NRL expansion needs old club not a new one
QUEENSLAND powerbrokers have urged the NRL to relocate Cronulla or Manly rather than risk financial peril by starting a second Brisbane team.
QRL chairman Bruce Hatcher has revealed his preferred expansion road map after ARL commission boss Peter V’landys told News Corp his intention was to push through with plans for a second Brisbane team despite the COVID-19 crisis.
Under the V’landys model, the new team would be a fresh franchise or one backed by a Queensland club such as Redcliffe or Easts to make a 17team competition in 2022 or 2023.
The cost of a 17th team, which would not provide any extra games, would be about $13m.
Hatcher believes if rugby league wants an extra side in Brisbane it should make the more cost-friendly choice of relocating a cash-strapped Sydney team, a move V’landys has never been in favour of.
“I am yet to be convinced a brand new team would create enough revenue to support it,’’ Hatcher told News Corp.
“I thought given the financials of the game at the moment the fourth Queensland team might be off the table and it worries me that money put into it could deprive the QRL of important funding in our areas of responsibility.
“I am an advocate of moving at least one of the Sydney teams. Financially the obvious ones are Cronulla and Manly.”
“You start anything from scratch and there is a hell of a lot of expense in trying to get it up. You are a mile in front if you already have a team.
“That gives you a bigger opportunity because it straddles two decent markets and you are using the available talent to maintain a strong competition.
“I would need to be fully convinced that a new team is going to be financially viable for the game.
“All the NRL clubs got a 30 per cent increase in funding and 12 of them have managed to lose $36m so if you can tell me that is a sensible direction I can’t see it.’’
The second Brisbane team has been in the pipeline for more than a decade, with the Brisbane Bombers and Ipswich franchises showing patience and commitment to stay the journey.
Redcliffe have also shown interest while the Easts Tigers bid is gaining momentum.