Hitch in expansion

Cairns NRL bid has to win over old guard

THE last man to lead the push for a regional NRL team says Cairns mayor Bob Manning’s proposed bid with Papua New Guinea will have to win over Sydney’s old guard if it has any chance of succeeding.

Following his tenure as the Cairns Taipans’ chief executive, Denis Keeffe spent four years leading Central Queensland’s NRL bid before returning to the Far North in 2016.

The bid’s proponents claimed to have 40,000 members, over 150 corporate partners and a landmark sponsorship deal before eventually losing momentum.

But despite securing funding for a stadium, the deal ultimately hinged on convincing powerhouse clubs a fourth team in the sunshine state was a good idea, Keeffe said.

“In the end, I think it was blocked by the consortium of heritage clubs in Sydney,” the Cairns businessman said.

“I reckon they just want to go back to the NSW competition sometimes. There’s that sort of mentality that you’re dealing with.

“Their issue is that they didn’t want to grow the pie. But when you take rugby league to a new area, you naturally grow the pie.”

While a passion for rugby league is a starting point, a solid business case is more important in the eyes of the NRL, Keeffe said.

“I don’t really know what Cairns/PNG would look like but the whole thing has to be based on commercial footing. It’s got nothing to do with emotion,” he said.

“You have to sell a product and they’re looking for something outstanding.

“I did the business plan and … I put a sponsorship deal together that would have been one of the biggest deals in Australian sports history.”

Former CQ Capras coach Jason Hetherington said the failed bid showed there were no guarantees in professional sports.

“It was a long process and we fought hard,” Hetherington said. “I was part of the committee and CQ is a wonderful area for rugby league. We produce the kids ... we’ve got the biggest junior base in Queensland and it would’ve meant our boys could have stayed at home.

“Everyone keeps talking about Perth but I’d love to see CQ get it (an NRL team).”

The mayor declined a request to be interviewed. At deadline a Facebook poll of Cairns Post readers found 57 per cent would support a Cairns/PNG team ahead of the Cowboys.