Well its almost official, Australia will be getting another Super 12/14 team and a extra 2 Tri Nations matches/year.

A little background:
SANZAR is basically the equivelant of the AFL or the NRL governing body. Its a combinations of the rugby directors from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa and they dictate what happens regarding the Super 12 competition and the tri-nations. They then take there proposal to News Corp and then News Corp decides how much money the should give them. Which is what is happening at the moment.

The Proposal:
Australia and South Africa will each gain a extra Super 12 team and the Tri Nations will be expanded to 9 games from the current 6 including a 3 match beldisloe cup comp inclusive.

Team Location(super 14):
Perth and Melbourne are currently the two most likable locations but Gosford and the Gold Coast also have a chance. This will be decided by December this year with a coach and CEO quickly following.

Players:
Considering theres only 3 super 12 teams in Aus at the moment a fourth team is a significant leap. Which also means its a significant leap in the number of professional rugby players. The gap of players is meant to be filled by Australian players currently on contracts over seas(which there are a lot) also by ex-rugby union players currently in the NRL and younger stars who cant get a foot hold in the current super 12 comp. Also currently the australian super 12 teams only have wallaby elegible in there side, there is now talk of opening up the teams to have a quota of over seas players in there sides to make up for the shortfall(most likely pacific islander players)

Time frame:
The team wont play there first competiton game until 2006 but the location will be decided by December this year, the Coach and CEO in the weeks following and then the rest of the year will be assembling a team, blueprint for the club, sponsorships and development squads.

Rugby Union vs Rugby league and AFL.
There will be a decent amount of competition between rugby league and rugby union in the next year or two, and also a increase in competition between rugby union and afl. Well the new rugby union team will most likely launch a poaching raid on the NRL ranks for starters. But also the Super 12 competition will be expanded by a month and also the Tri Nations will have another 3 games meaning two months more of Rugby in australia, pushing the Rugby Union season into September, meaning AFL and the NRL will be having there Finals while the Wallabies will be playing there Tri-Nations and Bledisloe Cup matches. Also theres a pretty good chance that where ever the team is based it will be competing with AFL team and possibly a NRL team.

League will lose fans in Melbourne to this, AFL will not suffer in either Perth or Melbourne, and you'll gain a few fans in Perth who will watch it as a 2nd sport, or never followed AFL to begin with because they're British...

guaranteed!

I have ceased supporting the West Adelaide football club, because some nerd on the internet posted an article about rugby union.

Woo.

I wouldnt get overly excited by RU having a team in Melbourne just look at the pathetic failure that the Storm RL team has been even with millions of dollars from News corp = Herald sun.

I think League is the superior game, and most of the people in the Rugby League\Union heartland (Qld\NSW) would agree.

Union has too many penalties and infringements. Watching goal kickers all day doesn't compare with length of the field tries.

I blame the British Rugby Union heirarchy who are too resistant to change, and frown upon the Super 12 attempts at minor rule changes to speed and improve the game.

I wouldnt get overly excited by RU having a team in Melbourne just look at the pathetic failure that the Storm RL team has been even with millions of dollars from News corp = Herald sun.

i agree.

i was in melbourne in july though and was SHOCKED to find a few melbourne storm supporters getting off the train at essendon! hahaha i thought that was classic... cause i didnt see any AFL supporters :D

I have ceased supporting the West Adelaide football club, because some nerd on the internet posted an article about rugby union.

Woo.

some 'nerd', im just curious about what being a 'nerd' entails, if it means being someone who is reasonably smart and knows a decent amount about computers, then jee wizz i must definetly be a nerd.

And at what point did i say that people must cease supporting AFL or RL to support rugby union? The topic and title of this thread was actually inherited from a News Corp website, so next time i suggest you actually think a tad less narrow minded over the topic.

Anyway the Super 14 team will not be making any wagers to make itself the no.1 sport in Perth or Melbourne. Obviously AFL is much better established and has a culture which would take decades to beat. But in saying that, Rugby Union at its best is the no.3 sport in Brisbane and Sydney in terms of attendances. In terms of participation its it would be up there with rugby league but well behind soccer.

But when it comes down to it, why should a city be limited to only supporting one sport/season. Perth and Melbourne have both showed interest in wallaby test matches played in there cities and have show a suprisingly good level of support, both cities have there pro's and con's of why they should and shouldnt have the team and when it comes down to it in the end, it is about the money and the long term prosperity of rugby union in australia. Melbourne would have more corporate offices and sponsorship possibilities while perth has a larger already established supporter base.

ahh well either way both cities will get more games all up, which ever city gets a super 14 team will more then likely sacrafice the right to host a wallaby test for a few years where as the city who misses out will most likely have two tests/year anyway.

And about time Union left the security of its tradtional heartlands to forge new frontiers. For so long they have sit back and bragged about how big it could be. Playing the odd test match is no proof of long term success. I've always thought of RU as all cream and no cake. Whether it is Melbourne or Perth we will see what kind of support they really will get on a regular basis.

More sport is a good thing.

Melbourne's problem will be a suitable venue.
There is no way the AFL will do Rugby a favour with Telstra Dome.

More reason for Melbourne to develop a decent rectangular Stadium.

42,500 reasons Perth wants Super team
Four major contenders are already emerging in the race to be Australia's next Super rugby team, with Perth edging out Melbourne as the likely favourite for the 2006 prize.

The two state capitals are squaring off as the two most likely locations, while bids from the Central Coast and Gold Coast are likely to swiftly reinvent themselves after recently being spurned by the NRL.

Inquiries by interested parties to the ARU have met with firm confirmation that the bid is wide open. But after already researching the issue in 2000-01, leading candidates would surely have been identified by the union.

Hence the confidence with which a time-line has been constructed that will have a CEO and coach for the new entity appointed by January next year.

All that really remains is to weigh up the fine detail of each bid, and decide how much a final decision will rely on short-term or long-term goals, or on the purely financial gains stacked up against the greater good of the game.

Perth and Melbourne obviously offer a greater chance for rugby's expansion in a purely geographical sense.

Melbourne has previously argued a strong case for inclusion in the competition and will enter the contest confident of a solid hearing when judgement arrives.

The huge, sport-friendly population, a strong sporting infrastructure and a market that would allow long-term growth are all key factors the Victorian Rugby Union points to, and it is well aware of what detractors will say.

The Melbourne Storm rugby league team is not considered a resounding success, having failed to secure a convincing foothold in the home of AFL.

The VRU believes a rugby union team is a different prospect. "The crowds will support rugby union here because there's a longstanding heritage of rugby, clearly it's a different experiment," VRU boss Ron Steiner said. "The question is where do you want to be in five years time? That's what this decision has to be about."

West Australian Rugby CEO Rick Smith agrees that the long-term aim of the ARU should be the key focus. "We've got a very strong standard of rugby already, having won the Australian Rugby Shield once and been runner-up three times in the last four years," Smith said. "And we have a huge expat population of New Zealanders, South Africans and English."

The key point in that comment is the South African contingent in Perth. Reports in South African newspapers of the expansion have suggested only Perth as a likely home for the new Australian team, and the desire of the Africans to have a stopover point in the long haul they undergo each year is well documented.

And perhaps the ARU has already shown its hand on which city will be preferred with its choice of venue for Test matches in recent years. Perth and Subiaco Oval regularly successfully host the Tri Nations clash with the Springboks in front of capacity crowds of up to 42,500, while Melbourne hosts only moderately successful tourist Tests.

But while national expansion is surely preferred, money, as always, will be a determining factor.

All four likely locations are sure to have secured sponsorship and corporate interest, but the real money in rugby comes from broadcast rights. Whether News Limited accepts the expansion proposal or whether SANZAR is forced to sell the deal piecemeal to broadcasters around the world, a product streamlined for television audiences is key.

Perth opens up a new time zone to be incorporated into the at-times non-stop rugby telecast on Saturday and Sunday nights that stretches halfway around the world. Perth may win out simply because its clocks are two hours behind those on the eastern edge of Australia.

The Central Coast is sure to state a strong case, with finance, population and proximity to Sydney, from where the bulk of the players will surely come.

But it and the Gold Coast will face similar problems in convincing the ARU that they will in truth provide long-term expansion possibilities for the code.

The expansion franchise is a chance for rugby to plant its flag in a new corner of Australia, and the signs are pointing towards the west being won.
http://rugbyheaven.smh.com.au/articles/2004/09/07/1094530613905.html?oneclick=true

Super 14 tipped for Perth
PERTH is emerging as the favoured location of a fourth Australian team in an expanded Super 14 competition in 2006.

Although the ARU has yet to stipulate its criteria for a team to play alongside NSW, Queensland and the ACT, the West Australian capital has several perceived advantages over its rivals.

Weighing heavily in Perth's favour is its proximity to South Africa and the city's overwhelming support for Test rugby over the past few years.

Furthermore the ARU desperately wants to keep a fourth team under its control through member unions. The WA rugby union is behind the bid.

ARU chief executive Gary Flowers indicated the ARU would not have an open tender process.

"We haven't finalised our exact position, but we fail to see why people should spend money on potentially unsuccessful bids," he said.

"However we can't afford not to listen to commercial proposals, but we will be very up-front and encourage people to go through our member unions."

Flowers said the main criteria would be the team's ability to develop elite players capable of progressing to national selection.

"We will also have to consider the commercial aspects and ability to grow the game at the grassroots," Flowers said.

Perth is leading Melbourne as the preferred home of a fourth team. The chances are remote of a second NSW team, playing at Parramatta Stadium or Gosford's ExpressAdvocate Stadium, or a second Queensland team, based on the Gold Coast.

After the failure of a syndicate headed by prominent businessman John Singleton to get a Central Coast team into the NRL for 2006, there has been renewed speculation he will press for a rugby team to be based at Gosford.

Singleton, whose vast business interests include the Macquarie Broadcasting network, is the rights' holder to Gosford's 20,000-seat stadium.

