Post by England 3 Lions on Apr 24, 2009 23:41:50 GMT 10
Queensland stamps itself as heartland of rugby league
Paul Malone | April 21, 2009 12:00am
Source: Courier Mail
QUEENSLAND has become the heartland of rugby league and even the Sydney Daily Telegraph has conceded as much. Paul Malone reports.
The sight of two Queensland teams atop the NRL table and another season of bumper crowds for the League's Queensland clubs has turned heads in Sydney, the birthplace of the game in Australia.
In Sydney rugby league, the Tele's pages have for years been where the game's big issues go when it's time for a decision to be made. Ken Arthurson ran more flags up poles in the Tele's pages in the 1990s to see who saluted than the man who raises and lowers the standard in front of Parliament House.
C olumnist Andrew Webster ventured yesterday where few of Sydney media representatives might want to tread when he concluded: "This will irk the good folk of this city and state, but the Queenslanders actually love and appreciate their rugby league more than us. The apathy of the football supporter in this city is to blame for the shift of the game's heartland."
It's hard to argue otherwise. So far this season, 238,162 people have gone to nine NRL games in Queensland. Going into last night's Tigers-Storm game, 510,327 had gone to games elsewhere in Australia in 34 matches.
Last year, Brisbane (33,426) and Gold Coast (21,618) had the two biggest crowd averages, with North Queensland (18,101) fourth. So far this season, three of the five biggest match average crowds are from Queensland, with the Broncos (41,368) the best by a margin of more than two to one.
The Bulldogs (19,362) have been most successful of the Sydney clubs and fourth best in the NRL when it comes to motivating supporters to actually go to a game and Cronulla (9718) the worst.
For the first time, Gallop was quoted in a Sydney newspaper enthusing about an area other than the NSW Central Coast as prime expansion territory. "The area west of Brisbane certainly appeals," he said.
Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale yesterday listened to the developments and enthused about the future of the "Western Jets".
"I sent a submission to David over 12 months ago and he knows we're here when it's our turn," Pisasale said.
"He understands that the western corridor is the fastest growing area, virtually, in Australia. It's an area which has produced great players for years and is phenomenal in junior rugby league.
"It's up to the NRL to decide, but maybe a team from Sydney to come here would be good. Parramatta, they are a western team ... going from Ipswich-Toowoomba or Logan-Ipswich-Toowoomba, we could have the Western Jets."
Gallop said to The Courier-Mail in 2007 how he viewed the corridor west of Brisbane as prime expansion territory. Earlier this month, his language had firmed saying a team was "on the cards".
Businessmen keen to drive a Central Queensland NRL bid had a launch in Rockhampton on Friday. They certainly seem more organised and urgent about the process than the corporate and league communities in Ipswich and its environs.
The CQ bid advocates cite a catchment area population of 400,000 and Rockhampton's newspaper has already invited suggestions on what to call the team. The Bulls was a popular name.
But during the past two years, when Gallop has been asked about which areas were expansion candidates, NSW's Central Coast and "west of Brisbane" have been the answers he has given. They appear the most likely 17th and 18th teams in the first year of the NRL's new television deal, 2013, unless a club takes the NRL's relocation carrot.
"To me, David Gallop is the main person. There are a lot of Ipswich rugby league people who are keen (on an NRL team) - they are spending their time trying to promote the juniors," Pisasale said. "I've had other priorities because we have taken over the CBD, but as David says, you have to go where the fish are biting. If we are asked if we are ready, we will put our hand up - the whole region, all the mayors, would come together."
Pisasale let rip at a media report last week critical of his region's financial ability to sustain an NRL team.
"If they think Boeing is not financial enough, that the aerospace industry is not financial enough ... all the major developers are here, too," he said.
Pisasale said Ipswich City Council was looking at where a new sporting stadium would best be built. "Around the Ripley Valley is good," he said.
Paul Malone | April 21, 2009 12:00am
Source: Courier Mail
QUEENSLAND has become the heartland of rugby league and even the Sydney Daily Telegraph has conceded as much. Paul Malone reports.
The sight of two Queensland teams atop the NRL table and another season of bumper crowds for the League's Queensland clubs has turned heads in Sydney, the birthplace of the game in Australia.
In Sydney rugby league, the Tele's pages have for years been where the game's big issues go when it's time for a decision to be made. Ken Arthurson ran more flags up poles in the Tele's pages in the 1990s to see who saluted than the man who raises and lowers the standard in front of Parliament House.
C olumnist Andrew Webster ventured yesterday where few of Sydney media representatives might want to tread when he concluded: "This will irk the good folk of this city and state, but the Queenslanders actually love and appreciate their rugby league more than us. The apathy of the football supporter in this city is to blame for the shift of the game's heartland."
It's hard to argue otherwise. So far this season, 238,162 people have gone to nine NRL games in Queensland. Going into last night's Tigers-Storm game, 510,327 had gone to games elsewhere in Australia in 34 matches.
Last year, Brisbane (33,426) and Gold Coast (21,618) had the two biggest crowd averages, with North Queensland (18,101) fourth. So far this season, three of the five biggest match average crowds are from Queensland, with the Broncos (41,368) the best by a margin of more than two to one.
The Bulldogs (19,362) have been most successful of the Sydney clubs and fourth best in the NRL when it comes to motivating supporters to actually go to a game and Cronulla (9718) the worst.
For the first time, Gallop was quoted in a Sydney newspaper enthusing about an area other than the NSW Central Coast as prime expansion territory. "The area west of Brisbane certainly appeals," he said.
Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale yesterday listened to the developments and enthused about the future of the "Western Jets".
"I sent a submission to David over 12 months ago and he knows we're here when it's our turn," Pisasale said.
"He understands that the western corridor is the fastest growing area, virtually, in Australia. It's an area which has produced great players for years and is phenomenal in junior rugby league.
"It's up to the NRL to decide, but maybe a team from Sydney to come here would be good. Parramatta, they are a western team ... going from Ipswich-Toowoomba or Logan-Ipswich-Toowoomba, we could have the Western Jets."
Gallop said to The Courier-Mail in 2007 how he viewed the corridor west of Brisbane as prime expansion territory. Earlier this month, his language had firmed saying a team was "on the cards".
Businessmen keen to drive a Central Queensland NRL bid had a launch in Rockhampton on Friday. They certainly seem more organised and urgent about the process than the corporate and league communities in Ipswich and its environs.
The CQ bid advocates cite a catchment area population of 400,000 and Rockhampton's newspaper has already invited suggestions on what to call the team. The Bulls was a popular name.
But during the past two years, when Gallop has been asked about which areas were expansion candidates, NSW's Central Coast and "west of Brisbane" have been the answers he has given. They appear the most likely 17th and 18th teams in the first year of the NRL's new television deal, 2013, unless a club takes the NRL's relocation carrot.
"To me, David Gallop is the main person. There are a lot of Ipswich rugby league people who are keen (on an NRL team) - they are spending their time trying to promote the juniors," Pisasale said. "I've had other priorities because we have taken over the CBD, but as David says, you have to go where the fish are biting. If we are asked if we are ready, we will put our hand up - the whole region, all the mayors, would come together."
Pisasale let rip at a media report last week critical of his region's financial ability to sustain an NRL team.
"If they think Boeing is not financial enough, that the aerospace industry is not financial enough ... all the major developers are here, too," he said.
Pisasale said Ipswich City Council was looking at where a new sporting stadium would best be built. "Around the Ripley Valley is good," he said.