Bombshell NRL move 'a bridge too far'

1 year ago 79

NRL large PAUL GALLEN volition look connected Nine's 100% FOOTY each Monday nighttime of the NRL season, debating rugby league's hottest topics alongside Phil Gould and James Bracey. Tune successful contiguous astatine 10:30pm (AEDT) pursuing a bumper circular one!

So, Peter V'landys says we could person an 18th squad by 2025, and 20 teams by 2032.

Wow.

Expansion is going to happen. We can't alteration that. I tin whinge and bitch and moan each I want, but it's inevitable.

I tin spot an 18th team, everyone knows that's coming, but 2025 is beauteous soon. And 20 teams? That's a stretch.

On a imaginable 18th squad for 2025, if that's going to hap we request to cognize who it's going to beryllium wrong the adjacent mates of months, due to the fact that they're going to request clip to enactment everything successful place.

Remember, players tin commencement negotiating for 2025 from November 1 this year. The Dolphins had a akin timeframe and ne'er came up with a marquee signing, and that was with the attraction of Wayne Bennett.

I've got nary uncertainty that 1 of the reasons that speech of enlargement has abruptly deed the headlines is the information that the Dolphins are 2-0.

If the Dolphins were 0-2 determination mightiness beryllium a spot much caution, we'd astir apt beryllium proceeding that enlargement isn't that good. But remember, there's lone 1 Wayne Bennett, and he's 73-years-old!

If we get to 20 teams, that's different 3 coaches and 90 players we request to find.

I tin judge 18, but to get to 20 by 2032 you're looking astatine a caller squad each 3-4 years, and I deliberation that's a span excessively far.

I don't deliberation there's capable endowment to grow that quickly, though the Dolphins are making maine look a spot silly with 2 wins from 2 matches. But it's a agelong season, let's not get carried distant with their signifier aft 2 games.

They've got to enactment astatine this level for 27 weeks. I've got nary uncertainty that the experienced guys tin bash it, but there's plentifulness of younker successful that squad arsenic good and that's the question people for me.

They'll person injuries and suspensions, similar each different team. They've made a large start, absolutely, but that doesn't mean we gully conclusions connected the grounds of 2 weeks.

If we're going to person an 18th squad successful 2025, we request to marque that telephone earlier the Dolphins person adjacent finished their archetypal season, and I deliberation that's a unreserved to judgement.

We're already seeing the interaction of the Dolphins entering the comp, due to the fact that each azygous squad has been depleted a bit.

We've present got 30 much players than we did past year, and you lone person to look astatine Melbourne - they had a fewer players retired and they got pumped by the Bulldogs.

The flipside to each of this is the magnitude of wealth successful the game.

Stream the NRL premiership 2023 unrecorded and escaped on 9Now

If the players privation to support getting paid the wealth they're presently earning, which is significant, there's going to person to beryllium a crushed to warrant the ample broadcasting deals that are being signed, and if that requires different team, we're conscionable going to person to bash it and halt worrying astir it.

But I'd similar to instrumentality a adjacent look astatine inferior league earlier we marque a call. Are the numbers increasing successful a specified a mode that we tin warrant having the other teams? We request that truly coagulated instauration to guarantee the apical of the pyramid is strong.

Are we putting capable into inferior footy, particularly successful the country? We can't conscionable absorption connected the large boys astatine the apical of the game, it's astir getting the operation beneath the NRL right.

We inactive don't truly cognize what interaction COVID-19 has had connected the inferior pathways, hopefully the reply to that is none, but that's inactive an unanswered question for me.

Everyone mislaid plentifulness of shot improvement successful that time, and it mightiness instrumentality a mates of years earlier we truly cognize the afloat grade of that.

When we bash admit an 18th team, I deliberation it has got to beryllium connected the eastbound seaboard of Australia. I cognize there's advantages successful a squad from Perth, simply due to the fact that of the clip difference, it would mean a 7.30pm kickoff successful Perth is connected TV astatine 9.30pm connected the eastbound coast, truthful you've got unrecorded enactment astir done until midnight successful Sydney and Brisbane.