Although he would not rule out holding talks with rugby officials, Parramatta Leagues Club boss Denis Fitzgerald said the advent of the NSW Government's gaming tax on September 1, had altered the club's plans.
http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0,8659,10702262-23217,00.html

Super 14 expansion tipped to have a stopover in Perth
PERTH is emerging as the favoured location of a fourth Australian team in an expanded Super 14 competition in 2006.

Although the ARU has yet to stipulate its criteria for a team to play alongside NSW, Queensland and the ACT, the West Australian capital has several perceived advantages over its rivals.

Weighing heavily in Perth's favour is its proximity to South Africa and the city's overwhelming support for Test rugby over the past few years.

Furthermore the ARU desperately wants to keep a fourth team under its control through member unions. The WA rugby union is behind the bid.

ARU chief executive Gary Flowers indicated the ARU would not have an open tender process.

"We haven't finalised our exact position, but we fail to see why people should spend money on potentially unsuccessful bids," he said.

"However we can't afford not to listen to commercial proposals, but we will be very up-front and encourage people to go through our member unions."

Flowers said the main criteria would be the team's ability to develop elite players capable of progressing to national selection.

"We will also have to consider the commercial aspects and ability to grow the game at the grassroots," Flowers said.

Perth is leading Melbourne as the preferred home of a fourth team. The chances are remote of a second NSW team, playing at Parramatta Stadium or Gosford's ExpressAdvocate Stadium, or a second Queensland team, based on the Gold Coast.

After the failure of a syndicate headed by prominent businessman John Singleton to get a Central Coast team into the NRL for 2006, there has been renewed speculation he will press for a rugby team to be based at Gosford.

Singleton, whose vast business interests include the Macquarie Broadcasting network, is the rights' holder to Gosford's 20,000-seat stadium.

Although he would not rule out holding talks with rugby officials, Parramatta Leagues Club boss Denis Fitzgerald said the advent of the NSW Government's gaming tax on September 1, had altered the club's plans.

NSW utility back Milton Thaiday has been suspended indefinitely by the Waratahs and his Sydney club Northern Suburbs.

Thaiday failed to inform Norths that he was unavailable for a Tooheys New Cup game last weekend.

Waratahs coach Ewen McKenzie said Milton had showed great courage this year to publicly acknowledge personal problems stemming from alcohol.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,10700313%255E2722,00.html

Should be good for Perth.Big risk to try Melbourne.

And about time Union left the security of its tradtional heartlands to forge new frontiers. For so long they have sit back and bragged about how big it could be. Playing the odd test match is no proof of long term success. I've always thought of RU as all cream and no cake. Whether it is Melbourne or Perth we will see what kind of support they really will get on a regular basis.

More sport is a good thing.

ahh buddy were talking about a new rugby team not a a expedition or something like your imploring.

There are several reasonable replys to what you just said as well, for one the ARU signed with News Corp for a 10yr deal back in 1996, meaning they couldnt have changed the agreement or expanded previously anyway.

Also Super 12 goes for 15weeks including finals and aroung 12international test matches a year, the NRL goes for 30 weeks including finals(kangaroo tours are absolute jokes anyway).

So effectively, the Rugby season is 27-30 weeks long compared to NRL's 30 (and the kangaroo 5?). Thus the reason why the super 12 is only one match verse each opponent. Expanding the comp too seriously would strain the players physically, players make at least 6trips overseas to south africa and new zealand every season, not to mention northern hemisphere tours.

Also there is talk of bringing in another tier of professioal rugby union into australia, proably not till 2008 at least but there is serious consideration over the topic. The idea would be to have a competition which would help bridge the gap between the slower and only half professional club rugby to the fast paced fully professional super 12.
The talk was to have 8 teams or so:
1-Melbourne
1-Perth
3-Sydney
2-Brisbane
1-Pacific Islanders(based in Townsville)
3-Japan

It may seem odd including Japan but the fact that japan actually has more rugby players then australia and new zealand combined hints to the fact that it could be a lucrative market to tap into. The teams in Japan are morestly corporate teams like "Samsung" and "Toshiba" rather then club rugby like in other parts of the world.
Oh well we will have to wait and see and hopefully all this effort pays dividends for the sport nation wide.

But Japan still sucks lol.

ahh buddy were talking about a new rugby team not a a expedition or something like your imploring.



As South Melbourne going to Sydney was a huge leap for AFL so it is for RU to take this step.

I think forging new frontiers is a perfectly apt term in a sporting sense to describe RU push into the southern states.

-buddy.

I hope it succeeds, nothing grazes my nuts more than the pathetic attention the Melbourne Storm receive here, well actually the only thing that does upset me more is the slow-motion demise of the NBL. Back 2 the Storm, sure they're all from Toowoomba (given Toowoomba's population surely they could get a team :) ) but they're a good team whose city don't even appreciate them. You wouldn't beleive the amount of airtime given to do-nothing AFL teams like Richmond and Hawthorn yet the Storm are in the NRL finals but you wont hear about them on the evening news.

The gulf between north and south sport (as well as football vs non-football) in this country is getting bigger and bigger, talk of Perth getting a RU team gives me hope.

I hope it succeeds, nothing grazes my nuts more than the pathetic attention the Melbourne Storm receive here, well actually the only thing that does upset me more is the slow-motion demise of the NBL. Back 2 the Storm, sure they're all from Toowoomba (given Toowoomba's population surely they could get a team :) ) but they're a good team whose city don't even appreciate them. You wouldn't beleive the amount of airtime given to do-nothing AFL teams like Richmond and Hawthorn yet the Storm are in the NRL finals but you wont hear about them on the evening news.

The gulf between north and south sport (as well as football vs non-football) in this country is getting bigger and bigger, talk of Perth getting a RU team gives me hope.

The Storm get enormous PR from their owners News Corp/Herald
Sun - the rest of the Melbourne media give them the coverage they deserve considering the pathetic support they have struggled to maintain.
Newspapers will print anything if they think it will sell and RL is a dead duck in Melbourne. And lets not have this "its not fair" crap that the AFL get all the attention check the Murdoch papers in Sydney and Brisbane for AFL new and see haw little there is.

The Storm get enormous PR from their owners News Corp/Herald
Sun - the rest of the Melbourne media give them the coverage they deserve considering the pathetic support they have struggled to maintain.
Newspapers will print anything if they think it will sell and RL is a dead duck in Melbourne. And lets not have this "its not fair" crap that the AFL get all the attention check the Murdoch papers in Sydney and Brisbane for AFL new and see haw little there is.

hmm thats interesting cause im from brisbane and the afl gets as much space in the paper as the league does, and even more then rugby union. So dont go saying stuff you dont know anything about.

But Japan still sucks lol.

I'd love to see Japan take part. They play an exciting brand of rugby and would make for a great added component to the competition.

IMO. Ruby Union is far and away the best of the 3 codes "_". It's played internationaly, and can be played in many different ways making things intresting rather than rugby league which is very much the same old thing in every team that plays.

hmm thats interesting cause im from brisbane and the afl gets as much space in the paper as the league does, and even more then rugby union. So dont go saying stuff you dont know anything about. I read the Courier evry day on the net so get your facts right.

I read the Courier evry day on the net so get your facts right
hahaha, well i too read it on the net, and this may come as a suprise to you but they dont put all the articles on the net. None of the editorials or sporting collums by players and coaches get in, which takes up a significant part of the sport section.

Jason Ackermanis? has a article almost every 2 days, i think there was one in the last week how he went and met a monster truck, and week before how he was in a jet fighter, and before that something else rather trivial.

Anyway point is that AFL gets as much coverage as the NRL in the paper. Although Rugby League also has the QLD Cup which takes up a page.

heres a suggestion, dont believe everything you see on the net

hahaha, well i too read it on the net, and this may come as a suprise to you but they dont put all the articles on the net. None of the editorials or sporting collums by players and coaches get in, which takes up a significant part of the sport section.

Jason Ackermanis? has a article almost every 2 days, i think there was one in the last week how he went and met a monster truck, and week before how he was in a jet fighter, and before that something else rather trivial.

Anyway point is that AFL gets as much coverage as the NRL in the paper. Although Rugby League also has the QLD Cup which takes up a page.

heres a suggestion, dont believe everything you see on the net

Although RL is still the dominant code is Queensland the AFL gets very generous and supportive coverage. In all forms of media.

Btw its Jason Akermanis. :)

"heres a suggestion, dont believe everything you see on the net" Amen to that.

Yep when I was in Brisbane the AFL was on Equal time, and after Ch 10 got the rights they even had Prime Time coverage. I cant speak for Sydney but the basic problem is a similar one to Melbourne, the RL is made up of several teams from Sydney just as the AFL is 9 Melbourne teams some of which are lacklustre (Carlton, Richmond, Hawthorn, Bulldogs, North Melbourne, Collingwood) yet they command so much air time on the Radio and Television you'd think they were star performers, 9 teams to a city is way to many, a glut in fact, and they need to do some pruning or better yet engineer some Swans/Lion style set ups in other cities, Send the Hawks to Launceston (they are loved there) send the Kangaroos to Canberra (they're second home) send the Tigers away (they're pathetic) Give a team to Ballarat and Bendigo each (they would be supported) A Gold Coast team would be good too (I'm not saying all these things have to happen at once but I see the AFL's future in taking the South Melbourne and Fitzroy's of the competition and expanding them into new cities. Only then will there be airtime on the TV for the Storm, the Tigers and the Titans.

Though with the failure of Rugby League in Melbourne the blame rests squarely with Channel Nine, just as Seven could've been blamed for holding AFL back in the north. Prime Time television exposure may be costly at first, but sports coverage is a loss leader for the networks anyway, they would be able to develop a support for RL in Melbourne by giving it good exposure, last night I was at a party and we ended up watching Storm v Broncos (around 11pm broadcast) Here was me explaining the rules of RL to a bunch of Victorians and they were getting into it, that was after 10 minutes of watching, imagine what could happen if they had games in Prime Time.

Channel 9 first priority is to make a profit by winning in the ratings and if they thought RL would do that in Melbourne then they would show it in prime time but guess what it DOSENT rate in Melbourne.
TV companies are not in the business of losing money and dont have to promote what they percieve to be lost causes.

