Anthony Griffin: NRL needs debate on relocation, not expansion

Axe one, relocate the another. That’s the call from Anthony Griffin, who says going from 16 to 18 NRL teams is not a sustainable option for rugby league given the current state of the game.

Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter Beattie (right) and NRL CEO Todd Greenberg are looking at expansion again. Picture: Getty Images

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Todd Greenberg and the NRL have put expansion back on the agenda.

But what we really should be talking about as a game is relocation.

Going from 16 to 18 teams in my opinion is not a sustainable option for rugby league given the current state of the game.

Two new teams will dilute the product and make it harder to sell. When a franchise hits the ground in a new market it must be elite.

AFL CEO’S EXPANSION ADVICE TO NRL: BEN HORNE”S STORY BELOW

Having been involved in rugby league coaching since 1995 I know the game doesn’t have to the depth to expand.

For the game to grow and open new markets the reduction of Sydney-based clubs is not only inevitable it is essential. This has always been a delicate subject because ultimately it will lead to a ­reduction in Sydney clubs.

Since the end of Super League war there has been an underlying sensitivity to this issue.

Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter Beattie (right) and NRL CEO Todd Greenberg are looking at expansion again. Picture: Getty Images

The birth of the Wests Tigers and the death of the North Sydney Bears provided the league with some breathing space. Now the problem is back, and strong, carefully planned decisions need to be made.

The NRL can learn from the AFL’s expansion headaches. The AFL have poured hundreds of millions (which the NRL don’t have) into expansion “projects”. The Gold Coast Suns have been a terrible black eye for them in every way.

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But every perceived obstacle presents opportunity.

The relocation of a club to a city such as Perth not only makes a lot of sense, it seems inevitable. If a club’s hierarchy is feeling unsure about the future, then this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to live forever.

It will not be life as they know it, but it is a life.

Relocation presents a solution to stay in control of the future and preserve the past. If a club has the courage and foresight to approach the NRL they can immediately put themselves in a position of strength.

Instead of being viewed as a potential problem they become an attractive solution.

The Swans relocation from melbourne to Sydney was difficult but ultimately a success for the AFL. Picture: Phil Hillyard

It would be a prudent and intelligent strategy to enter non-binding discussions about how a potential relocation would work. This will create debate and disagreement internally with members and fans, past players and factions.

Just as it did in the AFL when the South Melbourne Swans became the Sydney Swans.

Now that hasn’t turned out too bad, has it. The Bloods identity and culture has not only survived, it has grown. The Swans are now recognised as one the most successful sporting organisations in the county and have deep connection to their geographical roots. They still have over 12,000 members and a social club in South Melbourne.

Would it have been that bad if the “Perth Bears” had been formed in the late 1990s.

Sydney-based members could still get to see them play half a dozen times each season.

Travel to the West for a couple of “home” games and ultimately join in the grand final celebrations at North Sydney oval with “their” team on the first Monday in October.

The second Brisbane team is a totally different scenario.

The game in the Queensland capital is very strong.

The Redcliffe Dolphins are a strong enough franchise to become the second Brisbane team in the NRL. Picture: Peter Cronin

A club like the Redcliffe Dolphins is extremely well positioned to organically produce another franchise. This form of expansion will also be accepted better by the league-mad area than a relocated Sydney team.

The Broncos have had Brisbane to themselves for over 30 years and have intelligently reaped the financial benefits of being a one-town team.

There is more than enough room for a second Brisbane franchise. What this means is that it’s possible that there will be only one relocation opportunity for two Sydney clubs.

Get in early and control your destiny. It’s a far better option than not moving.

AFL CHIEF’S SOBERING ADVICE TO NRL ON EXPANSION

By Ben Horne

AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan has advised the NRL to boot self-interested parties from the negotiating table when making its crunch call on expansion.

McLachlan addressed NRL club chief executives at a conference in Melbourne last month on hot topics like expansion, at the invitation of friend Todd Greenberg.

It has also emerged Greenberg reached out to McLachlan as a sounding board when deliberating over the ­implementation of his controversial no-fault stand-down policy.

The AFL weathered a storm of disapproval from angry clubs and supporters over their expansion to Western Sydney and the Gold Coast — and the leg-ups they gave the two start-ups — but are now at the point where they might look to ­increase their footprint further and one day go to 20 teams. Greenberg revealed McLachlan’s message to the NRL and its clubs over expansion plans was instructive and a potentially sobering one.

“(There were a couple of) points he made to the club CEOs. One was if you’re going to make those sort of decisions you have to think very long term. It’s not something you’re going to get massive traction on in the short term. It’s very much a long-term play,” Greenberg told The Daily Telegraph.

“You have to have deep pockets to do it and you have to have a collective view around the table rather than self-interest.”

AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan has offered his advice on expansion to the NRL. Picture: Toby Zerna

McLachlan said women’s football and the prioritising of resources were among the other topics he spoke to NRL bosses about.

The AFL head honcho confirmed Greenberg discussed his idea for a no-fault stand-down policy to stamp out poor behaviour against women before enacting it, but denied the conversation had any influence on the NRL’s stance.

“All I’d say is, in the end, like with me, the decisions Todd makes and the decisions I make are our decisions alone,” McLachlan said.

“Clearly in the lead-up to that you talk to different people on important ­decisions. I wouldn’t want to say we ­influenced that in any way and I think Todd has made a strong decision which I understand.”

McLachlan indicated he was likely to reciprocate Greenberg’s invitation to ­address NRL club bosses and have him in to speak to AFL chiefs at some point in the future.

Despite the infiltration of Aussie rules football into rugby league heartlands in Sydney and Queensland, Greenberg ­flatly dismissed the assumed notion that the NRL and AFL are warring parties, fighting relentlessly for the same fans and talent, as he and McLachlan opened up on their close alliance.

“We have a similar mindset that we are looking to grow our sports and we don’t see each other necessarily as competitors,” McLachlan said.

Greenberg said that entertainment platforms like Netflix were the real enemy and that the two codes would continue to collaborate.