AFL has a fair bit of support up here,but its a couple of years away still,giving the Titans still more time to surge ahead.Its amazing the amount of coverage in the media the Titans get,and it seems like every other car has a Titans sticker in it,plus all the little kids in their replica jerseys.Micheal Searle seems to be a good leader for the Titans,their community work is spread far and wide,down into the Northern rivers to Coffs harbour.The junior sides are all going well,packed with young lads from GC,and Nothern NSW.Palm-beach Currumbin high have recently won the national comp and will supply a steady stream of youngsters.
AFL are being pretty pro-active as you would expect up here though,looks like they are gonna throw big bucks,and the Gold Coast mayor,former olympian Ron Clarke has made no secret of the fact he is a big AFL fan.The Qld government is goona spend a lot of money refurbishing Carrara
I dont think AFL will impact too much on the Titans,
Really would love to see RL go back to Perth now and make a go of it.Probably Central Coast after that,then either Adelaide or second teamfrom NZ further down the line.

tasmania is next afl team

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/s ... 66,00.html michael searle on a working committee looking at expansion, raising the incentive for clubs to relocate, a potential PNG/darwin team. Among other recommendations, it calls for the NRL to give teams that move $40 million to $50 million and those that merge a double grant every year for a decade. The Northern Cyclones or Northern Birds of Paradise would play most of their home games in Darwin with two or three each year in Port Moresby - and draw millions of dollars in funding from both governments. "There are just under 3000 Australian companies operating in PNG and their Government has made an official inquiry into getting a club in the NRL," he said. "The Northern Territory Government is spending money attracting our games to Darwin and Alice Springs. We have an opportunity to take the Top End off the AFL."

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/s ... 66,00.html michael searle on a working committee looking at expansion, raising the incentive for clubs to relocate, a potential PNG/darwin team. Among other recommendations, it calls for the NRL to give teams that move $40 million to $50 million and those that merge a double grant every year for a decade. The Northern Cyclones or Northern Birds of Paradise would play most of their home games in Darwin with two or three each year in Port Moresby - and draw millions of dollars in funding from both governments. "There are just under 3000 Australian companies operating in PNG and their Government has made an official inquiry into getting a club in the NRL," he said. "The Northern Territory Government is spending money attracting our games to Darwin and Alice Springs. We have an opportunity to take the Top End off the AFL."

bring in 2 new teams in queensland

For me, it is pretty obvious next time...

1. Central Coast Bears - will not only tap into the largest area left of NSW without a team BUT perhaps even more importantly rekindle interest in North Sydney fans who were lost to the game.

2. Western Reds - shouldn't have gone the first time. Good and growing juniors, only really going forward area of the country without an NRL team. Crowds of average 20,000 should be a strong possibility judging by the interest in the game re- the WA Reds #1 but especially the late 1980s/early 1990s games which showed the latent level of interest in WA.

Cronulla, facing issues, should, in my view, shift some games to Adelaide each year to fill the only other remaining void (say 4 or 5 prime matches). The fact great whites are most active around SA adds to the sharks connection (albeit a tenuous one!)

Down the track, a second NZ team, PNG/Darwin as discussed and a further Qld team (either Ipswich or Sunshine Coast based) should be considered.

With that type of agenda and proper promotion of the facts, the NRL would be able to point to national draw, market share in the most heavily populated areas of Sydney and Sth East Queensland, bigger overall ratings with Test and Origin also factored in and should be able to compete with the AFL TV deal once the international component - missing in AFL - is added.

It really is a no brainer.

Only our admin could stuff it up. Watch and wait.

That's not even a derby it's a rivalary ffs.

Hull & Rovers is the only English derby and it's the best atmosphere by far.

Typical NRL though, they have no long term plan. They will just be reactionary as usual depending on what CH9 and Fox offer for next TV deal (lets not kid ourselves and think for one minute it will go to on the open market). Whilst all the other codes have clear target centres (AFL, Tassie, GC and West Syd, ARU Melbourne, soccer GC and Nth Q'land) the NRL continues to bumble around with ifs, maybes and wait and sees.

Don't be surprised to see just the CC admitted in 2013 and that will be it for another 5 years.

ive been to both and i agree that hull shades it

spot on.

im losing patience with the sharks and the roosters but youve got to put up with them i guess

tbf the AFL is the one reacting to the nrl expanding into the gold coast.

lets be fair about this