Wallabies welcome longer rugby season
Australian rugby players are welcoming the extended season they will have with the expansion of the Tri-Nations and Super 12 tournaments next season.

The reaction is a contrast to New Zealand where top players seem to have lost their verve for the Super 12 competition, while there are concerns over the impact on the domestic NPC tournament.

Sanzar, the rugby body comprising South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, placed a proposal before broadcaster News Ltd this week which would see the Super 12 become a Super 14 competition, while the Tri-Nations series would feature nine rather than six tests.

All Blacks halfback Justin Marshall said a longer Tri-Nations would be boring.

"For me personally, I'm sick of playing against South Africa and Australia," he said.

But Australian test players Chris Latham and Chris Whitaker have embraced the extended season.

"I see no problem at all. It's only a couple of extra games in the Super 12 and two tests," Whitaker told The Australian newspaper.

AdvertisementAdvertisement"It's good for Australian rugby. An extra team gives a lot of opportunity to play at the next level, which is what you have to do if you want to represent Australia."


Latham said rugby's exposure would increase from the expanded formats.

He didn't see any problems about players claiming more money for their extra workloads, as the revenue-sharing arrangements with the Australian Rugby Union covered that eventuality.

"You don't need extra money to play another test against New Zealand. Those type of games you play and live for."

One benefit for the sport in Australia is that it will give the code more publicity in September and, possibly October. At present, rugby league and Aussie Rules are hogging the headlines with their finals series.

Australian Rugby Union Players Association (Rupa) chief Tony Dempsey said players were excited about the changes, but some issues would have to be sorted out.

"We are talking four high-level impact games and the current rest periods will obviously be eroded. You normally get seven weeks' rest between the last Tri-nations match before going into camp for the spring tour. That will be reduced to six weeks."

Rupa would probably ask for the rest period to be extended after the Wallabies Northern Hemisphere tour in summer.

"We would probably say there shouldn't be any Super 12 trials and Wallabies should have the first round off," Dempsey said.

Meanwhile, the advantages of Perth as a rugby location are pointing to it as a favourite for basing Australia's fourth Super 14 team.

Its closer proximity to South Africa and the city's strong support for rugby tests in the last couple of years are thought to be heavily in its favour.

Melbourne is another possibility, while a second New South Wales team based in Sydney or the central coast or a Gold Coast-based team are rated by Australian media as outsiders.

The Australian Rugby Union hopes to make their choice by the end of the year.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3028373a10295,00.html

Push on for Melbourne team
Melbourne's chase for a rugby union team has started in earnest with the Australian Rugby Union yesterday making the long-awaited announcement that an expanded Super 12 competition would start in 2006.

ARU chief executive Gary Flowers unveiled details of Southern Hemisphere rugby's future blueprint after SANZAR, the official body of the three participating rugby unions - Australia, South Africa and New Zealand - agreed on a suitable package to offer broadcaster News Ltd, whose current television deal ends next year.

Flowers said the new competition, to be known as Super 14, would include an additional team from Australia (which now has three) and South Africa (four). He said a location for the Australian franchise was as yet undecided but would be announced by the end of the year.

Flowers also announced that there would also be a rejigged international schedule, with the return to a three-match Bledisloe Cup series and an expanded Tri-Nations competition resulting in each team playing the other three times instead of two.

But, rugby union may choose not to take on the AFL in its heartland, with Flowers last week forced to dismiss a report in South Africa's Cape Argus newspaper that Western Australia would be the host of the new Australian team.

Melbourne, which boasts substantial corporate support, and Perth, with a large fan base, have long been the contenders for the team, but recently there has been speculation that Central Coast and Gold Coast could be late bidders.

Flowers, who announced that the selection process for the new team would start within weeks, said he was confident a fourth Australian franchise would stop the drain of experienced players to overseas competitions.

He said the new team must provide opportunities to develop elite players for the Wallabies, commercial sustainability and encourage the game's growth and participation.

Victorian Rugby Union general manager Ron Steiner said the Melbourne bid was well advanced. Steiner said player numbers had been doubled and corporate support also increased during the past five years. "We're excited that the game is now on and all our preparation work over the past five years will now come to fruition," Steiner said.

"We are yet to be advised what the criteria for the selection process will entail but we are very confident that we have anticipated much of it.

"We've been getting strong support for the achievements that have taken place in Victoria over the past five years."

Rugby WA's boss, Rick Smith, said, however, that he was confident Perth could match Melbourne's corporate base and that three large corporations had already shown interest in naming rights for the team.

Wallabies coach Eddie Jones said the expansion was "terrific" but predicted a difficult start for Australia's new franchise as the talent pool was not as deep as when Australia's most recent franchise, the ACT Brumbies, was introduced in 1996
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/09/06/1094322716494.html?oneclick=true

Well I for one will NEVER support any Perth 'Stupid 12/14' rah rah side thats for sure. League runs thru my veins. Just a big big shame the ARL/NRL couldnt ever lift their arses to re-establish an NRL club once again in the west.

Melbourne Storm will be around for a while yet, so for those League haters out there in cloud cuckoo land who think rugby onoin will take over League, I would certain advise you to continue taking the pills and DREAM ON!

yeah league does real great, going gangbusters in melbourne and went bust in adelaide, perth, gold coast and central coast. The problem is rugby league has well and truly missed there chance to expand like the afl did, union is slowly expanding and afl is seemingly shrinking from cities.

dont get me wrong, i love the Melbourne Storm team, but just dont like the fact that its being wasted on supporters who are already devoted to other sports.

Well I for one will NEVER support any Perth 'Stupid 12/14' rah rah side thats for sure. League runs thru my veins. Just a big big shame the ARL/NRL couldnt ever lift their arses to re-establish an NRL club once again in the west.

Melbourne Storm will be around for a while yet, so for those League haters out there in cloud cuckoo land who think rugby onoin will take over League, I would certain advise you to continue taking the pills and DREAM ON!

Angry little ant aren't we?

It's amusing to watch league and union slug it out over second place. :)

union is slowly expanding and afl is seemingly shrinking from cities.



Shrinking?

Care to explain what cities AFL is shrinking in?

Care to explain what cities AFL is shrinking in?
i meant the NRL is seemingly shrinking from cities. Like the Gold Coast, Central Coast, Perth and Adelaide.

BTW, i dont beleive that AFL is the no.1 sport in Brisbane or Sydney, there are definetly a few thousand band wagon supporters riding the Lions which boosts there crowd, but the sport in all the grades is behind Rugby League(QLD Cup) and Rugby Union(Telstra Cup?/Premier Grade)

i meant the NRL is seemingly shrinking from cities. Like the Gold Coast, Central Coast, Perth and Adelaide.

BTW, i dont beleive that AFL is the no.1 sport in Brisbane or Sydney, there are definetly a few thousand band wagon supporters riding the Lions which boosts there crowd, but the sport in all the grades is behind Rugby League(QLD Cup) and Rugby Union(Telstra Cup?/Premier Grade)

I thought you meant NRL.

In no way would I ever say that AFL is anywhere near the number 1 sport in NSW or Qld. Sure enough there bandwagon supporters of the Lions but there are those types with all winning teams. I think today the Lions have become somewhat ingrained in the Queensland culture. But the true test is when the Lions are languishing near the bottom and the papers start asking why instead of not caring at all.

yeah well i think the lions after 4 very succesful years have definetly become part of the brisbane/queensland culture and in doing so has drawn in a lot of people. In terms of crowds it is the best performing in qld, mind you its only competing with three other footy teams(cowboys, reds & broncos).

I think that when the lions start dropping they will drop a few thousand in average crowds, but it will take a big event(like the bulldogs rape claims) to really lose the supporters. People like my mum who is now a member will not stop attending because they start losing, i think corporate support $$ will be the biggest drop. No company wants to take their clients to see a losing team.

In terms of crowds it is the best performing in qld, mind you its only competing with three other footy teams(cowboys, reds & broncos).

People like my mum who is now a member will not stop attending because they start losing, i think corporate support $$ will be the biggest drop. No company wants to take their clients to see a losing team.

You hit the nail on the head when referring to the opposition in Queensland. Its much easier to get a share of the market when you only have a few rivals. The Storm and Swans know the problems of playing in a foreign market full of rivals.

God bless your mum. :)

hmm thats interesting cause im from brisbane and the afl gets as much space in the paper as the league does, and even more then rugby union. So dont go saying stuff you dont know anything about.


Picking up the Courier Mail this morning the first three full pages of the Sport are NRL, then a full page ad then one page for the AFL. Radio and all the pollies are only talking NRL. Just shows you what the AFL is up against if it wants to break into this market. It is going to take years of success.

Just to prove my point this from a QLD AFL fan OH and BTW have a look at todays front page of the Sunday Mail the headline is not the Brisbane Lions in their 4th straight GF.

^Yeah but in all fairness a Lions grand final is starting to sound par for the course. The novelty is wearing off. For the past month or so a 4th premiership has been almost expected.

Compare that to the Cowboys. It's the great Australian story. The underdog gets up. North Queensland has gone Rugby League mad with fans travelling hundreds of km just to watch the team train. It's the first "local derby" in an NRL finals series ever for Queensland. It's the first finals series ever for battlers North Queensland.
All in all it's a week of firsts and the hype is more than justified.

AFL is already a success in Queensland. You can't expect the public to drop it's love affair with other codes within one generation.
The Lions game received huge coverage up here, even if it did play second fiddle to the League. Pubs were advertising their televising of the game on their big screens, Triple M called it live and Channel 10 couldn't be doing any more to push the game in this state.

But as a number of Lions players/officials admitted last week, as much as Queenslanders have got behind the Lions, you can't underestimate our love for Rugby League. Don't take the Northern market for granted. Ten years ago Rugby League discovered that if you don't treat the fans with respect they won't come through the turnstiles.

Just to prove my point this from a QLD AFL fan OH and BTW have a look at todays front page of the Sunday Mail the headline is not the Brisbane Lions in their 4th straight GF.

http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0,8659,10812858-23210,00.html

RL wins TV battle
September 19, 2004

RUGBY league last night won the battle of the codes on Queensland televisions.

