Page 67 - Tropic Magazine Issue 11

Lifestyle
Sport

Worth a try?

Weighing up the pros and cons
of launching a Cairns-Papua
New Guinea team in the NRL.
Rugby League clinic in PNG
Words Chris Sheppard
It was with great interest I read about the • Any bid would be significantly behind
new push for a joint bid between Cairns the other cities, which have been
and Papua New Guinea for a new NRL campaigning for years
licence. • Splitting resources between two
The new Commission Chairman Peter locations makes any business harder to
Beattie has made his intentions clear that run
the game needs to expand or die and has • Cairns doesn’t have the corporate
flagged the intention to issue new dollars to support an NRL team on its
licences. There’s a clear feeling in football own
circles that these new licences will most • Significant impact on the North
likely go to Perth and a second Brisbane Queensland Cowboys
team, with other interested bid cities Let’s explore the last point. What impact
including Central Queensland, the Central would this have on the Cowboys?
Coast of New South Wales and a second 1. A significant portion of Cowboys
New Zealand team. supporters are from Far North Townsville’s stadium is currently under construction
So, what about a Cairns-PNG team? This Queensland and PNG. A new local team
is my early assessment of the proposed will severely impact this. Even if only 15% Trust me, more
joint bid. of the Cowboys current membership is than anyone I
Positives from FNQ, any exodus would impact the want a local NRL
Cowboys’ revenue base.
• Large corporate dollars in PNG 2. The Cowboys’ game day revenue will team, however,
• Rugby league is the national sport in not at the
PNG (only country in the world!) take a severe hit. expense of the
• Game day sales would be strong 3. Sponsorship revenue will also take a Cowboys. I
• Livability for players and coaching staff major hit. Many of the sponsorship deals personally
the Cowboys put forward include the
in Cairns is very strong FNQ market, so if you take this out of the couldn’t have
• Great history and linkages between both been prouder of
locations mix it could be catastrophic for the club Peter Beattie the way they
• Tourism, trade and economic commercially. represented North Queensland last year.
development opportunities are strong My big fear is that all of the above would The club’s history – almost 25 years in the
eventually create an unsustainable
Negatives environment for the Cowboys, and league - is a lot to put at risk or throw
• Playing, training and ancillary potentially see the club exit the away for a new team which isn’t
infrastructure that is required for an NRL competition. guaranteed one of the expansion berths.
team is not available in either location so So, the real question we have to ask
it would need to be built in both locations, before we get too carried away with any
which would double the cost local bid is this: would it be in the game’s
• Back of house such as the administration interest and our region’s interest to have
and football program aren’t currently an NRL team from Cairns-PNG at the
available to the required level expense of the Cowboys?