Mark Gasnier: Why the NRL can’t afford to get it wrong on expansion

The NRL’s expansion plans should not be designed to vested interests or generate positive headlines — they should enable our game to evolve and properly, writes MARK GASNIER.

How would fans react if their club was relocated? Image: AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts

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“Expand or die” was one of the first things said by Peter Beattie when he became ARLC chairman in February last year.

But what does that really mean?

Does it mean expand to please because we don’t have enough money to invest to expand properly as we haven’t managed our budget well since the ARLC’s inception and tough calls may result in us losing our position on the commission?

Expansion to my understanding would mean to create another team in a state, region or area where league is less prominent, to, among other things, promote the game, drive participation and implement a junior pathway system in the hope of creating local heroes and ultimately self-sufficiency.

The work put into Melbourne Storm in 1998 shows what the competition must do now.

The Melbourne Storm is the best example.

The Storm cost the game a lot of money, in particular News Corp, but they should be used as an example of what expansion is and what investment is needed for expansion to work.

By all reports the commission has earmarked a second Brisbane team as their expansion plan.

Implementing a second Brisbane team purely appeases Queensland so they don’t lose a large chunk of talent to the NSW clubs, which currently happens and frustrates Queensland fans.

That is not expansion to me, again expansion is the Melbourne Storm. The game is in the midst of working out its expansion plans, with Todd Greenberg expected to produce a document to the commission by the end of the year.

If Beattie was true in his approach to “expand or die” then once due diligence was done and states, areas or regions have been identified, then tough calls would have to be made in regards to relocating some Sydney teams.

Is Peter Beattie on the right track? Image: Damian Shaw

Beattie said in June “clearly Queensland need another team, that is obvious”. I question why this is so obvious?

Is it based on participation rates?

Is it because Queensland fans fill stadiums more regularly than Sydneysiders?

If they are the reasons then wouldn’t country rugby league be an obvious choice for a team as well?

The last time a report was commissioned on participation in mid-2017 Queensland Rugby League only had 1890 more registered players than Country Rugby League and unlike Queensland bush footy doesn’t have a stadium to fill with regular games to display their passion and love of the game.

So “obviously” rural NSW needs a team based on Beattie’s metrics.

Or do we forget about our alliances, subconscious to please those around us and make some tough calls for the betterment of the game long term?

By that I mean relocate some Sydney teams to achieve the true purpose of expansion. We will lose some fans from the teams that get relocated. There is no doubt about that and there are no guarantees the ones we pick up will outweigh those we lose in the short term.

How would fans react if their club was relocated? Image: AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts

In the long term though I believe we will and if we are to ever expand and thrive as a game a generational mindset change is required.

This doesn’t have to happen in an autocratic way, include the clubs in key conversations and incentivise relocation for them, as they have given the game more than most.

Ask those involved in the game for a long time, did they ever think a merger would happen between CRL and NSWRL?

Not a chance but it is going to happen. Why? For the good of the game.

All the best players, businesses and leaders evolve.

The game should be thinking “evolve or die” not “expand or die” as the evolution of the game involves expansion in its true sense.

Originally published as Mark Gasnier: Why the NRL can’t afford to get it wrong on expansion