Channel 9's telecast of the North Queensland Cowboys' 10-0 NRL semi-final win over Brisbane between 7.45pm - 9.30pm (AEST) attracted an average audience of 428,875 viewers.

Nine attracted 150,000 more viewers than Ten's coverage of the Brisbane Lions' nine-point win over Geelong in the AFL preliminary final, which averaged 278,875 viewers over the same period.

Nine's entire coverage between 7.30pm - 10.00pm averaged 384,900 viewers, compared with Ten's 311,100 over the same time.

Ten's full AFL coverage averaged 317,083 viewers.

In Sydney, the Cowboys' first win over the Broncos in 17 attempts was also a ratings winner with an average of 711,000 viewers tuning in to see the all-Queensland affair.

The match had a peak viewing audience of 808,000 viewers at 9.15pm.

A combined average of 1,096,000 viewers watched Nine's NRL coverage in south-east Queensland and Sydney.

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

Considering the hype and historic significance of the NRL match the AFL figures were quite good.

The AFL held respectable numbers while both matches were on but jumped dramatically when the league finished. It wasn't quoted but the peak AFL rating in Brisbane was nearly 600,000.

All in all I think the figures are a little misleading as there would've been a lot of remote usage during both games. :)

I got no problem with the Queensland media giving a lot of coverage to the Cowboys. They deserve it.

No doubt there was alot of channel bopping going on. The AFL ratings would have received a boost during half time at the league and after the game was finished. With so many people glued to their tv's it would have been far to good an opportunity for anyone to pass up flicking from 9 to CH10 to catch the exciting last quarter at the MCG.

Oddly enough, heres the first 4 headline news articles (not sport) on Channel 9 tonight.

1. AFL brawl in Cairns.
2. Cowboys beat Broncos.
3. Gordon Tallis plays last game for the Broncos.
4. Lions into 4th straight final.

Remarkably, top billing went to the North Queensland AFL GF where one team attacked the other en-masse after the national anthem was played. Brawling spilled into the crowd of a couple thousand at Bundy Rum Stadium and QAFL are spitting chips.

Hardly the publicity they needed up North after the roaring success of the Cowboys and League this week.

Oddly enough, heres the first 4 headline news articles (not sport) on Channel 9 tonight.

1. AFL brawl in Cairns.
2. Cowboys beat Broncos.
3. Gordon Tallis plays last game for the Broncos.
4. Lions into 4th straight final.

Remarkably, top billing went to the North Queensland AFL GF where one team attacked the other en-masse after the national anthem was played. Brawling spilled into the crowd of a couple thousand at Bundy Rum Stadium and QAFL are spitting chips.

Hardly the publicity they needed up North after the roaring success of the Cowboys and League this week.

Firstly tv stations luuuuuuurve a brawl. Makes for great television.

Secondly it wouldn't surprise a few league die-hards in the newsroom decided to make this the lead story to try and falsly link AFL with thuggery. Hence trying to make the AFL the complete opposite to the glorious weekend of the NRL. I don't know how many people actually fall for this but I'm sure some do.

Whatever the reason the fact is they were thugs who happen to play Australian football. An unfortunate incident.

Secondly it wouldn't surprise a few league die-hards in the newsroom decided to make this the lead story to try and falsly link AFL with thuggery. Hence trying to make the AFL the complete opposite to the glorious weekend of the NRL. I don't know how many people actually fall for this but I'm sure some do.

Whatever the reason the fact is they were thugs who happen to play Australian football. An unfortunate incident.[/QUOUTE]
hahah what!!!

who will be the one to point out that one of queenslands most celebrated sportsmen, Gorden Tallis is made famous for his thuggery. QLD'ers love a bit of the biff. Also im sure if there was a all in brawly which included rugby union or rugby league teams in a GF which was televised properly then it too would be shown all over the news. Its in the papers all the time about legue and union teams in the biff.

[QUOTE]Picking up the Courier Mail this morning the first three full pages of the Sport are NRL, then a full page ad then one page for the AFL. Radio and all the pollies are only talking NRL. Just shows you what the AFL is up against if it wants to break into this market. It is going to take years of success.

Just to prove my point this from a QLD AFL fan OH and BTW have a look at todays front page of the Sunday Mail the headline is not the Brisbane Lions in their 4th straight GF.

well for starters, the sunday mail and the couriermail get coverage all across the state. So for two queensland teams to be playing each other in a match with so much publicity(frrom the stadium switch) then its bound to take front page/back page(sunday mail), also im not sure but how many of those pages for Rugby League related to the QLD Cup and the Gorden Tallis retirement. Wait till next week and the news will either be about 4 in a row or 'the end of a era' for some of the lions players.

Unfortunately for the Lions, they have acheived so much succes that anything less then perfection is a let down up in Brisbane. I would be heavily unimpressed if the lions failed to reach the GF. Just because they have being placed upon a pedestal in comparison to other qld teams.

BTW, i beleive if you look in a paper today or yesterday it will also have a whole page article which is basically 'Its great to be a qld'er' referring to the weekend sporting success, including Lions, Cowboys and Broncos.

anyway, im starting to get a tad confused over what both of us are actually arguing over. Its seems to me that this conversation(in terms of QLDer and Victorian) would generally be the other way around. With me denouncing the sport and you sayings its the greatest thing qld has ever seen

Gregan points to Perth's Super 14 positives
Friday, 15 October 2004
Wallabies captain George Gregan says Perth would be a logical base for the new Australian team to play in the expanded Super 14 rugby union competition.

Two teams are being added to the current Super 12 format from 2006, with one in South Africa and one in Australia.

A decision on where the new Australian team will be based is yet to be made, but Gregan says Perth would be a good option.

"Perth's a big positive because it's on the way to South Africa and it'd break up the trip quite well," he said.

"It's got a really good supporter base, a lot of ex-pats over there."
http://www.abc.net.au/wa/news/200410/s1220841.htm

Perth, Melbourne vie for 'Super 14'
The Australian Rugby Union (ARU) on Wednesday said Perth and Melbourne are the only two cities invited to bid for the country's fourth "Super 14" franchise.

ARU managing director Gary Flowers said it whittled the contenders for the franchise down to two after expressions of interest from the Australian regional centres at Gosford, the Gold Coast, Townsville and Adelaide.

"The reality is that we now have two excellent options and can ultimately only choose one," Flowers said.

"To put other locations to the expense and rigours of a submission process would create false expectations and, frankly, we would be wasting their time."

Melbourne and Perth were always considered frontrunners for the new Australian franchise when the idea was floated in early September.

Melbourne, while not in the ARU's heartland, is the country's second-largest city with a population of more than three million. Perth has large expatriate populations of rugby-supporting South Africans and Britons.

The cities will submit their bids by November 19 and the ARU is expected to announce its decision in December.

The winner will join Australia's existing Super 12 teams -- the NSW Waratahs, Queensland Reds and ACT Brumbies -- in an expanded, 14-team southern-hemisphere representative competition in the 2006 season.

The bids will contain detailed information on proposed revenue streams, sponsorship, player development, ticketing, marketing and communications planning, as well as rugby operations planning, including recruitment, staffing, training facilities and player welfare programmes.

"Timing is critical," Flowers said. "We need a CEO and coach appointed quickly to get the right structures in place and competitive playing roster recruited."

Sanzar -- which represents the South African, New Zealand and Australian rugby unions -- put forward the Super 14 concept last month as part of a proposed new broadcasting rights deal with News Corp.

Sanzar's model also includes a third round of Tri-Nation Test matches between the Springboks, Wallabies and All Blacks.

Sanzar's 10-year deal with News Corp expires next year and boss Rupert Murdoch warned last October that a new agreement is unlikely to match the original sum of $550-million.

An ARU spokesperson said Sanzar and New Corp are still negotiating the contract. -- Sapa-AFP
http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?cg=BreakingNews-Sport&ao=124034

Give it to perth, we don't want it. AFL is better.
well in my opinion anyway, we don't need another thugby team, let alone one.

Give it to perth, we don't want it. AFL is better.
well in my opinion anyway, we don't need another thugby team, let alone one.
Yeah Let Perth have the "bumsniffers" :cheers:

Nah, the more the merrier.

What's a Rugby?

give it to Perth.

The only major benefit I can see it would bring to the city is a possible new stadium in the Olympic Park precinct - 40,000 seater? could double as a Thugby and Drama Queen stadium?

Players prefer Perth
AUSTRALIAN Rugby Union fears that Perth might not be able to attract enough quality players to field a competitive Super 14 team have been allayed by a players' poll that puts the WA capital well ahead of Melbourne as the preferred site for Australia's fourth professional franchise.

The ARU yesterday whittled down the list of contenders for the fourth Australian franchise in the expanded southern hemisphere provincial competition starting in 2006 to Perth and Melbourne, with Gosford, the Gold Coast, Townsville and Adelaide eliminated.

ARU high performance manager Brett Robinson, noting that most foundation players for the new club would be drawn from the east coast, said yesterday Perth could "have issues" in terms of attracting recruits.

However, a Rugby Union Players Association poll suggests it might be Melbourne that could struggle in this regard.

"Our current members poll shows Perth is preferred by players," RUPA chief executive Tony Dempsey said. "We have only polled 30 per cent of our members, but it is a significant lead."

Reds captain Elton Flatley, one of several prominent Wallabies off contract at the end of 2005 and a potential recruit for whichever city wins the franchise, said the Melbourne market would be more difficult for rugby to crack, but could prove a lot more rewarding for the game.

"Long term, the benefits for rugby could be massive," Flatley said. "But I think a lot of guys would be swayed by the Perth lifestyle."

WA Rugby chief executive Rick Smith said the Perth bidding team had identified lifestyle and weather as advantages over Melbourne.

The two rival cities and the three existing Australian Super 12 franchises, the Waratahs, Brumbies and Reds, all claimed to have no problems with the ARU's decision to become directly involved in the establishment and initial running of the fourth team.

Although the ARU's intention is for the successful state union to run the team on a stand-alone basis, the national body effectively will control it in the early stages, appointing the majority of management committee members who in turn will select the chief executive, key management personnel and the coaching staff.

