to the existing competition at the time, but I could be massively wrong on that point (I haven't paid close enough attention tbh).

On a supporter not, who do I go for??? Ballymore team 1 or ballymore team 2? Home and away and identity do actually mean something if you want people to buy the jerseys, buy the memberships, attend all the games and pay to watch the matches. And the local match ups can generate the most intense feelings.

Not saying the NRC is terrible, just having trouble really seeing it as the best option.

Oh well.

 

[mudskipper]

In the ACT the Vikings club could afford to enter a team easily, they also have a quality local ground , the draw back is its in the burbs thou... People would enjoy Manuka more...

 

[RugbyFuture]

Ideally this would be good but a I have two queries.

1. If Sunny Coast can't produce a decent Hospital Cup team then how will they produce a good team for this kind of a comp? I think a more realistic option is having a Gold Coast team play a game or two there. It's not ideal but the concept of the "East Coast Aces" is a silly one.

2. Country NSW is unfeasible, it's too sparse and it's unrealistic to presume they'll get a good team together to play a semi-pro competition for a 2 month period. That involves a lot of guys moving a long way for a long shot and they'd likely get killed because they'd have little or no Super Rugby players. I think more realistic would be the better country players moving to Cent Coast or Sydney (where most of the better 'country' players are already playing) for the opportunity to play this level. Alternatively, you COULD have them play out Newcastle, but like I said it's asking a lot of guys.

I was just thinking the capability of this competition would be to try and spread some of the geographic and socio-spread of rugby. given funding and time with good management (which needs to be focused on heavily as the FFA have done with the a-league) any team can be successful, but I see your point.

I definitely see the only viable option of a country team being played out of either the illawarra or newcastle, both of which put out occasionally some good players. but again not having something there also overcomes some of the money issues this competition will likely have initially at least I suppose.

This all shows though that either you have metro area teams or its only an 8 team competition viably however.

So in light of that, heres a further elaborated suggestion, taking into account other peoples input

It means you have (with playing location and commercial names because I personally think these teams should have a bit of brand fun)

Western Sydney Rams - Parramatta - orange and black

The Rams were a popular brand I thought for a western sydney team, even with little support and in order to be viable as a WS team they have to play out of Parra. Anyone who can even think of Concord or Eastwood as purely "western Sydney" should probably get their head into the real world (though we should still have those clubs linked to this team). Both are inner city bourgeoisie. Even looking into concord you would find most people would be more willing to support a city team than WS team because of class divides and aspirations. Further to this most of the central core rugby supporters in the Eastwood area have moved further east with a growth in wealth and isolation from the asian cultures which have developed there. (I know I have)

North Sydney Rays - Central Coast Stadium/North Sydney Oval - blue and green

I think a north sydney team with Central coast links could be a very viable option. They have some of the significant teams north of the harbour from the shute shield, Some of those teams aren't as strong anymore (hello gordon) but it’s still a viable choice and a good stretch to attract more attention from the central coast with only a soccer team to compete with there. It could potentially be used to swing away some leagueys in that area too, but would still have the strength of northern sydney rugby.

Sydney RFC "The Sailors" - Concord Oval - Sky Blue and yellow

The old Sydney fleet had alot against them. The brand was terrible and had no connection to tah supporters, and they didn't actually play in Sydney.... Even though its slightly afar I think its a great idea to utilise the infrastructure at concord oval, and I can't think of any other sydney style rugby parks that could be afforded to this team. I think going more traditional with their brand and widening the catchment area for the team would also help with greater success.

Canberra kookaburras – Canberra stadium – brumbies colours
I didn’t like the Vikings thing with its similarity to a single (albeit successful) club in Canberra and thought there might be some strong resolve from the oldies about bringing back the name that formed the genesis of the brumbies
Melbourne Renegades – aami stadium – Blue and White with red
Obviously the old brand outlasted the competition and its important to maintain that support, I think having a team supplementary to the rebels with a similar name but not necessarily the same would be a strong way to link but also differentiate. The ravenous supporters at the rebel army may have other opinions however I think this team would be assured some success no matter what.
Perth Pythons – NIB stadium – Black and Gold
Another easy one step city/state team, going with traditional colours and a fun name with links to the desert
Brisbane Bandicoots – Ballymore - Maroon and black
Basing at Ballymore is easy to say, Maroon with a supplementary too. It’s the other team that’s difficult.

--------------------------------------------

Obviously for ten teams you have to have 3 more teams and its hard now because Im unfamiliar with the traditions in Brisbane rugby etc, but I do think Queensland can sustain three teams, one of course being based at Ballymore as Brisbane, and another 2 somewhere else. However with an 8 team competition you could finish with two teams in Brisbane that are strong I suppose, I can’t help but think that 10 teams is stretching a bit far and have no idea of any other areas they could go in based on what people are saying.

