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J O'N is contributing to global warming again......
ARU want Gold Coast Super team - Rugby - Fox Sports
April 06, 2008 AUSTRALIAN rugby could be on a collision course with the AFL by creating a new Gold Coast team in 2011.
Australian Rugby Union chief John O'Neill said the Gold Coast was a possible location for a new Super rugby entity.
He said any new team was unlikely until 2011 - the same year the AFL plans a Gold Coast team.
O'Neill described the AFL as "the gorilla in the room", recognising their cashed up ambitions in traditional rugby heartlands.
But he pledged the Australian Rugby Union would "look after our backyard and maybe open a new market".
O'Neill said there was potential for a Super team in Japan and "we could put a Super rugby team in Melbourne down the track, possibly the Gold Coast as well".
"The earliest we could bring in new teams would be 2011 when the new broadcasting deal cuts in," he said.
O'Neill said AFL expansion into western Sydney and the Gold Coast was the inevitability of Australia being "the most fiercely contested sports market in the world".
"The gorilla in the room is the AFL," he said.
"AFL are ambitious and have run their game very well and they are very cashed up - what they are spending on in development and recruitment in New South Wales and Queensland is pretty daunting.
"It has taken them a while to make inroads in New South Wales and Queensland ... it has been hard going for them but the dam can break.
"In some of the real heartland for rugby, which has been the private school systems in Sydney and Brisbane, AFL is around - it doesn't have a big penetration but they are after very similar athletes.
"We can't duck it, it's there.
"We will be responding."
O'Neill said any new Australian Super rugby entity, which must be ratified by New Zealand and South Africa, required careful ARU reflection.
"The judgement call for us in putting out an extra team is to make sure internally we are able to put a fifth team on the field that would be competitive," he said.
"It opens the door slightly on the introduction of foreign players (to play for Australian Super teams) ... maybe a marquee player to provide a bit more sex appeal to the competition.
"I think it's time we opened our door a little to allow foreign players to play."
O'Neill said the ARU also desired a 26-week Super competition by "not necessarily adding new teams at first, just simply playing a round and a half".
"That sort of critical mass of content does give us a chance to go more head to head with the AFL and NRL," he said.
"There is nothing to stop that happening, an expansion to 26 weeks, even as early as next year but the addition of an extra Australian team or a team out of Tokyo would probably not happen until 2011."
I'm all on board with extending the season- more rugby means![]()
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for me.. but sometimes I seriously wonder if the man gets out of bed thinking "what can I say that will get me in the paper today??"
surely a national comp is of higher priority than john o'neil trying to make a name for himself....if the arc was still going the gold coast would still have a team....not sure what a 26 week s14 season would benifit is this a half arse replacement idea for a national comp? or a tv rights convenience? you would lose the wallaby, all blacks and boks players for 3 quarters of the season which see crowd numbers drop and aussie franchises would need to benifit greatly from tv rights to stay viable
Super rugby has to be longer to survive in todays market.If its the Gold Coast so be it.4 months is too short for a major code to get a foothold etc.
the punters friend..... stick with me and you will be wearing
pretty much TLH, Rugby pretty much rins up the white flag from May untill the end of September in regards to Rugby exposure. Sure theres test rugby, and i love seeing our Wallabies run out to take on all comers but ithink we need more.
Whether it's a national competition or an extended Super 14 i will lerave that to the decision makers, so long as Australian Rugby comes first and before places like Japan and Argentina
I really like the idea of developing our junior rugby talent by expanding our market share in the elite gamespace whilst allowing the positions in that team to be filled essentially by foreign players reshuffling the existing talent. At the same time we ignore the very solution which will enable Australian players the opportunity to actually play in the comp (that being a national competition)
C'mon the![]()
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i dont think australia can support a 5th team.
a third tier comp would need to be in place for a year or two beforehand to identify the key players who would fill this 5th team before i would change my mind.
and where would the other team come from to expand the leauge evenly?
japan, not really an option due to travel times.
argentina? sure...
dubai? again the travel would kill the team on the game day or the week after when they get back.
one of the smaller islands perhaps? i'd say this would be the best option. unless south africa or nz put in another team at the same time as well. but i dont really see that happenning. unless one of the currie cup teams comes up into the big leauge. and even then there would be controversy over who is going to play for who. as the 14's players are spread through the currie leauge
O'Neill's comments are actually quite reasonable here - it's just the inflammatory spin from the journalist that makes it sound stupid.