General Second NRL club in NZ within 10 years.

[Kaizen]

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/league/7197566/Another-Kiwi-NRL-team-certain-claims-Travis

It is a matter of when, not if, New Zealand get a second NRL team, according to highly regarded Australian rugby league official Paul Travis.
Travis has had a heavy involvement with rugby league in Australia including working with a host of NRL clubs as an adviser, acting as deputy chairman for the North Queensland Cowboys from 2000 to 2008, and holding advisory roles with Australian Rugby League and Queensland Rugby League.
He has made three trips to Invercargill this year to provide advice to the Southern Steel and Netball Southland boards.
Yesterday, during an interview with The Southland Times, he emphatically called for a New Zealand team to be introduced to the NRL and believed it would happen within the next 10 years.
"I guarantee there will be a second team out of New Zealand, sooner rather than later. I know it's going to happen, whether you want it to or not, it doesn't matter, it's going to happen, TV tells you.
"The ARL commission is about to do a deal on a billion-plus for NRL rights, all the stats tell me rugby league has huge ratings in New Zealand, so with the right business model there will be a second team, definitely," Travis said.
"The quality of players would be there. Bear in mind the Cowboys now have talent ID guys in Auckland; a lot of clubs do. There are a lot of good Kiwis coming out of New Zealand, they do need another presence, I don't know where. What's it going to cost? Low – $12 million; high – $28 million for the Broncos, so somewhere in the middle.
"Can you do it? Yes you can. You've just got to get the right people and it will happen."
Travis said there was an obvious clash in New Zealand between rugby union and rugby league codes but felt both could benefit from each other, particularly rugby union, by encouraging youngsters to have a go at rugby league.
His belief was that New Zealand's promising young rugby players would become better players with a taste of league at a young age.
"My comment would be, you want a little boy, or girl, to play rugby league in juniors so they learn defence.
"For no other reason rugby should be happy for them to play rugby league as cross balance," he said.
"Matty Bowen, one of the great fullbacks of rugby league, and Jonathan Thurston, one of the great halfbacks, I signed both of those guys, we had them doing a Aussie Rules kicking programme so they can kick right and left.
"We do that all the time. Ewen McKenzie, very close friend, he coaches the Reds, where did he spend last weekend?
"He spent three days with the Souths rugby league club with their coaches learning about defensive patterns. He's one of the great coaches in world rugby. If Ewen McKenzie can go to rugby league and say help, then why wouldn't you do that?
"I watched two, what you call college or high school [rugby] games between Kings and [Otago Boys] in Dunedin. They were outstanding, but they can't tackle. I thought, `they can't be the best, they're very good but there's got to be better'. Well I found out latter they were the best. There was one backrower there that could tackle properly. Rugby league teaches juniors how to be defensive and tackle."
- © Fairfax NZ News

 

[fanrrior]

Lol, union players can't tackle, what a surprise

 

[Kaizen]

Compared with league players they can't attack either. They have other qualities though that league players don't posses such as a superior kicking game, scrummaging and lineout jumping. But it just so happens that i rate defense and offense higher than the other attributes i mentioned which is why i no longer watch union at all.

 

[fanrrior]

They can't catch the ball very well either. But they do have some exciting players i.e. Fruen and that number 10 for Auzzie.

It is interesting how the article starts about league but somehow ends up focusing on Union though.

 

[Kaizen]

Yes Travis is trying to identify with the majority of rugby fans. The majority being of the union persuasion.

 

[fanrrior]

Fair enough too, it is a business first after all.

 

[Lego_Man]

They have other qualities though that league players don't posses such as a superior kicking game

Not true at all i think. How often do you see Union kickers thread perfectly weighted grubbers through a defensive line, or pick out a winger with a crossfield bomb? They kick a different ball a longer distance, that's all really.

 

[Kaizen]

I was meaning more the place kick and the kick for touch more than the types of kicks you mention which in my opinion fall into the superier attacking ability of a league player.

 

[Hitman82]

Not true at all i think. How often do you see Union kickers thread perfectly weighted grubbers through a defensive line, or pick out a winger with a crossfield bomb? They kick a different ball a longer distance, that's all really.

You see many more pinpoint attacking kicks (not to mention 40/20s) in league than you do in yawnion.
I've been interested to see Konrad Hurrell's kicking game come out a couple of times in first grade though. At least twice now, he's put in fantastic long side-spin grubbers which held up perfectly in goal.
With him obviously being a beastly runner, I find it hard to imagine he would have developed this skill if he'd started off in league as a junior. So I guess I can thank yawnion for this. Not much else though.

 

[Lord Gnome of Howick MBE]

You see many more pinpoint attacking kicks (not to mention 40/20s) in league than you do in yawnion.
I've been interested to see Konrad Hurrell's kicking game come out a couple of times in first grade though. At least twice now, he's put in fantastic long side-spin grubbers which held up perfectly in goal.
With him obviously being a beastly runner, I find it hard to imagine he would have developed this skill if he'd started off in league as a junior. So I guess I can thank yawnion for this. Not much else though.

That's a good point.