Talking Footy

EACH week the rocky red outcrops of the Pilbara produce tonnes of gems in a modern-day gold rush that is luring jet-loads of mercenaries from the east.

Karratha, Port Hedland, Newman, Wickham; towns dotted through Western Australia's mineral belt, a region confined to the business pages because of its role in keeping the economy afloat.

But Pilbara's well-documented mining boom is now starting to deliver something more than iron ore.

Flush with community investment from mining behemoths, these towns are bullseyes on the battlefield for sporting allegiance and the surprise player - on what many would assume to be hostile soil - is rugby league.

That much was confirmed when NRL One Community ambassadors Trent Barrett, Mario Fenech, David Peachey and Adam MacDougall toured schools and clubs in the Pilbara this week.

That's right - clubs. Nearly a continent away from NSW and Queensland are five rugby league clubs and 800 players - it's the footballing equivalent of discovering life on Mars.
Fighting desperately to win WA an NRL franchise with one hand, WARL boss John Sackson has been helping their growth with the other.

"You read about the Pilbara in the business pages but never in the sports pages. That will change," he said.

The area's two biggest towns, Karratha and Port Hedland, each have permanent populations of just under 20,000.

But when fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) mine workers from the eastern seaboard are included, that number explodes to between 50,000 and 60,000. Plying transient labour back and forth across on private jets is ridiculously expensive.

So mining giants such as BHP, Rio Tinto and Fortescue are using their mega-profits to build lucrative frontier towns.

In Wickham, a speck on the map 40km from Karratha, Rio Tinto has just spent $20 million building a sparkling new sporting complex.

It boasts two fields, AFL and rugby league, with enormous steel light towers ringing each perimeter.

P erched above is a clubhouse containing four changerooms, a gym, a function room, bar and a restaurant. All this for a town with an estimated population of just 1800.

"Mining companies are desperate to attract the best labour," Pilbara's sport manager Kane Benson said.

"The better the town, the more skilled workers they will attract. For families considering a move here permanently they first want to know there will be good schools and hospitals.

"But sport is also a huge factor in people's lives and the mining companies know that if they build the right facilities, the workers will come."

Giving clinics and NRL learning programs such as Dream, Believe, Achieve in six Karratha schools last Monday and Tuesday, Barrett and Fenech were clearly understood and recognised.

"We might not ever get an NRL player from Karratha, but that's not the point of the exercise," Barrett said.

WIN Television's decision to broadcast Friday and Sunday games at friendly times has been a major breakthrough. Just as crucial is WIN's commitment to show all three Origin matches at 7.30pm across the state.

"That's probably the most exciting thing that's happened to rugby league in Western Australia since the Western Reds," Sackson said.

Positive change is happening. The near-fatal damage inflicted from the Reds' abrupt demise 15 years ago are healing.

While there's no guarantee it will revive a WA-based outfit with expansion, the ALRC has just agreed to fund a permanent development officer in Pilbarra.

The NRL's nine-day tour, which wraps-up tonight with Peachey and MacDougall hosting a fundraiser in Port Hedland, also included specialist refereeing and administration training.

Further proof decision-makers in Sydney are again looking west. For now, the horizon is relatively clear. It won't be the case for long.

No chance. Karratha and Port Hedland have two AFL clubs each (Falcon/Kats - not a spelling error - and Port/South respectively) and Dampier and Wickham one each. Newman has it's own four team comp and Paraburdoo and Tom Price share another four. AFL has been present in this region since the formation of the De Grey Football League in 1969. Games are played at night which is why some people out of curiosity switch on the TV before going to the local AFL game. The WAFL have played matches for premiership points up here.

There is no way thugby will ever get a foothold here. It's lucky to have what it has and it won't get any more.

History lesson over.

If you are getting 60,000 people moving mostly from the Eastern states to a town which normally only has a population of 20,000 then this may mean that the town could have an equal amount of RL support compared to AF. To me this is the way both sports will exist in the future with ovals next to retangular grounds in cities and towns around the country. In fifty years I see both sports with roughly the same popularity in all states and teritorities.

Rubbish!!

fifo workers generally work two weeks on one week off, so this increase in population means nothing because the 14 days on are 12 hour days on site with down time in the village so no fifo worker could possibly join a sporting club!

I work for rio and the fantastic venue you speak of does indeed have a oval but the rectangle park you speak off also incorparates soccer nets into the up rights so its not purpose built for rugby.

On a personal note, working up here is tough, but these days it is all the more diffucult because all you worthless nsw and qld come over here sponging of the sweat of our great states hard work and now your over here stealing our jobs, you want to bring that bullshit thing you call a sport with you! f#$k that!!

I say WA should succeed from the federation, that way you will need a working visa to come over here and the AFL would be international!

And btw no one over here wants a nrl team period, so stop talking like we do, and stop talking like the reds would have worked because they would have failed regardless.

you are are f wit. Stop talking for WA. you make the state sound stupid

milznjim wrote:

Rubbish!!

fifo workers generally work two weeks on one week off, so this increase in population means nothing because the 14 days on are 12 hour days on site with down time in the village so no fifo worker could possibly join a sporting club!

I work for rio and the fantastic venue you speak of does indeed have a oval but the rectangle park you speak off also incorparates soccer nets into the up rights so its not purpose built for rugby.

On a personal note, working up here is tough, but these days it is all the more diffucult because all you worthless nsw and qld come over here sponging of the sweat of our great states hard work and now your over here stealing our jobs, you want to bring that bullshit thing you call a sport with you! f#$k that!!

