Boss breaks silence over new Brisbane club
NRL boss Todd Greenberg has listened to the pleas of Queensland fans calling for a second team in Brisbane as Wayne Bennett urged the game to land a blow on the AFL.
The expansion debate will ignite in Brisbane today when Greenberg speaks publicly for the first time following revelations a new team is destined for the River City in 2023. Greenberg will be one of the key speakers at the star-studded Courier-Mail NRL season launch at Howard Smith Wharves.
Greenberg has remained silent since ARLC chairman Peter V’landys outlined his vision for the NRL to expand to a 17-team competition with a new Queensland franchise. Until now.
The NRL’s chief executive said last night he was not ignoring the calls from league heartland to deliver Queensland a fourth club.
“We continue to analyse and assess the options for the game’s future footprint,” Greenberg said. “We have listened and we know you want a second team in Brisbane.
“But we have a lot more work to do before the Commission makes its decision.”
With only 11 days until the season kicks off, expansion is the hottest topic in the NRL.
It is widely believed the introduction of a new club for 2023 is a fait accompli, with the Commission to officially green-light a bidding tender in the coming months.
Expansion has been touted for the best part of the last decade, but former Broncos coach Bennett said now was the time to fight back against the AFL.
“The AFL is always growing and another team in Brisbane can strengthen our brand along the eastern seaboard,” he said.
Greenberg will be joined at today’s season launch by the coaches of Queensland’s three NRL clubs – Anthony Seibold (Broncos), Paul Green (Cowboys) and Justin Holbrook (Titans). League legends Darren Lockyer, Gorden Tallis and Immortal Mal Meninga will also speak at the event.