Not that I have any faith in the methodology used to gather TV statistics but seems we have even lost a key bragging right this year:

[iOverall the AFL GF rated 3.247 million to the NRL's GF 3.070 million from the five capital cities and regional networks[/i

IF we could get a better TV deal next time then the money should be used to bring in 4 new teams; Perth and Central Coast 2013, Brisbane2 & Adelaide 2016. Ideally we would see a couple of Sydney teams disappear but unlikely to happen for another 5-10 years when the pokie money finally drys up and they finally admit there isn't the fanbase or corporate support for 9 teams in one city..

so to sum up :

1. AFL has no team in another country as the NRL does.
2. AFL has no real international game of its own
3. AFL has no origin.

funny how you miss all these things in your sycphantic rants about that god awful sport.

the upcoming RLWC will be a further nail in the coffin for that horrible, horrible "sport?"

what is the passion like for an AFL origin game?

you know origin, the event that gets TV ratings of 10 million, crowds over 150,000 and generates millions for australias number 1 footy code.

indeed a brisbane lions player (AFL) said he wished their sport had something that united queensland like the origin did.

the future for the nrl is in queensland.

with its population booming and the state RL mad, it needs more teams.

indeed i think queensland will cause the aFL massive losses as the gold coast and brisbane AFL teams will be losing lots of money

Don't disagree, the game needs another NZ team, another Q'land team, a central Coast team, an Adelaide team and a Perth team to just about wrap up the whole country. Unfortunately I don't think we'll ever see it whilst A) Gallop is running the show, B) News are running the game C) we have 9 clubs in Sydney.
NRL will need to make some tough choices in years to come, if it has the vision, leadership and b4lls to do it is very debateable.

How many such games does the AFL have, though?

RL is Aus has the GF, 3 SOO and any international matches which typically pull decent viewing figures as well.

Every game just about is like an origin game, if you have Collingwood v say Carlton at the MCG with 80,000 for a club match, who needs origin??

They used to have Origin, it was once quiet big i believe, butr like i said, the rivalries amongst the bigger clubs equals what Origin has to offer, the crowds are ridiculously big & passionate

take out adelaide and replace with PNG and ill back that.

i still believe we can expand without killing off clubs in sydney.

whats the point in gaining 15,000 fans in perth if you lose the same number in cronulla who then follow a rival sport.

we need something like 20 or 22 teams in the nrl.

The point is that it gives you a solid presence in Perth, something currently lacking. Sydney is already dominated by RL, the loss of 15k Cronulla fans won't change much; but the addition of 15k fans in Perth [iwould[/i.

you dont get 3 million people watching collingwood vs carlton thats the problem sunshine. 3 million people watch every origin game.

hence why the AFL cant match the nrl.

good to see you sticking up for the AFL mob, they need all the help they can get.

indeed, 1 origin game in queensland gets more TV ratings than an ENTIRE season of AFL games in that state.

so much for AFL in queensland eh mate?

no it actually wouldnt.

perth TV games get something like 14,000 watching.

indeed Swans get only 80,000 - 100,000 watching their live games in sydney.

people in RL states dont watch AFL and vice versa so if we want to increase the value of tv rights its where people will watch the sport and where there isnt a team at the moment.

in order of priority queensland and the central coast would rank ahead of perth, as would wellington.

perth would be nice, but id put more queensland clubs ahead of them.

Yes, it would.

It gives the NRL and ARL a rallying point for the media in terms of another expansion team doing relatively well.

It gives the game more coverage in Perth, as the local media are more likely to report on an equivalent to Cronulla than the current relatively low profile semi pro outfit.

It gives the fans a sense of confidence; it reassures them that the NRL and AFL are not simply retreating into their bunkers, a view that has seemed apparent on Aussie message boards in the recent past. The Aussie media seem keen to keep reporting lies and half truths about the delining popularity of the game, in the face of all evidence. A Perth team with an overnight 15k fans is an important statement of intent and power.



I suspect the viewing figures would be higher if they involved, well, a Perth team.



80 to 100k regular viewers in Perth would be a great start, alongside 15k fans in the ground. I reckon the NRL should happily take that.



People in AFL states do watch RL - Melbourne get decent figures, for example the SOO, when given the genuine chance to do so.

I'm not sure there's huge numbers of people in QLD who would watch RL with the addition of another team, who don't already watch RL.

I think the situation in Perth may be rather different; they don't have a top level team in the state, but they do have grassroots - and the potential to add to the value of the sport in a manner that another QLD team would struggle to match.