Brisbane Bombers thread - 2nd BNE NRL

[DIEHARD]

Brisbane bid team building big war chest to take on Broncos

THE Brisbane NRL bid team is set to match the Broncos as a corporate juggernaut with the prospective franchise on course to secure a $15 million sponsorship war chest.

Several companies, including Bundaberg Rum and Centrebet, have backed the Brisbane consortium, which is hoping to enter the NRL in 2013 as Queensland's fourth team.

The Brisbane bid is upping the ante in the expansion race, with the organisation last week releasing a list of 15 prospective nicknames that will be voted on by the public and whittled down to two or three by July.

The Broncos have long been regarded as the NRL's flagship club in a host of key areas, including crowds and sponsorship, but the Brisbane consortium says it would be one of the code's most viable outfits.

"From a sponsorship perspective, we believe we will have between 12 to 15 million dollars in our first year," said Brisbane bid chief Craig Davison.

"Add to that the NRL grant and our private investors and we're up around 20 million (dollars), which is a very strong first-year bid.

"It will be a financially sound bid, one of the top accounting firms is currently doing our numbers and it's looking very good.

"We will be sufficiently funded no problem at all. You need between 12 to 14 million per year to run an NRL team and we will certainly achieve that."

Davison said the consortium would release its official brand around mid-July after voting on their nickname.

"We've had about 20,000 hits suggesting names and colours," he said.

"We have a list of 15 names and there's dozens of concepts for designs, people have sent through all sorts of designs.

"We've been blown away by the interest, it just goes to show there is room for a second NRL team in Brisbane."

http://www.couriermail.com.au/

[DIEHARD]

BNE2 really need to get a name, colours and a base of operations before they can build a fanbase and credibility.

I hope they don't pick a rubbish name. Kookaburras is growing on me. It's Australian and my favourite bird.

[DIEHARD]

We are the Brisbane Bombers
Brisbane NRL Expansion Bid

The Brisbane Bombers are here.

At 10am (AEST) on Thursday July 14, 2011, the Brisbane Expansion Bid announced their name for a proposed expanded NRL competition: The Brisbane Bombers.

The Bid Team made the announcement at Albion Park, the proposed training ground as Bid Director Craig Davison stressed that the Brisbane Bombers are ready to enter the NRL competition as early as 2013.

?This is a very exciting day for the consortium, the Bid Partners and the fans who have supported us from the outset. We have maintained for a number of weeks now that 2013 is our target, but we have a sliding business plan in place that will adjust as necessary.?

The Bid Team had been hosting a promotion to ?Build our Team? with Bid Partner Austereo on its B105 radio network and culminated with a selected winner choosing the name and colours best suited for the proposed team.

?We had over 12,000 entries in the build our team competition and the Brisbane Bombers was a popular choice and a great fit for the direction for the proposed team? Davison stated.

Davison announced the brand alongside Bid Ambassador Billy Moore in a launch that ensured the team made an impact as well as sending a clear message to the NRL ? the Brisbane Bombers are ready to go.

Coinciding with the Brisbane Bombers announcement, was that Chrysler Australia had become a Bid Partner with their Jeep brand as the official automotive partner with the newly announced team.

At the launch, Bid Director Nicholas Livermore discussed the proposed home ground and brand and why the Brisbane Bombers was the ultimate selection for a proposed team.

?This team will create its own history, both on and off the field. We have an incredibly creative design team behind us with some very unique concepts, both on game day and as a club that we believe will get its opportunity to demonstrate what it brings as a new, fresh appeal to the fans who have been waiting a very long time here in Brisbane.

?We have unveiled our logo here today, but make no mistake, this is a brand that has every concept mapped and we will work hard to capture the hearts of Rugby League supporters. We have spent a lot of time and energy planning out what can offer fans something new and exciting ? not just in Brisbane, but for the sport as a whole.?