But logistically, Perth is simply a challenge. It's a five-hour flight, which is not insignificant, and you've got a two-hour clip alteration successful winter, and that's thing nonrecreational athletes perfectly bash notice. The Warriors person it each clip they travel to Australia, it's not casual connected the assemblage of an elite athlete.

There's speech of a Pasifika squad based successful Cairns, and I deliberation based connected the make-up of the playing radical successful the NRL that's astir apt a no-brainer.

Trouble astatine the Tigers

It's already looking similar a agelong twelvemonth for Wests Tigers fans. Before the play began I was expecting them to struggle, but I besides thought the accomplishment of Api Koroisau would beryllium capable to spot them debar the woody spoon. Clearly it's not moving truthful far.

They've mislaid to Newcastle and the Titans, and cipher truly knows wherever those 2 teams are at, they mightiness astonishment america but surely there's nary existent anticipation that either the Knights oregon Gold Coast volition beryllium determination astatine the concern extremity of the season.

Now the president is taking pot-shots astatine sections of the media, telling them to "put up oregon unopen up" implicit rumours that John Bateman really has an ankle injury.

I'm OK with that. Being president of the nine is simply a presumption that carries a batch of work and you can't conscionable beryllium determination and bull it. Nick Politis is the astir almighty president successful the game, and you spot him support his nine erstwhile it's required.

I don't truly attraction wherefore Bateman isn't playing. If he's got an ankle injury, good that's life. If they're putting him done a spot of a pre-season to get his fittingness to wherever it needs to be, that's good arsenic well.

The authoritative enactment is helium needs to "acclimatise". I cognize it's been blistery successful Sydney but travel on!

The hard happening for Tigers fans is not being wholly definite which 1 to believe.

If helium didn't person a bully pre-season, I tin recognize the determination to wait. He's played successful the NRL before, truthful helium knows however acceptable and beardown helium needs to be. I've got nary occupation with that.

It's a agelong hard season, and if you haven't had a bully mentation you're going to get injured and you'll beryllium retired for perchance a batch longer than you would person been had you waited.

They're looking astatine the agelong game, but I conjecture that's travel to a caput a spot due to the fact that they're 0-2. If they'd beaten the Titans and Knights cipher would beryllium saying anything.

It's just to accidental they're ever surrounded by drama, but a batch of that is the information it's casual to footwear a squad erstwhile they're down.

When things aren't going good radical are looking for the reasons why.

They haven't made the finals successful ages, truthful there's plentifulness of ammunition. Their roster, successful my opinion, inactive needs plentifulness of work. I said past twelvemonth determination was not a azygous subordinate astatine the nine that could pull different bully players.

They've got Api Koroisau for 2023 and they tin usage him arsenic a selling point, present I don't cognize what they've payed for Api, but I'm definite it was overs, which they needed to bash to get a subordinate similar him to the club.

At immoderate signifier that volition travel backmost to wound them, due to the fact that that's however the wage headdress works.

Isaiah Papali'i is different caller signing, helium had a large twelvemonth for Parramatta past year, but it's not similar helium burst onto the country from nowhere, he'd been astir for a while.

Part of his show past twelvemonth tin astir apt beryllium enactment down to the information that the Eels had a truly bully twelvemonth and helium had plentifulness of players astir him that were playing well, that helped him shine.

Expectations are excessively precocious if Tigers fans expect Papali'i to abruptly bash things connected his own, it conscionable doesn't enactment similar that. That's not just connected him.

One of the large things for maine is that they've mislaid 2 matches astatine Leichhardt Oval. They've had large crowds, it's an awesome atmosphere, but however overmuch longer volition the faithful crook retired if they get beaten by sides similar the Knights and Titans?

There's nary speedy fix, and I'm definite Tim Sheens is experienced capable to cognize that.

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