In what has to be one of the dumbest ideas I have ever read, former test captain Brad Fittler has tossed up the idea that the NRL should look at moving the Melbourne Storm to Perth in the future.
Fittler, who was trying to talk up the prospects of a having a National Rugby League team in Perth once again, suggested that with the Storm now privately owned, they could easily be moved once if their popularity waned. Something he suggested might happen after Craig Bellamy retired.
Keep in mind that Fittler sat down to talk about a Perth based NRL and referenced the “Western Pirates” (They are actually called the West Coast Pirates), so it is not like he knows a great deal about the subject to begin with.
Still, Fittler should know better. These type of ideas are not only stupid, but they undermine a lot of work being done in Victoria, as well as work being done by the West Coast Pirates.
Melbourne is the second largest city in Australia. The Storms crowds are better than most Sydney teams. The Storms mere presence in the nations second biggest media market sees tens of millions of dollars flow into the game through broadcasting and sponsorship deals. On top of all of that, the game gets use of one of the best stadiums in Australia.
For ANYONE to think that it would be a good idea o throw all of that away, to burn one expansion market to service another, is so utterly stupid that I would hope Brad Fittler was drunk off his arse when he made that suggestion!
I am one of the biggest supporters of Perth getting an NRL team. I think it should happen sooner rather than later. I think 2015 is the ideal time to see the West Coast Pirates join the NRL and take us a step closer to having a national competition.
To suggest we move the Storm to make any of that happen though is ludicrous….
