Queensland Reds to cast close eye over NRC as they look to bolster 2015 squad

QUEENSLAND'S $1 million investment in the NRC has become a critical aid for the Reds to upgrade ragged skills and uncover an unheralded gem.

Reds v Crusaders. Quade Cooper and James Horwill chat with coach Richard Graham. Pic Mark Calleja

QUEENSLAND'S $1 million investment in the new National Rugby Championship has become a critical aid for the Reds to upgrade ragged skills and uncover an unheralded gem to bolster a Super Rugby fightback.

Wednesday's unveiling of construction company Buildcorp as major sponsor filled a key financial piece in planning for the 11-week competition, which will feature a match broadcast live on Fox Sports every Thursday night.

Reds coach Richard Graham said two or three spots on the roster for next season would be kept open for talent unearthed in the third-tier competition, and that strategy will be replicated by the country's other Super Rugby franchises.

Brisbane City and Queensland Country will bring four home games to Ballymore but, just as importantly, take games to Bond University and Cbus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast, Hugh Street in Townsville and Suncorp Stadium.

University flyer Harry Parker, Sunnybank winger Junior Laloifi, aggressive young Uni lock Adam Korczyk, Easts flanker Michael Gunn and young flyhalves Jake McIntyre and Sam Greene should all have a shot at shining at a level above club footy.

“We are injecting $1 million in hard cash and infrastructure around two teams to greatly benefit from bridging the development pathway between club rugby and Super Rugby,” Queensland Rugby Union chief executive Jim Carmichael said.

To the Australian Rugby Union's credit, the nine-team NRC is a shake-up.

Three rugby league grounds, Brookvale Oval (North Harbour Rays), Leichhardt Oval (Sydney Stars) and Pirtek Stadium (Greater Sydney Rams), are home base for the three Sydney-based teams while matches will grab country fans in Lismore, Orange, Dubbo and Townsville.

Those peeved fans anxious for the code to shed the straitjacket of rules will be delighted at proposed law variations under consideration.

Many of the 600-plus suggestions came from fans to enhance attacking play.

A time limit for both teams to form a scrum, no kicking for penalty goal from a scrum infringement and a mark being allowed anywhere on the field to discourage rubbish kicking are three.

Most radical is the possibility of the non-offending captain choosing the opposition player who heads to the sin bin if a yellow card is given for repeated team infringements.

In effect, a prop could be pinged for hands in the ruck three times and the rival captain could point flyhalf Quade Cooper to the sin bin as a tactic.

The NRC will be an ideal comeback ground for Cooper, after shoulder and hip surgery, although it will be late in the competition rather than for the season opener on Thursday, August 21 when Brisbane City meet the Sydney Stars under lights at Ballymore.

The non-Wallaby members of the Reds squad will be split on a city-country Origin basis initially to form the two Queensland teams. Prop Greg Holmes (Allora), flanker Beau Robinson (Dubbo) and lock Blake Enever (Sunshine Coast) will be core Queensland Country members while Gold Coast-raised prop Ben Daley is likely to miss the NRC with exploratory surgery on his shoulder scheduled next week.

Originally published as Queensland Reds to cast close eye over NRC as they look to bolster 2015 squad