New club in Qld a boost for Maroons

THE former NRL strategy boss who investigated the merits of expansion says rugby league is ready for a second Brisbane team amid fears a failure to grow the sport could damage State of Origin.

Shane Richardson, now spearheading the Brisbane Firehawks’ bid to join the NRL, has broken his silence on the expansion debate, urging the ARL Commission to safeguard the future of Origin by adding a fourth Queensland team.

Ex-South Sydney chief executive Richardson spent 12 months as the NRL’s Head of Game Strategy, having specifically devised a blueprint on the code’s elite pathways and potential growth markets.

If anyone is qualified to assess the viability of expansion, it is Richardson, who says the time is now, stressing the importance of cultivating Queensland talent to prevent NSW dominating at Origin level.

The ARL Commission will make a decision on expansion by July and while some Sydney clubs are reluctant to see a second Brisbane team, Richardson insists the NRL cannot afford to lose a turf war against the AFL in Queensland.

“Brisbane is ready for another team. The game is ready for expansion, absolutely,” Richardson said.

“I was part of the NRL in 2015 and we did a comprehensive analysis of the demographics and where the best locations were (for expansion), myself and Andrew Fraser did a fair bit of work on it.

“We were looking at regions in Brisbane, New Zealand and Western Australia and we were getting excited about it all, but the ARL Commission was still fresh (after being created in 2012).

“Southeast Queensland is a hotbed for rugby league talent but the key is you have to value-add. It’s important the new team doesn’t steal IP (Intellectual Property) from the Broncos or Titans.”

Of the 480 full-time players in the NRL this season, just 102 are eligible for Queensland.

That’s a 21 per cent representation and Richardson believes a second Brisbane team in 2023 will help deliver more Queenslanders to the big league.