The brand launch provided an overview of the conditional arrangement in place with Racing Queensland Limited outlining the proposed facilities of Albion Park including:

?The club?s administration housed on the second floor of the existing building, with the ground floor being refurbished into a state of the art player?s gymnasium.
?Two training fields positioned at the front of the administration building and it will be complete with facilities so the public can come along to watch training or any games.
?The existing grandstand at Albion Park will be refurbished to house a community club including public facilities such as a swimming pool. The history of Albion Park will be acknowledged in a designated area encapsulating the rich history of the site.
?Total area occupied by the Bombers is approximately four hectares and engineers have indicated that the training fields will play an integral role in managing flooding for the remainder of the site.
?In addition to the sporting fields, a massive urban area recreation area for the entire community will be incorporated with cycle and pedestrian links to Allan Border field and Crosby Park. Any development must comply with Council?s Albion Neighbourhood Plan.
The launch didn?t unveil specific plans due to the Expansion Team outlining their desire to protect the integrity of their Bid Documentation, however Bill Rae, Bid Director and responsible for Community Development stated that ?We have a seven-figure target for grassroots and feeder clubs under our financial structure that has been signed off on by our accountants.

?I?ve met with a wide range of stakeholders, including a number of well respected NRL figureheads and jointly we have mapped out with them in detail as to what we will offer both in the way of development and financial support if we are given the license in the NRL.

?The structure that underpins this club of Community, Integrity, Sustainability and Success will ensure that Rugby League in Brisbane and in our target catchment has an opportunity to partake in what we believe will be a revolutionary approach for grassroots development.?

Davison closed the launch stating that the Expansion Bid had finalised its documentation with chartered accountants Price Waterhouse Coopers and that it now would turn its full attention to pursuing the Independent Commission and the NRL for the 17th license for the 2013 season.

http://www.brisbanebombers.com.au/

[DIEHARD]

Where do I start... Where do I start...

I think they have done alot right but also alot wrong.

The name for starters, in it's own right a fine name. But in the Australian sporting world, we have the Essendon Bombers in AFL. Even a clean slate I'd go for a new name entirely.

I also find the name selection process dubious (I love that word). We had an extended public call for colours, names and jerseys. Yet the Brisbane Bombers business was set up in Feb. Was the process just a marketing exercise?

Mercifully they didnt pick any other the other dodgy names they were looking at. Although River City Kookaburras has merit.

Bombers is also an interesting name. Because in Rugby League terms the word BOMB means to butcher a scoring opportunity and it is also the name for the most uninspiring attacking kick.

Some speculate that this is a ploy to get people talking about the bid. Well it kind of worked, but most of the drama is in Victoria and they wont be coming through the gates at Lang Park. And instead of people embracing the new entity and marvelling it, there is alot of negativity surrounding it's discussion.

Instead of talking about sponsors, colours, players, feeder teams, stadiums, ambassadors and junior development we are talking about a name.

I think the general branding is pretty good, it's not a typical logo and it's classy. It's similar to an idea I had with the London based Super League franchise the Harlequins. A brand I despise. Particularly because it meant dropping the geographic name of LONDON. Anyway I wanted to see a rebrand to LONDON RUGBY LEAGUE but the name I came up with was Spitfires. Something unique but also drawing on something distinctly London. (Battle of Britain)

They say they are going to link up with Souths Logan and Sunshine Coast Sea Eagles as feeder teams and leave Broncos and Titans affiliated clubs alone. That's good. And Souths are a strong area and traditional club who deserve an NRL partner.

Albion Park. Oh where do I begin! I love Albion Park and basically grew up there as my family was into harness racing and later the greyhounds. It's a fantastic location that takes in 18.5 hectares of prime land. It is also across the fence from Allan Border Oval, formerly Neumann Oval. The home of the old Valleys Diehards.

It gets complicated because they are negotiating with Racing Queensland. As RQ want to move harness and greyhounds to a Deagon multi use facility. They instigated this after a merging of the three race codes. Something I very much disagree with. The basics of the story is that RQ and Chairman Bob Bentley promised the greyhounds they would build not just a track at Logan (Replacement for the now defunct Gold Coast, due to the State Government resuming land) but would committ to a more sophisicated development. The greyhounds jumped early and painted harness into a corner. The government threatened to cut off funds if they didnt agree. They were forced to but alledge that they were promised a redeveloped Albion Park as their HQ.

