While Adelaide Oval is known as the home of cricket in South Australia (and a regular AFL venue), it also hosts the opening Origin game on Wednesday night, and the first ever Origin in Adelaide.
The NRL is fond of using the “neutral” Origin as a testing ground (pardon the pun) for possible expansion areas: Melbourne’s been an Origin regular since 1990, last year’s Origin at Perth Optus Stadium was packed, and now it’s Adelaide’s turn.
Of course, it’s not the first time Adelaide – an Aussie Rules town who love the Crows and/or Port Power – has seen rugby league.
The Adelaide Rams played two seasons: Super League in 1997, and the first NRL season (1998). Captained by former Bronco Kerrod Walters, the Rams finished second last in Super League (with a 6-1-11 record), missed the World Club Championship finals despite winning four out of six games (proving just how farcical that tournament was), and finished 17th out of 20 teams (with a 7-17 record) in 1998.
So, the question is, if Wednesday night is a big enough success, should the Rams return?
FOR
The NRL is still mainly based in the NSW/QLD/ACT heartland. The NZ Warriors have struggled since 2011 (and are ignored by Channel Nein), while the Melbourne Storm – for all their on-field success – can’t penetrate Victoria’s AFL obsession. The Storm were relocated to the Sunshine Coast this season and won six games from six, as well as four from four at Lang Park (including their annual away win against the Broncos).
The AFL has done a good job of infiltrating footy towns, with two teams in Queensland (Brisbane Lions, Gold Coast Suns), and two in NSW (Sydney Swans, GWS Giants). The Giants also play a few games in Canberra, which is the closest our nation’s capital will get to an AFL team.
While there’s been a lot of noise about Perth returning, surely Adelaide needs to be there if the NRL’s serious about breaking into AFL territory? While the Rams weren’t successful, give them a decent list, find a loyal supporter base, and they may be pretty good in a few years. The NRL has given Adelaide an annual premiership game (usually Melbourne vs Sydney Roosters) with around 15-20,000 attending. That’s better than most Sydney teams get, so perhaps it’s time to give the Rams a second chance?
AGAINST
If the Storm has proven anything, it’s that traditional Aussie Rules areas don’t care about “rugby”. The Storm could win another 10 premierships and most Victorians would still care more about a Colllingwood or Richmond player sneezing. While Victorians will pack out Origins and Kangaroo Tests, when Craig Bellamy and Cameron Smith eventually leave, the Storm could fall away, and most Victorians could lose interest completely. At least the Storm could move permanently to the Sunshine Coast, with fans who might appreciate them.
While Perth are worth investing in due to the time difference being suitable for Nein/Fox League’s Friday and Saturday night double-headers (and the Western Reds were pretty good), don’t bother with Adelaide. Let them have their aerial ping pong, the occasional NRL game, and the day/night Test. Leave the Rams in the past.