ARU chief executive Gary Flowers insisted that the new team would quickly become autonomous.

"It's very important that this team is not the ARU's team," Flowers said. "There is an ARU resolution which says the ARU cannot own this team. What we want to do is simply help them and assist them and make sure it is competitive."

The respective Reds, Waratahs and Brumbies chief executives, Theo Psaros, Fraser Neill and Rob Clarke, said they had no fears the new franchise would gain any unfair advantages because of its close links with the ARU.

"But we will certainly be monitoring the period when they (the ARU) remove their tentacles," Psaros said.

"Any inkling of favouritism with ARU contracts and the you-know-what would hit the fan."

While Clarke claimed both finalists were worthy contenders, Psaros favoured Perth because of the intense competition a Melbourne franchise would face in the heartland of Australian football.

"I would fear for a team competing against 10 AFL clubs," Psaros said. "Look at how hard we have to do it in Brisbane just against the Lions and Broncos."

Yet it may be that perceptions of an AFL factor as a problem for Melbourne are as wide of the mark as the fears relating to Perth's isolation.

The Super 12 season began this year on February 20 and was almost half over by the time the AFL premiership got under way on March 26.

Indeed, Steiner said the most worrying perceptions the Victorian bidding team needed to address was that a Melbourne-based Super 14 rugby franchise might struggle to the same degree as the city's National Rugby League team, the Storm.

He insisted Victorian rugby, which has contributed 26 players to the Wallabies, going back to the legendary Edward 'Weary' Dunlop, has a far more robust heritage and support base than league in the state.

Ironically, Perth has made a positive out of a corresponding negative, the failure of the Western Reds team during the Super League era, with Smith revealing WA Rugby had spoken to former Western Reds officials to try to avoid the same pitfalls they had tumbled into.

The two cities must submit their bids by November 19, with the ARU, aided by input from specialist consultant Bob Elphinstone, a member of the IOC's 2008 Olympic host city evaluation unit, likely to decide the winner at its board meeting on December 10.

Australia's SANZAR partners, New Zealand and South Africa, will have no input, but Flowers indicated a lot could hinge on the impending SANZAR negotiations with News Limited.

"Broadcast preference and the flexibility either location could give in broadcasting is something we'll put in the mix," Flowers said.

Wallabies captain George Gregan has confirmed he will tour the UK and France at the end of the month despite a family illness.
http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0,8659,11134489-23217,00.html

Corporate backers sought for Perth's Super 14 bid
http://www.thewest.com.au/pictures/100-gen23rugby.jpg
WA's corporate high flyers are being urged to put their money where their mouths are and stump up financial support for Perth's bid for inclusion in the expanded Super 14 rugby competition.

Rugby WA chairman Geoff Stooke, the man spearheading the push to have Australia's fourth team in the competition based in Perth, yesterday urged the business community to get behind the proposal to the tune of $3 million.

"We've done our research and that's the figure we need," Mr Stooke said. "We're looking at between 30 and 40 sponsors overall ranging from the naming rights sponsor down."

WA's richest man, Kerry Stokes, lent his support to the bid this week saying WA was ahead of Melbourne in the areas of TV ratings, crowd support, infrastructure and geography.

The WA bid will advertise today seeking expressions of interest for sponsorship and corporate hospitality as it seeks to clear the next hurdle in the Australian Rugby Union's expansion process.

On Tuesday, the ARU cut Adelaide, Gosford, Townsville and the Gold Coast from the bidding process, leaving Perth and Melbourne to fight it out for the franchise. Both bids have until November 19 to shore up their credentials.

The ARU has three specific objectives for the franchise: growing the elite player base for international selection, developing the game through junior participation, and increasing the audience and commercial value of the code.

Mr Stooke said the WA bid had received a positive response from business in the past 18 to 24 months, but it was now time to convert that sentiment to "substantial, genuine expressions of interest".

"If we don't get the corporate support we don't get off the ground, it's as simple as that," he said.

One of the crucial tasks will be to secure a major naming right's sponsor, which Mr Stooke hopes will contribute $1.2 million a year.

But sports marketing guru Martin Hirons, director of sponsorship and marketing consultancy Sweeney Sports, said AFL and NRL teams were attracting as much as $1.5 million-a-year deals.

Dubai-based airline Emirates, a big spender on sports advertising globally, has been touted as a frontrunner, having recently increased flights on its Perth routes.

Mr Hirons said airlines were a logical fit, with banks, telcos and car makers also likely candidates.

"It could be an Australian company expanding its horizons into New Zealand or South Africa or it could be a company that has a strong southern (States) presence trying to tap into the rest of Australia in some way - there's certainly plenty of those," he said.

"Cars are an interesting one because different companies have been exporting to South Africa in recent years."

He said a Super 14 franchise was potentially a more attractive prospect to corporations given the international profile of the competition.

Corporate hospitality will also play an important role, with Mr Stooke indicating Subiaco Oval was likely to host the new team until a proposed upgrade of Members Equity Stadium was undertaken.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20041023/business/tw-business-home-sto129643.html

I'd love to see Japan take part. They play an exciting brand of rugby and would make for a great added component to the competition.

IMO. Ruby Union is far and away the best of the 3 codes "_". It's played internationaly, and can be played in many different ways making things intresting rather than rugby league which is very much the same old thing in every team that plays.

You need to pray for your eyes to be opened Jeeeb "Ru(g)by Union is far and away the best of the 3 codes" :eek2: :sleepy:

ARL set to have a new Rugby League club in WA within the next 5 years! So thats a nice rockets up the ARU's arse! :bash:

ARL set to have a new Rugby League club in WA within the next 5 years! So thats a nice rockets up the ARU's arse!
tried and failed......did i mention they failed!

Anyway as it stands it appears that perth is still the front runner, even though melbourne has large corporate offices down there, It appears that patriotical WA rich men may bank roll the team while the Vic team is still searching for sponsors. Vic companies have already a saturated market for sponsorship possibilities with the amount of proffesional sporting teams down there.

State Government throws its support behind WA Super 14 bid
A $25million State Government contribution to fast track Stage II of Members Equity Stadium is part of a commitment to ensure Western Australia secures a Super 14 rugby union team for Perth.

Premier Geoff Gallop said Perth was aggressively vying with Melbourne for the right to host a team in the expanded high profile international competition.

"I am sure all Western Australians would back Rugby WA's bid to have a Super 14 team based in Perth and funding the upgrade of Members Equity underlines our level of support," Dr Gallop said.

"Rugby World Cup 2003 proved to the rest of Australia that people in the West are passionate about rugby and if Victoria thinks we are going to roll over and let them win this bid, it had better be ready for a tough fight.

"The reason we can afford to support the bid with $25million is because our disciplined management of the State's finances allows us to give this sort of direct dividend to the people of WA."

The upgrade would include a new grandstand taking capacity to 22,000 people, improved media, spectator and corporate hospitality facilities and better lighting at the former Perth Oval.

The expansion would also ensure the new 22,000-seat stadium surpassed all the standards set by Australian Rugby Union and South Africa New Zealand Australia Rugby (SANZAR) in their selection criteria for the new team.

Dr Gallop said the State Government was aware a world-class facility, as well as strong State Government support, would strengthen WA's chances of having a team based in Perth.

"Having the right venue is crucial to Perth's bid and the State Government is fully committed to continue working closely with Rugby WA to present the best possible bid," he said.

"A Super 14 team in Perth is not only important to the development of rugby union in this State, but would have a wonderful long-term social and economic impact in a whole range of areas, particularly in the area of international exposure through television coverage.

"A Perth-based team is not just about supporting an elite team - it will add a further dimension to community sport at all levels.

"We aim to ensure this purpose-built stadium is not only a world-class rugby venue but one that provides Perth Glory and other sports even better facilities to serve sport into the future."

The State Government has contributed $6million to the $11million establishment of Perth Oval as a rectangular stadium suited to soccer and rugby in partnership with the Town of Vincent.

The upgrade would begin straight away if Perth is successful in its bid and should be ready for Super 14 matches as early as 2007. It is understood Australian Rugby Union considers either Subiaco Oval or the WACA Ground ideal interim venues for a WA team for the first season, commencing in 2006.

"The benefits of a Perth-based team extend beyond the estimated $5million a year likely to be spent in the WA economy," Dr Gallop said.

"Strong support from Western Australians at recent Perth international rugby fixtures, as well as our geographical and climatic advantages, show categorically that Perth is the best location for a new team and this Government will do all it can to help Rugby WA in its bid."

Rugby WA Chairman Geoff Stooke said the State Government's outstanding commitment to upgrade the stadium was a significant boost to the Perth bid.

"The full backing of the State Government is crucial to a successful bid," he said.

"WA's rugby fraternity - which is expanding and becoming more passionate by the month - is delighted at the prospect of sharing a world-class venue with soccer and other sports that require a rectangular playing field.

"This support most certainly strengthens our bid chances because not only will we have playing, spectator and media facilities in keeping with a competition of this status, the corporate hospitality facilities will encourage sponsorship and provide additional on-going revenue streams."

^^thats pretty awsome, its going to be a huge factor now that the bid has full goverment support. Also revamping the stadium will mean that its going to add a bit more interest when attending the games, not only a new team but a new stadium. The Brisbane Broncos got a new stadium and they have had one of the highest crowd averages in the league since.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid144/pd9a3838f781c1fa43b19ba92b160591b/f67559cb.jpg

whats the story behind that photo?

Rugby union i feel has beaten league and it is only time before union beats AFL and Soccer beating them ALL as Union and Soccer have room to grow internationally whereas league and AFL do not, league IS AUSTRALIAN and it is a joke that we play in a joke of a league world cup!

league IS AUSTRALIAN and it is a joke that we play in a joke of a league world cup!

What the hell are you on about you idiot! Rugby League is played in:
Great Britain
New Zealand
Australia
Russia
France
USA
PNG
Japan
Singapore
West Indies
Greece
Lebanon
Italy
South Africa
Holland
Ireland
Argentina
Morrocco
Serbia
Fiji
Tonga
W Samoa
Cook Is
etc etc
If you care to go on google and add 'rugby league' to most of the above countries then it will tell you!