I say WA should succeed from the federation, that way you will need a working visa to come over here and the AFL would be international!

And btw no one over here wants a nrl team period, so stop talking like we do, and stop talking like the reds would have worked because they would have failed regardless.

The reds average crowds were only 5k or so in their last few seasons. I was in Perth on the weekend. The ARs interest there rivals Melbournes, or even more. Nothing was mentioned about RL anywhere, nor did I see any rl grounds. Imagine the storms terrible supporter levels, then halve it for a smaller city of Perth, then halve it again for a team that won't make 1 in 3 GF! Itll be a debacle!

milznjim wrote:

Rubbish!!

fifo workers generally work two weeks on one week off, so this increase in population means nothing because the 14 days on are 12 hour days on site with down time in the village so no fifo worker could possibly join a sporting club!

I work for rio and the fantastic venue you speak of does indeed have a oval but the rectangle park you speak off also incorparates soccer nets into the up rights so its not purpose built for rugby.

On a personal note, working up here is tough, but these days it is all the more diffucult because all you worthless nsw and qld come over here sponging of the sweat of our great states hard work and now your over here stealing our jobs, you want to bring that bullshit thing you call a sport with you! f#$k that!!

I say WA should succeed from the federation, that way you will need a working visa to come over here and the AFL would be international!

And btw no one over here wants a nrl team period, so stop talking like we do, and stop talking like the reds would have worked because they would have failed regardless.

Its quite embarrassing to have you ramble on about eastern states like we spung of WA =D> =D> .

I am sure you don't think you speak for all of WA do you?

Whats embarrassing is how the eastern states ie,VIC, NSW have been carrying WA since federation, and now that there is a mining boom you would like to cordon of your state and make it your own lawl you my friend are one sick puppy that needs to be put down. Get your head read buddy.

justanotherleaguefan wrote:

you are are f wit. Stop talking for WA. you make the state sound stupid

If his comment is anything to go by then yes once the mining boom in done they will sink back to same unemployment rate and the eastern states will carry them once more.

nrl is a garbage code and should stay in the sewars of NSW and Qld. The rest of this country has no interest in this crap.

eelofwest wrote:

justanotherleaguefan wrote:

you are are f wit. Stop talking for WA. you make the state sound stupid

If his comment is anything to go by then yes once the mining boom in done they will sink back to same unemployment rate and the eastern states will carry them once more.

In that neck of the woods, the mining boom began in the late 1960's and has never dropped below a level that stopped sport in the region. Thugby have five clubs. Footy has three comps (North Pilbara, Fortescue and Newman) and 14 clubs. And has never been below that number of clubs.

Milz is living there. I've been through there. None of you thugby morons can match that sort of experience,

Needed to be said.

TLPG wrote:

eelofwest wrote:

justanotherleaguefan wrote:

you are are f wit. Stop talking for WA. you make the state sound stupid

If his comment is anything to go by then yes once the mining boom in done they will sink back to same unemployment rate and the eastern states will carry them once more.

In that neck of the woods, the mining boom began in the late 1960's and has never dropped below a level that stopped sport in the region. Thugby have five clubs. Footy has three comps (North Pilbara, Fortescue and Newman) and 14 clubs. And has never been below that number of clubs.

Milz is living there. I've been through there. None of you thugby morons can match that sort of experience,

Needed to be said.

So you share that sentiment that QLD AND NSW are taking all you jobs?
i use to live in WA for 2 years i can tell you my Father had a hell of a time getting work in WA, no work back in the 90's.
This mining boom in recent years has transformed your state and our country, the mining boom of the 60's did no such thing.
This mining boom is coming from china, was china a powerhouse in the 60's TPG?

Eel failed Australian history at school, obviously. Towns like Port Hedland, Karratha, Dampier, Newman, Paraburdoo and Tom Price were formed off the back of mining, and they are not recent creations. The mining boom existed then - the receiving country has changed over the years but it has been maintained. WA didn't transform in the 1990's up north. It transformed in the late 60's/early 70's.

TLPG wrote:

Eel failed Australian history at school, obviously. Towns like Port Hedland, Karratha, Dampier, Newman, Paraburdoo and Tom Price were formed off the back of mining, and they are not recent creations. The mining boom existed then - the receiving country has changed over the years but it has been maintained. WA didn't transform in the 1990's up north. It transformed in the late 60's/early 70's.

Are you thick in the head or what mate, like i said mining has only boomed in the last 10 years or so because of china now becoming a powerhouse. Were did i say anything about up north??

This mining boom in recent years has transformed your state and our country, the mining boom of the 60's did no such thing.
This mining boom is coming from china, was china a powerhouse in the 60's TPG?

If i am not mistaken WA now has a unemployment rate of 4.3%.... tell me tpg what was the unemployment rate like back in the so called booming 60's?

Yes mining has been around for ages but never like the boom there is today. Learn to read ffs.

eelofwest wrote:

TLPG wrote:

Eel failed Australian history at school, obviously. Towns like Port Hedland, Karratha, Dampier, Newman, Paraburdoo and Tom Price were formed off the back of mining, and they are not recent creations. The mining boom existed then - the receiving country has changed over the years but it has been maintained. WA didn't transform in the 1990's up north. It transformed in the late 60's/early 70's.

Are you thick in the head or what mate, like i said mining has only boomed in the last 10 years or so because of china now becoming a powerhouse. Were did i say anything about up north??

That's why I was correcting you on Australian history, numb nuts! We've been mining for a lot longer than the last ten years and there were boom times that led to the creation of towns!!

IIRC unemployment in WA in the 60's was lower than what it is now - for the record.