Will the NRL ever be anything more than a NSW/QLD Comp?

[Beaussie]

Hard to see the NRL expanding anywhere in Australia. Perth and Adelaide have been tried and proved to be spectacular failures.

There is of course expansion within QLD with the Gold Coast to enter a new team. What will that be, the 4th time a team has been tried on the Gold Coast.

How quickly the NRL forgets the Gold Coast Chargers, Seagulls and Giants. All followed the path of the Western Reds and Adelaide Rams.

Oh and the Melbourne Storm have proved to be a fantastic rugby league success story in Victoria haven't they?

[Grim Reaper]

Rugby League is a joke in the AFL States and always will be! As for their nonsense about being played overseas.....so what. I am for an Australian game and AFL is that game....those NRL wankers are traitors to their country....if they love that game so much then fuck off to England!

[Beaussie]

Australians don't seem to care much for their Australian rugby league team either. A little more than 28,000 the other night in Sydney for the ARL test match. How pathetic. Bit like rugby league expansion in Australia.

[Grim Reaper]

And most of them at that ARL test match were going for New Zealand....

[Willis 21]

I think Rugby League is more interested in expanding internationally these days rather then to the minor states of Aust.

Interesting comment in the Telegraph 12th Feb ( Rebecca Wilson's column -no link available).

NRL boss David Gallop and COO Graham Annesley stitched up a deal for the NRL ,when they met Fox Sports intnl during a trip to the Superbowl last week.
League will now be shown live into Canada,the Middle East and Africa for the 2006 season.

Also, good to see that the new French team competing in the English Super League won their first game of the season a couple of weekends back...

Meanwhile, internationally the AFL have completed there stranglehold on the pacific island nation of Nauru ( population 12,000,)...

[Beaussie]

Australian Football is bigger than Rugby League in South Africa and the USA. Pretty good for the Australian game wouldn't you agree Willis?

Oh and the AFL is broadcast on various cable networks all around the world. No different to the NRL.

[Willis 21]

Australian Football is bigger than Rugby League in South Africa and the USA. Pretty good for the Australian game wouldn't you agree Willis?

I'm not sure I believe you, but even if this is true so??

Thats like saying that a tick is bigger than a flea when viewed by an elephant...

Meanwhile Rugby league is played professionally in NZ, UK, France, PNG.

[Beaussie]

Australian Football is bigger than Rugby League in South Africa and the USA. Pretty good for the Australian game wouldn't you agree Willis?

I'm not sure I believe you, but even if this is true so??

Even league supporters concede that Australian Football is more popular than rugby league in South Africa and the USA:

http://forums.rleague.com/showthread.php?t=14546

[Willis 21]

[Even league supporters concede that Australian Football is more popular than rugby league in South Africa and the USA:

http://forums.rleague.com/showthread.php?t=14546

Maybe the AFL should set up a professional league over there then to capitalise on all this interest??

[Beaussie]

The idea is to continue with the development work and increase junior participation numbers whilst also bringing South Africa into the International Rules series. Australian Football is also already part of the curriculum at the South African Academy of Sport.

[Willis 21]

" AFL to be taken seriously in any other country other than Australia"

I'd like to see that.



Member that old AFL ad campaagn??