….then again I’ve always found that some people are a bit negative with rugby’s abilities to spread, though that could be me being unrealistic.

Further to all this as other people have stated (I think it’s wrong to say it shouldn’t happen, it’s just a fact now that it’s going to) there needs to be strong brands from the start and I think one of the failures of the ARC was a lack of emphasis on tradition. As much as people pay aus rugby out for it its part of the culture and even creating a new set of traditions is stronger than just ignoring that culture altogether, there are links that can be made everywhere. For instance, I think that if they were to compete for a trophy it should be named for Barack Square, where the first games were supposedly played in legend and be made out of traditional wood rather than new industrial designed trophy styles. Jerseys have to be unique but reflective of traditional rugby styles, hoops and collars. Even with some of these clubs sticking with traditional monogram style logos would attract some attention.

Sorry for the long post.

 

[Slim 293]

Canberra kookaburras – Canberra stadium – brumbies colours
I didn’t like the Vikings thing with its similarity to a single (albeit successful) club in Canberra and thought there might be some strong resolve from the oldies about bringing back the name that formed the genesis of the brumbies

That's probably ideal, but Vikings are putting in all the money.........

 

[BigSteve]

The second Brisbane team, presumably south Bris, could easily be hosted at the UQ grounds which fits at least 1500 in the stands. it is only a 5 minute walk across the bridge at yeronga, which is the closest quality stadium to the south side.

 

[SouthernX]

The second Brisbane team, presumably south Bris, could easily be hosted at the UQ grounds which fits at least 1500 in the stands. it is only a 5 minute walk across the bridge at yeronga, which is the closest quality stadium to the south side.

It's on the northside of the river. West end is the south side. st Lucia is not

 

[tigerland12]

The second Brisbane team, presumably south Bris, could easily be hosted at the UQ grounds which fits at least 1500 in the stands. it is only a 5 minute walk across the bridge at yeronga, which is the closest quality stadium to the south side.

It's not an enclosed ground though, so they'd lose a fair bit from ticketing sales.

Brothers set-up is good for watching the footy (the hill and the clubhouse bit), but it is a dump right now. The fields are shocking and the facilities are pretty poor.

Sunnybank, Easts, GPS, Wests, Souths and Norths are just standard suburban fields and don't have the necessary facilities.


Jets Langlands park suggestion was a good one, that was the first ground that came to my mind, but obviously wouldn't work.

Maybe we should be getting onto one of the Schools about it

Marist Ashgrove could hold a few, and Villa Park is one of the best schoolboy grounds in Brisbane (you can tell I'm an Old Boy!).

All fantasy thoughts, the only viable option is for both teams to play out of Ballymore. I for one would happily watch double-headers there every second weekend or so.

 

[Jets]

Davies Park in West End is an option too. Walking distance from South Bank and close to the city. As sad as it is to say the further out you go the further you are away from the money.

It could be win/win as a rugby team being based there to play would open up options for funding upgrades to the stadium so they'd probably get a good rate. The team could train out of Premier team grounds (I know one that has a great gym they could use )

Schools will be an issue as most don't permit alcohol on their grounds and that's going to be a revenue source.

South Brisbane Bilbies?? I'd support a team called the Wombats.

 

[Jets]

Brisbane Tree Frogs or Brisbane Poinsettias

http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/abou...tes/council-history/council-symbols/index.htm

The jersey attached would go ok too, Old Brisbane League jersey from 1984.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Combined-Brisbane-Vintage-Jersey-Design-New-Numbered-Small-/111208384805

 

[Jets]

Apparently will start in mid August and run through to October.

As for the financial viability it will work out when the next TV rights deal is sorted out.

 

[thierry dusautoir]

If any teams like sydney uni or Sunny bank enter this competition as a stand alone club they should be excluded from the premier comp as it will just create a player drain.

 

[wamberal]

I understand that, but the fact is that through the mismanagement of finances at both the Rebels and Force, the entire country is suffering because the ARU are using $10 million a year to cover it. People have lost their jobs, programs have been cut, support of grass roots has been all but removed to prop up those two franchises.

That's a pretty dismal picture. Are you sure that there is a net deficit of $10 mill a year, or are the losses offset by additional revenues, for example, from the broadcaster?

 

[Done that]

If any teams like sydney uni or Sunny bank enter this competition as a stand alone club they should be excluded from the premier comp as it will just create a player drain.

It remains to be seen what the structure & identity of participating teams will be in the proposed new competition.If individual teams from the Shute Shield & Brisbane comps.
for example, are invited to partticipate, then the likely consequence would be that aspiring & ambitious players would more likely want to play for that club
as it would increase their chances of further honours , & in so doing would leave their current club thus making the club competition even more polarised than it currently
is.To exclude Sydney Uni & Sunnybank for example from their respective club competitions however ,leaves them with no competition in which to participate for much
of the normal season.It would seem logical therefore, to not include individual stand alone clubs in the proposed competition.