And to the others who seem hellbent that League should die have another thing coming, its here to STAY! get it!
Union will fail in Perth. Club rugby union does NOT get the support nor attraction of an international game. As in the way Western Reds went, so will a union Stupid 14 club.
No matter what hype and 'support' Gallop and his cronies say, they will incure financial loss, because Perth is AFL.
League has a better chance, and would have been still here if it wasnt for the Super League war, we all know that!

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid144/pd9a3838f781c1fa43b19ba92b160591b/f67559cb.jpg

Caption: 'Union's friends in high places' wink wink, roll up a trouser leg!

@ForeverSalfordRed, dont kid yourself international rugby league is a absolute joke, international AFL-Gaeilic? gets bigger crowd then the rugby league does internationally, and compared to union, its not even on the radar.

League V Union fights are hillarious. It's like watching a deaf guy laugh at a blind guy because he's disabled.

What the hell are you on about you idiot! Rugby League is played in:
Great Britain
New Zealand
Australia
Russia
France
USA
PNG
Japan
Singapore
West Indies
Greece
Lebanon
Italy
South Africa
Holland
Ireland
Argentina
Morrocco
Serbia
Fiji
Tonga
W Samoa
Cook Is
etc etc
If you care to go on google and add 'rugby league' to most of the above countries then it will tell you!

And to the others who seem hellbent that League should die have another thing coming, its here to STAY! get it!
Union will fail in Perth. Club rugby union does NOT get the support nor attraction of an international game. As in the way Western Reds went, so will a union Stupid 14 club.
No matter what hype and 'support' Gallop and his cronies say, they will incure financial loss, because Perth is AFL.
League has a better chance, and would have been still here if it wasnt for the Super League war, we all know that!


Whatever you do don't ever go off your medication. :crazy:

LOL yeh the Rugby League World cup is a joke. Australia should just withdraw to give someone else a chance.

But then again the current TRI SERIES has been really competitive so far.

Im interested in the AUSTRALIA VS USA game in a few weeks.. i think it will be played in Philadelphia.

Glory chief kicks along rugby bid
PERTH Glory soccer club chairman Nick Tana has thrown his weight behind rival code rugby union.

He is urging supporters of all sports to join the Super 14 rally at Subiaco Oval next Sunday.

Rally organisers were given a boost yesterday with the news that former Australian Idol star Cosima De Vito would be singing at the rally.

Her agents said she would be re-arranging her schedule to allow her to fly home to Perth to sing Waltzing Matilda, the adopted anthem of the Wallabies rugby side.

Mr Tana urged all Glory fans, members and sponsors to back the campaign.

"Rugby, soccer, we will all benefit. WA will be a beneficiary. All sports fans should support this," he said.

"Why should Victoria get the rugby side? They've already got rugby league. South Africa has said they prefer Perth, New Zealand say they prefer Perth and we say we prefer Perth. What's the problem?"

He has taken out newspaper ads rallying fans to the cause.

Perth Glory subsidiary, Allia Holdings, is manager of Members Equity stadium, and Mr Tana admitted that a Perth Super 14 club would be a huge benefit to the Glory.

The State Government has committed $25 million to redevelop the stadium for Super 14 rugby by increasing its capacity to 22,000 and installing new lighting, corporate hospitality and media facilities.

Thirty thousand Super 14 supporters rally posters are being printed by The Sunday Times and more than 13,000 people have already signed The Sunday Times petition supporting the bid.

Rugby WA has received more than 2200 expressions of interest in membership and season tickets. An Internet link for ticket interest can be found on the Rugby WA website on www.rugbywa.com.au.

More than 1000 emails of support for Perth have been received by the Australian Rugby Union.

The Victorian Rugby Union has collected only 4500 signatures on its official website.

Sports Minister Bob Kucera met ARU manager of commercial operations Brian Thorburn this week.

Mr Thorburn was impressed with the plans for Members Equity Stadium and the Government support of the bid.

"Planning is well progressed and the level of community and corporate support appears to be very strong," he said.

"I believe Perth will present a robust and professional bid."

He said Sunday's rally would send a strong, visible message.

Mr Kucera, who collected 200 signatures on petitions last weekend, said he impressed on Mr Thorburn that part of the bid was to develop rugby union "on the left edge of the nation".

"Kids should be able to see a clear pathway to representative rugby. Super 14 would open up that whole new vista for our young people," he said.

This week the WA Cricket Association made a formal bid to Rugby WA to host a side. To support the bid, the WACA Ground will be temporarily transformed into a Super 14 venue on Wednesday night.

"We realise that the WACA Ground is under-utilised during the winter months, and hosting a Super 14 team offers a perfect opportunity to make the best use of this world-class venue," WACA president Dennis Lillee said.

I understand the Vic gov has plans for a 25,000 seat redevelopment for the 3 codes down there. The state of Olympic Park really holds League back there. The Storm averaged just under 9000 last season. A better quality stadium would get more buts on seats.

Both proposals (22,000 and 25,000) are under the Super 12 crowd average of nearly 26,000, but I'd expect each city to average around half that anyhow.

The thing is though, Ballymore hardly holds anymore than about 26,000 in total. I think the average Super12 game gets about 15,000 spectators.

^Actually, capacity is now closer to 20,000 thanks to the addition of plastic seats and other minor improvements (you can't squeeze as many fans into grounds these days due to fire regulations etc..)

Reds v Blues last year was a sellout with just under 20,000 in.

I think if the reds were to show a bit more form they'd pull large crowds for the length of the season, not just the start.

I'm hoping QLD play NSW in a two game series every year (one game just after the super 14 maybe), then a game at Suncorp can become a fixture. In an ideal world Ballymore would hold 30,000, but I can't see anyone agreeing to a something like $25 million upgrade to do that....

Super 14 poll shows players happy with Perth
Perth's isolation, supposedly a drawback to Perth's Super 14 rugby bid, looks increasingly like a non-issue.

Members of the Australian Rugby Union Players Association are equally divided on their preferred location of a fourth Australian team in the southern hemisphere competition from 2006.

A decision on the host city is expected in about five weeks.

Players' union boss Tony Dempsey recently polled members on the matter.

With half of the responses received, he indicated yesterday there was no clear preference, suggesting players are prepared to move to wherever the work is.

"With 50 per cent in, it's 50-50," said Dempsey.

Bid group members are finalising the proposal, to be handed to an ARU official in Perth on November 19.

Rugby WA officials Geoff Stooke and Rick Smith, plus Brent Stewart of information consultancy Market Equity, will make an Olympic bid-style presentation to the ARU's evaluation committee in Sydney on November 30. About a fortnight later Rugby WA will present a shortened version to the ARU board, which would have already received the evaluation committee's recommendation.

The decision would be announced soon after.

The State Government's promise to fast-track a $25 million renovation of Members Equity Stadium to enable Super 14 rugby to be played there from 2007 will be a cornerstone of the Perth proposal.

Melbourne lacks a suitable rectangular stadium and, with the 2006 Commonwealth Games likely to produce a deficit, the Victorian Government has yet to commit to another sports facility.

Preliminary plans have been drawn up for a grandstand containing corporate facilities on the eastern side of Members Equity Stadium.

This would increase the ground capacity to 25,000.

A Super 14 rally will be held at Subiaco Oval on Sunday to form a human sign and send a visual message to the ARU about the level of public support for a team in Perth.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20041110/sport/tw-sport-home-sto129773.html

Proposed Perth Oval Upgrade, Artists Impression:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid146/p09b3f604cbb3833928277fe92aa08c54/f64f0846.jpg

Perth wins the Super 14 numbers game
WHEN Perth submits its bid for a new Super 14 rugby team on Friday it will boast of overwhelming public support and guaranteed commercial viability.

In its submission to the Australian Rugby Union, Perth will show it has received more than 70 expressions of interest from potential sponsors and hospitality providers.

And a rugby team in Perth is expected to draw bigger crowds than one based in Melbourne.

Rugby WA president Geoff Stooke said the Perth Super 14 bid had surpassed its initial sponsorship dollar target.

"We've met our initial target by way of confirmed expressions of interest – which is fantastic – and we would like to go beyond that so we are still looking," he said.

"We do have a number of Perth-based corporates that have shown a lot of interest and a couple from overseas, so it has been very encouraging."

Mr Stooke said the corporate sector's support for a Perth team countered Melbourne's claim that their team would be commercially more viable.

"One of the big issues in Melbourne is that their businesses already have a huge demand on them from a lot of sports," he said.

"You don't run Melbourne Cup carnivals, a grand prix, 10 AFL teams and a rugby league team without having demands on businesses in Melbourne."

Rugby WA predicts that a Perth team would attract a sustainable average home crowd of more than 20,000, with potentially bigger crowds in the first year.

Victorian rugby boss Ron Steiner said its market research showed a Melbourne team would attract an average attendance of 15,000.

An independent survey of 1000 people by market research company Market Equity found that more than two-thirds of West Australians were interested in rugby.

Go WA, you certainly need something to liven Perth up at weekends when the REAL footy is not on..

yeah the new soccer season still has some time to go till it starts hey....

Perth turns out to support Super 14 bid
Perth's bid to join the expanded Super 14 tournament received a significant show of public support today, with 6,000 people attending a rally at Subiaco Oval.

The Western Australian capital is locked in a tight battle with Melbourne to win the right to host Australia's fourth provincial team.

Despite being AFL heartlands, the two cities have shown growing support for rugby union, having both hosted Test matches over the past seven years.

The Australian Rugby Union will announce its decision on the successful bid in December.

The fourth Australian team will join the expanded competition in 2006.

I really couldn't care less if Perth got it over Melbourne. The only thing I'd care about is that Perth beat us, but even then you couldn't show that Melbourne put everything behind creating a rugby team. If we did we would win the bid easily.

hense why victorians are know all around australian as dick heads

hense why victorians are know all around australian as dick heads

lol :cheers:

hense why victorians are know all around australian as dick heads

And our care factor is zero....

