With the Western Force having folded, now is NRL’s chance to become the only rugby code in the state. It is also a common complaint that the NRL is too Sydney-based.

These complaints are not unfounded, with seven of the 16 teams being based within the Sydney metro region, with an additional three from New South Wales.

Arguments against expansion include not being able to effectively manage and support a greater player base, with the Newcastle Knights being an exemplar; facing three consecutive wooden spoons, in that time blooding what many considered to not be NRL-level players.

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Fortunately, these complaints can be easily managed. By moving the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles to Perth.

Manly’s woes have been well-documented over the last 24 months.

Firstly, they clearly do not have adequate facilities. This has even reportedly led to their coach, Trent Barrett, quitting – that’s right, a coach quit – because of Manly’s management outright refusing to upgrade them.

The North Sydney Bears did not die so that Manly could be mismanaged out of the competition – but if this continues, without any intervention, Manly will go the way of the Bears.

There are already facilities set up to help support a team in Western Australia, that a small amount of funding from the NRL would be able to improve. Very quickly, the facilities used by the Perth Sea Eagles would be of a higher quality than those used by the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, at a vastly reduced cost.

Secondly, Manly have often struggled to attain any kind of consistent home-ground attendance. In 2018, they averaged the second-lowest crowds of any team – only marginally beating out Parramatta, who faced a horror season and were forced out of their home due to renovations. They have tallied equal averages to the Gold Coast Titans for a number of seasons.



With the Force now removed from Super Rugby, marketing for a rugby league team in Perth would be easier than ever. Fans in the west are lusting for a rugby code, let alone a rugby league team to satiate their desires. Include the same level of advertising, branding and community involvement that the Titans established upon their addition to the comp, and crowds would already be higher than Manly currently achieve.

There would also be no other rugby team to compete with – league or otherwise. Unlike Manly, who face competition from six other clubs in the NRL alone, a Perth side would not have their crowd numbers reduced by oversaturation. The biggest competitor to this relocation would be the AFL, however with effective scheduling this can easily be diverted.

Thirdly, Manly have an objectively terrible home ground that is not worth the funding required to improve it. Recently, a $20 million grant was allocated to the stadium to attempt to improve it – however, adding a small grandstand does not address the real issues with Brookvale Oval.

It is impossible to park at, which is yet to be acknowledged by any developments. And good luck departing – you’ll be waiting all night for the pilgrimage of cars to leave.

The coaching boxes and facilities in the oval are of low quality, as are the facilities available to supporters, such as the enormous distance one must hike if they wish to use a soggy bathroom.

Decent stadiums already exist in Perth – nib Stadium, for example, where the Force used to play out of, houses 40,000 fans and contains better facilities and infrastructure than the majority of stadiums in Sydney.

Fourthly, Manly have the second-fewest number of members in the NRL. They are dwarfed by many other one-city teams, including Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne and North Queensland. This trend is clear – why not relocate the Sea Eagles, so that they become a one-city team, that can follow the membership trend upwards?



Fifthly, the issue of maintaining a player base will become irrelevant. By moving a Sydney-based team, the talent sourced across Sydney will be less widely spread, allowing more talent to be dispersed more intimately across sides, with less dud talent playing weekly.

The bulk of the players for the Perth Sea Eagles within the decade of establishment would be sourced from Western Australia, with marquee players helping build the club.

Lastly, by relocating the Sea Eagles, as opposed to creating a new team, the branding is mostly complete. The side already exists, the history of the team can continue to live on, new management can revitalise a side that has been crushed in recent times (has everybody already forgotten about the salary cap scandal?) and licensing would largely already be completed.

The Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles must be sent to Perth. It is an ideal option for the NRL in every facet of the game, with Manly struggling in almost every regard.

The problems that both Manly and the NRL face can be largely solved by relocation, with an old club earning redemption and the NRL profiting from the greatest opportunity to expand in the last two decades.