Flash forward a mere few months and RQ release a racing infrastructure plan to inject funds into tracks, primarily gallops around QLD. But it actually hinged on the sale of Albion Park.

But there are powerful opponents of this. Harness racing has cried foul and instigated legal action against RQ. Powerful harness racing identities such as Kevin Seymour and Clive Palmer are dedicated to derailing it. It's currently before the courts. Former Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman has also come out to say he would do everything he can to stop it. He continues this policy as he heads into a State Election as possible future Premier. Probably not surprising as the LNP enjoy alot of support from Clive Palmer. But Im sure his intentions are sincere.

After all that, my effort to set the scene. I say to the Bombers. Your proposal is stil very much possible. But the likelihood of Albion Park not continuing to be at least the HQ of harness racing in QLD, is very low in my opinion. The court battle will drag things out to a State Election and the LNP look set to win.

The LNP have pledged to return the three racing bodies to being independent. Something I agree with. And returning ownership of Albion Park to harness racing and greyhounds. I could see that the greyhounds may move to Logan. The council is very accomodating there.

So with the greyhounds gone, it would free up alot of space for playing fields. And a club has always been something that Kevin Seymour has been interested in pursuing. I can see the possibility of a joint venture of some description forming that would satisfy all parties. And Kevin Seymour has had prior involvement with at least the South Queensland Crushers in years past.

There website is http://www.brisbanebombers.com.au

Check out the promo video. It's not too bad. But they establish the setting as Lang Park and then procede to show footage of ANZ Stadium.

Also Billy Moore is a tremendous ambassador, especially for a budding Queensland team. It would have wounded alot of Bears supporters to see him there.

[DIEHARD]

Here is a picture of the logo, if you havent seen it.

[DIEHARD]

One of their first targets will likely be Titans fans based in Brisbane. We need to solidify our significant support in Brissie. Not only are the Bombers trying to get in, but so are the Western Corridor Bid Team.

[Steelers]

I think it is a terrible name. Not too impressed by the logo either. And the colours are a throwback to the Crushers. Why does this bid get 100 times more media attention than the other bids? A friend of mine who follows the NRL but not religiously was under the assumption that the Bombers had already gained entry into the NRL with the amount of coverage they have received in the past few months. I told him that they are only bidding for a spot, and he didn't even realise that Ipswich, Central Queensland, Central Coast or Wellington also have bids.

[DIEHARD]

Well most of their efforts seem to be about scoring cheap media wih not much substance. It's mainly been speculation. And there as been alot of calls that they will poach union players. One or two might be ok. But you'd want to bank on rugby league talent. Look at us. We did it well with Presto being our number 1 signing. That set the scene well.

[Toads]

Yup, read that article on the Bombers webpage. Where they're already trying to poach Quade Cooper and Sonny Bill Williams. But at this stage, I can't help but think that they're trying to talk it up. As they got a long way to go before they're in a position to get any player, from any code, to put pen to paper..

[DIEHARD]

Apparently they have a number of letters of intent by players to sign give. The fact that they'd be give. A NRL license. With the ARLC not up and running it is unlikely expansion will take place in 2013. And that will probably change these letters of intent.

These players need to come from somewhere... I wonder who they might be.

[C-Whiz]

LOL@ the name, and ROFLMAO @ the logo.

So, is Biggles the Captain? (pardon the pun).

In my best Biggles-ish, circa 1950's, English-toff voice-over; "Righto chappies, buckle up, it's going to be one heck of a fight to get us into that fangled NRL competition, but we didn't fly all this way to turn backs at the 11th hour, so chins up lads, and tally-ho, into the fray!"

[DIEHARD]

In my best Biggles-ish, circa 1950's, English-toff voice-over; "Righto chappies, buckle up, it's going to be one heck of a fight to get us into that fangled NRL competition, but we didn't fly all this way to turn backs at the 11th hour, so chins up lads, and tally-ho, into the fray!"

Good one! I love it. Maybe we need to make some youtube parody videos if they get in.

[DIEHARD]

Broncos out but NRL bid team Brisbane Bombers keen to lure Karmichael Hunt back to NRL

THE Broncos say they have no plans to lure Karmichael Hunt home as prospective NRL rivals the Brisbane Bombers attempt to bring the AFL convert back to rugby league.