I really couldn't care less if Perth got it over Melbourne. The only thing I'd care about is that Perth beat us, but even then you couldn't show that Melbourne put everything behind creating a rugby team. If we did we would win the bid easily.

"Well we weren't trying so nyer!"

"we didn't want it anyway"

"mum says we're still the sporting capital anyway, so nyer!"

Proof that the ingenuity of a 5 year old is good enough to explain away Victorian ineptitude. I agree with Chrisaus. It's as if your parents conceived you by fashioning a knob out of clay then photocopying it.

"mum says we're still the sporting capital anyway, so nyer!"


:yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes:

It's so true.

And our care factor is zero....

LOL if it was you wouldn't have replied :D

I don't care because I have absolutely no interest in rugby. As with anything you don't like seeing another city "win" something over you.

so you have no interest in rugby so i guess the only reason for coming into this thread and keep visiting is because you just want to be a stupid wanker? yeah don't like rugby piss of out of this thread and go wank over afl

HEEEEEEEEEEEEY! :eek2:

Did I enter the discussion at a bad time!!

I for one LOVE sports! All types of footy I've played ,though I have never played AFL, besides at the park with mates. Coz from Sydney, but if we ever make the GF and win over a Victorian team I will take it up as well.... :)

so you have no interest in rugby so i guess the only reason for coming into this thread and keep visiting is because you just want to be a stupid wanker? yeah don't like rugby piss of out of this thread and go wank over afl

Perth.

HEEEEEEEEEEEEY! :eek2:

Did I enter the discussion at a bad time!!

I for one LOVE sports! All types of footy I've played ,though I have never played AFL, besides at the park with mates. Coz from Sydney, but if we ever make the GF and win over a Victorian team I will take it up as well.... :)

yeh ive played Union, League, AFL and Soccer.

Generally we are more prepared to give any sport a go.

The Netball got another world record the other day at the Sydney Super dome. 15,000!!!

by the looks of some of this from a rally held the other day to support super 14 in perth i would definetly say perth is the new team. Melbourne hasnt dome much more then express interest.

http://www.csfoto.com.au/gallery/largePic.asp?catname=01Super14%20WA%20Public%20Rally%2014-11-04&subcatName=Subiaco%20Oval%2014-11-04&section=new&name=IMG_7239.jpg&pos=88

Nope, we want a LEAGUE team back in Perth, not more paint watching rugger bugger union thanx.

Proposed Perth Oval Upgrade, Artists Impression:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid146/p09b3f604cbb3833928277fe92aa08c54/f64f0846.jpg

Hasnt it just been upgraded?
Wonder if they would have done this effort if it was a rugby league side? I doubt it somehow, preferential treatment as far as im concerned.

I really couldn't care less if Perth got it over Melbourne. The only thing I'd care about is that Perth beat us, but even then you couldn't show that Melbourne put everything behind creating a rugby team. If we did we would win the bid easily.

Melbourne already has a rugby team, theyre called Melbourne Storm.

Hasnt it just been upgraded?
Wonder if they would have done this effort if it was a rugby league side? I doubt it somehow, preferential treatment as far as im concerned.

Yeah, the WA government prefers spending money on sports that actually exist.

League.... lol. Just give it up.

Yeah, the WA government prefers spending money on sports that actually exist.

League.... lol. Just give it up.

Didnt you know League does exist in WA??? WARL?? Derrrrrrrrrrr!!! :bash:

Didnt you know League does exist in WA??? WARL?? Derrrrrrrrrrr!!!

maybe he should have said, the WA Gov likes to spend money on sports which actually have a future in WA.....

as for your WARL, well im sure theres a person out there you can pay to listen to you talk about the WARL cause no one else really cares.

Judgement day for Perth and Melbourne
The duel between Melbourne and Perth to win the franchise for Australia's fourth Super 14 club reaches grand final pitch today when the Australian Rugby Union will hear final submissions from the two cities at its North Sydney bunker.

Sports ministers from the two states - Victoria's Justin Madden and West Australia's Bob Kucera - will front the bid teams. The two Labor ministers held an arm wrestle in Perth some weeks ago while debating the issue, with Kucera winning.

Madden, a former AFL premiership player, will present the Melbourne bid, playing off the Victorian Government's planned $100 million investment in a stadium to be built specifically for rugby and soccer should it win.

An extremely tall man who arranges his body like a folding ruler when climbing into a ministerial car, Madden will present Victoria's bid at 1pm, two hours after Kucera, a beefy, highly decorated former policeman, makes his pitch.

Perth will argue it has an advantage as a stop-off point for teams travelling to and from South Africa.

"They should award the franchise to Mauritius if that's the way they are thinking," said Sydney businessman John Singleton, whose Central Coast bid did not make the shortlist. "Modern sport is all about TV, and Melbourne will win the bid because they've got about one million more sets."

News Ltd, which owns half of Fox Sports, holds the pay-TV broadcasting rights for the competition in which the two new teams will play from 2006.

Perth argues it has the support of expatriates from South Africa, England and New Zealand but the ARU has consulted census figures and decided that is a myth.

Bill Gillies, president of the Victorian Rugby Union, says: "We've got even more expatriate rugby followers, including a very strong Pacific Island community, and a lot more corporate support."

If News Ltd is one elephant in the ARU board room, the AFL is another.

Perth argues that having two AFL teams in the western capital leaves room for a Super 14 franchise, the implication being a Melbourne team would be suffocated in the AFL-obsessed city.

Gillies, who compares his role in Melbourne to the Archbishop of Canterbury trying to accumulate a flock in the Vatican, says: "The Super 14 matches might overlap with Wizard Cup pre-season matches but there will be minimal overlap with the AFL home-and-away season because Super 14 is over early June."

He claims AFL has demonstrated ecumenicalism to his code, saying: "When World Cup matches were played in Melbourne last year, Collingwood, Western Bulldogs and Richmond all shared facilities with rugby teams. Essendon's Kevin Sheedy has always had a close relationship with [Wallabies coach] Eddie Jones and the VRU has sometimes shared facilities with Hawthorn and St Kilda."

Melbourne's snobby regard for a private school education means rugby union is the sport of choice for the city's professional cadre, very evident during the World Cup when lawyers could be heard loudly explaining the fine points of the game to their wives at Telstra Dome.

Melbourne's legal fraternity has even researched the background of the ARU's chief executive, Gary Flowers, a former managing partner in a law firm that grew from humble origins in Newcastle and expanded to Melbourne in 1992 and Perth in 2002.

"It took them another 10 years to discover Perth," a Victorian lawyer said, an example of the rarefied atmosphere that will permeate today's meeting.

The ARU said Flowers, returning from the Wallabies' victory in London, was unavailable for comment yesterday.

Gregan backs Perth for new Super team
Wallaby captain George Gregan yesterday gave his enthusiastic backing to Perth's bid to host the new Australian Super 14 rugby team.

In his first public statement on where the new franchise should go, Gregan added weight to Perth's case to get the fourth Australian Super 14 team ahead of rival bidder Melbourne.

Although he conceded there were arguments for both cities, Gregan left no doubt about his preference.

"Personally, I think Perth would be best," Gregan said. "The Wallabies have had fantastic and growing support there since 1998. "There is a big expatriate community in Perth and my gut feeling is that everyone over there would be right behind a team."

The Australian Rugby Union will make a decision at the end of next week about which city will join a new South African team in the world's best rugby competition from 2006.

Both cities made their pitch to the ARU this week.

Gregan is not only Australian captain but also the Test record-holder with 106 caps.

Speaking at Coolum golf resort where he played in a pro-am event with Greg Norman ahead of the Australian PGA Championship starting today, he said although Melbourne was a great sporting city, a rugby team there might be swamped by the AFL.

"Melbourne's primary sport in winter is AFL," he said. "I just think that a small, closer community like Perth would be better.

"I think from the set-up over there it would be more productive and if the facilities and preparations are right, it would be great.

"Personally, I just think the best place for the new team is Perth."

Sport Minister Bob Kucera, who was a member of the WA delegation to the ARU, said it was wonderful to get the backing of someone with Gregan's calibre in the rugby world.

However, Victorian Rugby Union general manager Ron Steiner said Gregan's comments were based on a one-dimensional view of the game. The decision on the Super 14 team needed a broader vision.

"We're absolutely confident that we exceed all the key criteria that the Australian Rugby Union is seeking," Steiner said. "Perhaps George may not be fully aware of these."

Steiner insisted a Victorian Super 14 team would not be going head-to-head with the State's 10 heavily supported AFL teams.

"There is plenty of room in the schedule . . . the AFL season doesn't get into full swing until April," he said.

"The AFL does have strong market share in Melbourne, there's no argument with that. However, there is only a maximum of two games played in Melbourne on any Saturday afternoon, let alone any Friday or Saturday night."

Perth secures extra half million
West Australian rugby chairman Geoff Stooke says Perth has secured an extra $500,000 in sponsorship commitments a day before the new Australian Super 14 franchise is to be announced.

Stooke said two major West Australian companies will back a Perth side in the expanded rugby competition for 2006, with total sponsorship for the West now exceeding $4 million.

The Australian Rugby Union will chose either Perth or Melbourne for the franchise at a board meeting in Sydney on Friday.

The feeling in the media is that Melbourne has the bid in the bag.

I think at this stage it will be Melbourne... just too many good things going for the bid. But that extra announcement from Perth is interesting. Too little too late though?

Stu

So um. Burn.

Hard luck melbourne. We deserved it though. And you win everything else.

The feeling in the media is that Melbourne has the bid in the bag.

Perhaps you should stop paying attention to Melbourne's media.

A good read guaranteed! ;)

What's a Rugby? :lol:

the only thing I'm disappointed in is no new stadium, especially the one which we saw a conceptual render of :(

Perth Super 14 bid "outstanding" - ARU
ARU defends choosing Perth for a Super 14 expansion side, saying it has a bigger rugby fan base than Victoria

Western Australia may not be one of the traditional rugby union powers but it will soon be battling the best regional and state teams in the world.

Perth has been chosen over Melbourne by the Australian Rugby Union as the home of its 2006 Super 14 expansion side.

