Dose Victoria Need a Second NRL Team?

Coming of the back of their Third flag Melbourne Storm has been the greatest NRL team of the modern era and with the Storm having the second largest membership base behind the Broncos the question no one has asked is Dose Victoria need a second NRL team?

 

With crowed in NSW struggling for years and with Victorian sport attendance going up by the year it would seem like the perfect time to expand in Sporting Capital of the World. The Collingwood Football Club would jump on the opportunity to own another team having a AFL, AFLW, Netball and looking to get into the NBL marking so owning a Rugby league team would suit the Magpies but maybe going to Victoria’s second biggest city would be a better option.

 

Geelong should be the same as Newcastle but for some reason just isn’t they have always had the Geelong Cats but no other sports team has moved down there. Geelong is in the running for an A-League team but a NRL team in Geelong would be a great idea or a terrible idea.

 

With Rugby growing in Victoria every year and having players join local clubs by the hundreds it makes a compelling argument but the biggest issue is that the NRL is not looking there. For the last seven years there has been talk of expanding the NRL and a list of teams have come out such as Central Coast in NSW Brisbane Bombers or South Queensland in Queensland another New Zealand team or a team in PNG but the NRL number one priority is WA.

 

Western Australia had a team in the 1990s when there were teams all over the countries and ever since they got rid of the team in WA and now the Western Force is no longer apart of the Super League the Rugby in Western Australia is in danger of dropping. It is no secret the NRL wants to try and get into that AFL territory. In AFL the Greater Western Sydney Giants have been a success so far getting 20 thousand members and making the last two preliminary finals. and the Sydney Swans had 50 Thousand members and have not missed the finals since 2009 making three grand finals winning one premiership. So with the NRL having the Storm being on of Melbourne’s most popular teams they have had a foot in the AFL market but a Second team in Victoria or going back to WA would be a bold move and maybe the one the NRL needs.

 

If they do not want to make a 17th and 18th team in the NRL they can take the bold move and relocate a team for years Cornella has been the talk of relocating but after winning the 2016 premiership it would be hard to get rid of a team that has had recent success. Teams like Parramatta, Penerth or Canterbeury maybe even Gold Coast are all possible teams to relocate. It is hard for the NRL to take another slice of the AFL market witch they have not touched since 1998 would moving to Melbourne or Geelong be a good move or going back to WA be a better idea only time could tell.