The Courier-Mail can reveal Brisbane NRL bid delegate Bill Rae has sounded out Hunt's management to gauge the possibility of him quitting the Suns to represent the Bombers should they win admission to the NRL in 2013.

But the Suns are prepared to up the ante, with football manager Marcus Ashcroft saying last night he wants Hunt to extend his tenure with the fledgling AFL club.

Hunt's $1 million a year Suns contract ends at the end of 2012 and he has impressed many AFL judges with the speed of his transition. But the prevailing sentiment in league circles is that he would eventually return to the sport that made him a household name.

The NRL's hopes of reclaiming Hunt are aided by the imminent broadcasting deal, which could see the game's marquee stars earn up to $1 million a season in 2013 under a salary cap tipped to rise to $7 million.

Hunt played 125 games for the Broncos, but a return to Red Hill now seems remote as the club invests in backline stars headlined by Josh Hoffman and Gerard Beale.

"K (Hunt) will always be a Bronco and he has many friends here. But the fact is, Karmichael Hunt coming back to rugby league in the short term is a completely unrealistic outcome," Broncos operations chief Andrew Gee said yesterday.

"Karmichael was a part of our club for a very long time and we know when he sets himself a challenge he will not stop until he has proven himself a success.

"Karmichael has chosen that path (AFL) now. How could any league club compete with the money he attracts there?

"Our club is in a very solid position and we have a great bunch of players on our roster that we plan to be the core of our group for the long term."

Rae confirmed last night he had spoken informally to Hunt's manager David Riolo about the former Queensland Origin custodian returning to rugby league.

The Central Coast bid team named Hunt in April as a priority signing.

"Karmichael is a league player at heart and it would be great to get him back to the game. It would be great for the Bombers and the NRL," Rae said.

"I've met with David Riolo, obviously we can't offer anything until if and when we get an NRL licence but he is aware of our thoughts.

"It would be great for Queensland rugby league to see him back in the game."

Riolo said: "In regards to the second Brisbane team, until they actually exist and have a licence to play in the NRL, it's hypothetical, it's not even a consideration.

"I know people want to know what K wants to do, but at the moment he has 18 months to run on his AFL contract and let's work through that."

Ashcroft said the Suns are rapt with Hunt and want him on board beyond next season.

"He's played 12 out of a possible 15 games, which is an extraordinary effort in his first year of AFL," he said.

"We hope that Karmichael has enjoyed his experience and the culture of our football club. Hopefully by the end of 2012 our club is pushing up the ladder and challenging for finals.

"We'd love to keep him here as long as we can. We think he has a real chance to make a name for himself in the AFL and we don't want to lose him."

http://www.couriermail.com.au

[DIEHARD]

If you want to impress DIEHARD you need to stop chasing after defectors and players from other codes.

You need to pursue salt of the Earth Rugby League players.

Hunt, steer clear. He isn't a rugby league player at heart. He is a mercenary. Sorry but it is true.

[DIEHARD]

Bombers clause for Shillington

CANBERRA prop David Shillington says he may still see out his career with the Raiders despite confirming he has a get-out clause in his contract to join the proposed Brisbane Bombers from 2014.

Raiders chief executive Don Furner said yesterday the club agreed to the clause because of the 29-year-old's age and status in the game. However, the contract dictates Shillington can only join a new Queensland team, not an existing club.

''He asked if he was to receive an offer would the club consider releasing him, but only to the new Queensland club,'' Furner said.

''It's something we allowed because Shillo is important to us … What [the players] look at is longevity. He might get offered a four-year deal by the new franchise when he's got one year to go with us, [and] that'd become the new England for him.''

The Brisbane Bombers launched its brand last week and are hopeful of being admitted into the NRL.

Canberra announced a fortnight ago they had agreed to terms with Shillington until the end of 2015.

The contract is yet to be signed, but Shillington's manager Andrew Purcell said he expected the deal would be made official next week.

It is understood the NRL has no plans for expansion until at least the 2014 season.

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/