ARU Managing Director Gary Flowers says Perth has a bigger rugby fan base because of the large number of South African and New Zealand ex-pats who live there.

He says Perth's bid was outstanding in relation to its connection to the community, player welfare and facilities.

Gary Flowers says Victorian rugby will still grow through a healthy supply of test matches.

Australian rugby journalist Terry Smith says Western Australia was a sound decision, considering its geographical location, South African and New Zealand expatriate population and Victoria's Aussie Rules fanaticism.

However, Smith says it makes little difference where the side is based because the country does not have enough talent to sustain the competition.
http://home.nzcity.co.nz/news/default.asp?id=45749&c=w



Super choice for new team
THE ARU board was so certain Perth should be awarded the fourth Australian Super 14 franchise the nine members did not need to vote on the issue.

After a 4 1/2-hour meeting in North Sydney yesterday, the board of the Australian Rugby Union reached a consensus to locate the team in the West Australian capital instead of Melbourne.

The board was supposed to vote on a recommendation from the ARU's evaluation committee to place the team in Perth.

ARU chairman Bob Tuckey said the vote was unanimous, but the governing body's chief executive Gary Flowers corrected him.

"I don't think it even went to a vote," Flowers said. "It was just an overall consensus that was there for Perth.

"There was no difference of opinion about the issue of where this team should be located."

Good news travelled fast. West Australian Premier Geoff Gallop happened to be in Sydney on holiday and arrived at ARU headquarters shortly after the announcement.

"This is a great day for Western Australia and a great day for rugby," Gallop said.

The key to Perth securing the prized franchise was the ARU's instinct for survival.

Rugby union is a foreign code in the southern states, which is dominated by Australian football.

But the ARU was greatly encouraged by the overwhelming grassroots support for a Super 14 team in Perth, a city with only two AFL teams and no rugby league presence.

In the end Perth was the less risky choice.

"The evaluation committee looked at the risk assessment of both submissions," ARU high performance general manager Brett Robinson said.

"It certainly wasn't a high risk (in Melbourne), but there was some risk associated with it.

"I think it is important if a team is going to be successful that they demonstrate a high level of connectivity and an environment that is going to be productive in terms of performance.

"We had a high level of certainty that that was going to occur in West Australia. In the Victorian bid we had a sense of that, but not to the same degree."

Flowers said Perth delivered on the initial criteria which the ARU set out when it invited Melbourne and Perth to bid for the franchise in October.

"We had two great options, but in relation to Perth there were a number of factors which the board took into account in giving Perth the nod," Flowers said.

"The Perth bid highlighted a wonderful support program for the players and their families. The players will be living in a very tight-knit community close to training bases and also great community facilities.

"We believe the Perth team will be embraced by the Western Australian community, business, government and importantly the media."

West Australian Rugby Union chairman Geoff Stooke said Perth's bid had been aided by strong government and corporate support. The airline Emirates is expected to become naming rights sponsor.

"I understand the decision was fairly tight," Stooke said.

"I think a major factor was that we have proved we have the financial support through the sponsorship and hospitality ... they knew it would be a high-profile sport in this town."

Perth's selection pleased the players most because it would ease fatigue for teams travelling between the three southern hemisphere countries that make up Super 14.

"It breaks up that trip for the South Africans and the New Zealand teams. It will be welcomed by all the teams and not just players in Australia," Waratahs and former Test centre Nathan Grey said.

"I also think it's especially good to shift the focus from the Australian eastern seaboard."

It was a sentiment shared by Test five-eighth and Brumbies star Stephen Larkham, who initially found it hard to split Melbourne and Perth.

"They both had their plus and minus points but for mine I began to prefer to see it in Perth because there's less competition over there and we certainly do want to make it a national game and not just a sport on the eastern side of the country," Larkham said.

Victorian sports minister Justin Madden said he thought rejecting Melbourne's bid was not in the best interests of the development of rugby.

"I think the challenge put to the Australian Rugby Union to really contest rugby in Australia's sporting capital is obviously one that has not been taken up and in strategic terms I think will not necessarily be good for the development of Australian rugby long-term," Madden said.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,11652915%255E2722,00.html



Perth wins by a long distance
And the winner is ... Perth.

The West Australian capital won the fourth Super 14 franchise in July 1998 when it hosted its first rugby Test, Australia-South Africa.

All the heavyweights of West Australian political, business and social life were at Subiaco Oval: Kim Beazley (a second-rower at Oxford University as a Rhodes scholar) was seated with Janet Holmes a Court. And the punters in the outer thoroughly enjoyed themselves, even though the Wallabies lost to the Springboks.

This grand acceptance of a rugby Test by the movers and shakers of Perth society contrasted with the dismal attendance by members of the MCG at the first Bledisloe Cup Test of 1997. Despite a crowd of 90,119, rows of members' seats were empty. AFL administrators complained to Channel Seven that the Test was getting a priority on the box ahead of a St Kilda match.

There was a record crowd at Melbourne's (now) Telstra Dome of 56,605 for the second Test against the British and Irish Lions in 2001. But there was always the feeling that the power establishment in Melbourne - including the media - did not appreciate what a huge worldwide sporting occasion it was.

Big corporate money, a huge population and, consequently, a huge TV market and the memory of the 1930s when Victoria, led by Edward "Weary" Dunlop in the forwards, sometimes beat NSW in rugby were Melbourne's strong suit. But the protectionist ethic of Victoria, expressed in sport with an obsession with Australian football, was always a compelling reason why the fifth franchise will go to Melbourne and the fourth franchise to Perth.

In brutal terms, Melbourne has scorned the rugby league Melbourne Storm (even though the team won a premiership), while Perth has embraced soccer's Perth Glory. On this record, Perth is far more likely to support a Super 14 team than Melbourne. And the financial commitment involved with the franchise means the ARU has to have a well-supported team from the start.

Foxtel will now be able to play wall-to-wall Super 14 rugby, starting in New Zealand, then Australia's east, Perth and finally South Africa for seven out of the 14 weeks of the event. New Zealand and Australian teams and the South Africans will be able to break their journey to and from South Africa with matches in Perth. For once, the tyranny of distance has worked for Perth.
http://www.rugbyheaven.smh.com.au/articles/2004/12/11/1102625543468.html?oneclick=true

[b]Perth wins by a long distance
And the winner is ... Perth.

The West Australian capital won the fourth Super 14 franchise in July 1998 when it hosted its first rugby Test, Australia-South Africa.

All the heavyweights of West Australian political, business and social life were at Subiaco Oval: Kim Beazley (a second-rower at Oxford University as a Rhodes scholar) was seated with Janet Holmes a Court. And the punters in the outer thoroughly enjoyed themselves, even though the Wallabies lost to the Springboks.

This grand acceptance of a rugby Test by the movers and shakers of Perth society contrasted with the dismal attendance by members of the MCG at the first Bledisloe Cup Test of 1997. Despite a crowd of 90,119, rows of members' seats were empty. AFL administrators complained to Channel Seven that the Test was getting a priority on the box ahead of a St Kilda match.

There was a record crowd at Melbourne's (now) Telstra Dome of 56,605 for the second Test against the British and Irish Lions in 2001. But there was always the feeling that the power establishment in Melbourne - including the media - did not appreciate what a huge worldwide sporting occasion it was.

Big corporate money, a huge population and, consequently, a huge TV market and the memory of the 1930s when Victoria, led by Edward "Weary" Dunlop in the forwards, sometimes beat NSW in rugby were Melbourne's strong suit. But the protectionist ethic of Victoria, expressed in sport with an obsession with Australian football, was always a compelling reason why the fifth franchise will go to Melbourne and the fourth franchise to Perth.

In brutal terms, Melbourne has scorned the rugby league Melbourne Storm (even though the team won a premiership), while Perth has embraced soccer's Perth Glory. On this record, Perth is far more likely to support a Super 14 team than Melbourne. And the financial commitment involved with the franchise means the ARU has to have a well-supported team from the start.

Foxtel will now be able to play wall-to-wall Super 14 rugby, starting in New Zealand, then Australia's east, Perth and finally South Africa for seven out of the 14 weeks of the event. New Zealand and Australian teams and the South Africans will be able to break their journey to and from South Africa with matches in Perth. For once, the tyranny of distance has worked for Perth.
http://www.rugbyheaven.smh.com.au/articles/2004/12/11/1102625543468.html?oneclick=true

^That is an excellent article.

Congrats Perth, I must say I'm glad you got it over Melbourne.

It just means now, NZ teams have another Aussie team to beat! :)

Well done Perth. Hope to get back to W.A. sometime to see the Waratahs and Perth at what looks like a great venue.

When i was last in Perth i went to a WARL game. Because one of the teams had a red and green jumper with a rabbit on it. Does anyone know the name of the club.

Good luck Perth its a much better chance for RU to grow in the west than in a very hostile city like Melbourne.

dont be a bad sport tays!

yeah well im glad perth won, but i guess i would have being glad if melbourne won as well. I guess when it came down to it the ARU took the safe approach of tapping into the more welcoming perth market rather then risking embarrasment by trying to break into the melbourne market. Then when it comes down to it perth had a lot more pro's then melbourne did and considering that i dont think the aru were about to gamble on $40million..

Oh well its only another 5 years till the sanzar contract will run out again

Mitchell puts hand up for Perth job
Former All Blacks coach John Mitchell has confirmed he will apply for the position of coach of Perth's Super 14 rugby union team.

The new club advertised the position on the weekend and hope to announce its coach early in the new year.

However, New South Wales rugby union centre Nathan Grey has effectively ruled out joining the new franchise by signing with Japanese club Kyuden.

He will play for the Waratahs in the Super 12 competition early next year before leaving for Japan.

Grey has agreed to a one-year deal with an option of another season.

The current Super 12 competition will become the Super 14 competition in 2006.

tays, is so one eyed , typical victorian (no offence to the other nice victorians)

LOL - very rare I come into the sports section but reading this thread has been very entertaining!!!

Well done PERTH!!!!!

Couldn't be more pleased.

jt

Congrats Perth. The right decision. I'll certainly will be getting over there to see the odd game A new interstate rivalry in union has also been launched