 

[GaffaCHinO]

Yeah i want to know were u got this 5million figure from and not just "its well known"

Sent from my GT-I9300T using Tapatalk 2

 

[Quick Hands]

Based on what's been attributed to the Pulveriser in the newspapers, he wants to provide a pathway in Canberra, Perth and Melbourne as well as servicing the rugby strongholds of Sydney and Brisbane. He's not concerned about losing money in the first 2-3 years, so expanding into non-traditional rugby areas is also on the agenda. If he's been quoted correctly, he's saved $3.5 mil in wages at head office & players and another $2.5 mil closing Syd & Bris academies.

That being the case, the best 10 team competition that I could see would be:
Perth
Melbourne
Canberra
Sydney North East (based on northern beaches/north shore)
Sydney North West (based eastwood/parramatta)
Sydney South East (rand/east/SD)
Sydney South West (based at Cambelltown)
Brisbane North
Brisbane South

This leaves one team open - either 2nd team in Canberra, or 3rd in Brisbane, or in another place that people smarter than me can come up with.

 

[thierry dusautoir]

To exclude Sydney Uni & Sunnybank for example from their respective club competitions however ,leaves them with no competition in which to participate for much
.

If wouldn't be logical at all to use any individual club.

If the ARU chooses to Elevate existing clubs to the national comp then it should be at the expense of their participation in the premier comp, it's the price of doing business. People have been looking to perturb the dominance of clubs like Sydney Uni not compound it.

However if they favour existing clubs over others they are pretty much rubber stamping the situation as phenomenon that does not bother them. However it needs to be noted that the proposed new schedule will weaken Sydney University during the Premier season as it will cut off the majority of their super rugby player supply; and let's face it they usually don't begin to truly dominate until the final few rounds when all their super players return. So by the time finals roll around this year for shute shield, they will be mere mortals like everyone else.

Don't get me wrong if they Sydney Uni would make a great base for one of the ARC clubs, they have everything that an elite rugby team would need.........but to give it's own sole franchise and then allow them to stay in the premier comp is a bad idea.

 

[Jets]

I think it should be an 8 team comp. 2 Bris, 3 Syd, Perth, Melb & Canb

 

[Crashy]

8 teams for me.

West Sydney Rams is a must. They could potentially play out of St Mary’s, TG Milner and Parra Stadium.
Sydney North
Sydney Fleet
Canberra
Melbourne
Perth - I think the Perth team in the ARC has a great jersey which represented the history of the team there.
North Bris
South Bris – one of which must play out of Ballymore.

What we need to ensure is that the Shute Shield is given a full 18 – 20 rounds plus finals – as well as the other comps around the country.

We have to promise each other to go to the games and encourage others as well. There is no doubt the Currie Cup and NPC dig up (and retain a lot of talent) and if managed correctly this should work well with the existing clubs.

 

[Hawko]

Based on what's been attributed to the Pulveriser in the newspapers, he wants to provide a pathway in Canberra, Perth and Melbourne as well as servicing the rugby strongholds of Sydney and Brisbane. He's not concerned about losing money in the first 2-3 years, so expanding into non-traditional rugby areas is also on the agenda. If he's been quoted correctly, he's saved $3.5 mil in wages at head office & players and another $2.5 mil closing Syd & Bris academies.

That being the case, the best 10 team competition that I could see would be:
Perth
Melbourne
Canberra
Sydney North East (based on northern beaches/north shore)
Sydney North West (based eastwood/parramatta)
Sydney South East (rand/east/SD)
Sydney South West (based at Cambelltown)
Brisbane North
Brisbane South

This leaves one team open - either 2nd team in Canberra, or 3rd in Brisbane, or in another place that people smarter than me can come up with.

If we must have 10 then the third team would have to be in Brisbane. But three in Brisbane and four in Sydney would severely deplete the available talent. Remember that these teams will be the Super squads minus forty players in the Wallabies. Super is five squads of thirty five players, but Canberra, Melbourne and Perth will want to have their non-Wallaby squad players quarantined. So, while those three teams will have virtually full Super squads to pick from, there will be about 20-25 Sydney based players to be distributed between four teams and about 20-25 Brisbane based players to be divided between three teams. Chances of a Brisbane or Sydney team ever winning are close to zero because they won't have enough quality players available.

I can't see anything but an eight team comp working (three Sydney, two Brisbane, one for the other states). Given that it will start after Super rugby finishes it will be seven regular weeks plus two weeks of finals - all over by early to mid October at the latest.That's good timing, after that you are into summer sports and Super preseason.