Dobbo Chats - NRL (17 September)

0:00Welcome back to Rural Queens Land today, just an update on the preliminary finals. They've been announced this morning by the NRL. The dolphins will take on either the winner of the sharks or the roosters next Friday night. So that will be Friday night the 25th of September. Now that's the day before the AFL Grand Final and if the lions are in the Grand Final they'll be there on that day. So the big deal will be the 25th of September, the prelimb semi-final for the dolphins. That will happen next week. I thought what I would do is just talk about the story that is dominating the new cycle around this 20th team and where it will be located. For too long, Peter Belandis and World Underwim is just out of phenomenal job but they are looking to try and get a 20th team. Now everybody is talking a second team in New Zealand. I'll be over in New Zealand this weekend. I'll be at Eden Park for that game on Sunday and I head over there on Saturday.

1:05But then they started talking about Ipswich and we know that the Western Corridor is highly sought after and we know that there is a lot of people wanting a team in Ipswich and another team there in the South East. Allow me hold. Toumma has now become a real opportunity for an in our real franchise. Now this has been going on behind the scenes for some time and with David Little Proud as the patron of the Tourmbeclides Dales and Ben Iken as one of was the CEO of the QRL but been one of the people who have got the Clides Dales back on their feet along with Ben and Shane Walker as their coaches the opportunity to put a franchise there is very real. Now what needs to happen? Well if I'm honest with you a lot, $100 million if I'm exact and that's been the big

2:08sticking point. There needs to be a $100 million kicker for Peter Valenny's to even look at having a franchise. Now would a franchise out of Toumma be the right option? Well I think so yes. The Western Corridor has been an area where we have for a long period of time always produced and played it by our weight. There is massive growth happening there. There will be a stadium built where the old hospital is and the old tennis courts at some point in the next couple of years. And the training facilities with the money and with the resources through Toumma could be spectacular. Now remember we've got an airport there. We've got the hotels. We've got the opportunity. And the Toumma Clides Dales being based out of Toumma would be phenomenal for the game. It's the major inland regional city in Australia.

3:12It would draw a lot of people. It's a phenomenal place to live. So I feel like that this decision is very much right, the right decision. Now the player, the person that's been named is a guy by the name of Greg Mullins, who supposedly has made his money in agriculture. I've never heard of Greg Mullins. And everybody I've tried to ask about hasn't heard of him. But if Greg Mullins is that person and that backer, well I'm looking forward to seeing it because he's the man that's been named as the mystery backer behind it and based out of Toumma. Now he's met with the Clides Dales and there's nothing underwards there. They all think that I've never heard of him. Everybody says he's a beef producer in rural and regional Queensland. I've asked so many people no one has heard of him. That's not to say that he's not the person. I just haven't got anybody that knows of him. And he's history in the bush.

4:17There is a lot to like about this Toumma bid though, but let's not get too carried away. To the highest bit of wins. So if Peter Vellandy thinks that they can make more money out of a game being played in New Zealand in a second team or in the Western corridor or into Womba, it'll be going there. But Toumma to me seems like a really smart decision. One that I think we look at, not in isolation, but really as a long-term play. You could be drawing a lot of kids who don't have to go as far. Very much like what has been the issue with the Cowboys. The Cowboys grew a base and that town is growling and grown and their support is second and none. So am I for a Toumma team? Bloody Oath. What I like to see the Toumma Clides stars or they're most likely would have to change the name because it's too much like the Broncos, but are Toumma Rugby leagues, see?

5:18Absolutely. Does it need the backers? Yes. Is the money there? Yes. We'll watch this space and wait and see because that'll be the next thing. Whether or not it can get over the line. And we'll look at that and we'll wait and we'll go from there. We're going to take a break. Come back. The Royal Queen's Land Day and you're with Ben Dobin. It is the 7th of September across the Royal Queen's Land Day.