NRL 2023: QRL boss Ben Ikin slams Andrew Abdo after expansion plans collapse in $4m funding fiasco

Days after the player pay war erupted, the NRL has been engulfed in more funding dramas, as QRL boss Ben Ikin fired up after a $4m expansion plans collapsed.

Ben Ikin has launched a stinging attack on the NRL and chief executive Andrew Abdo after plans to expand Queensland’s top competition crumbled.

Ben Ikin has launched a stinging attack on the NRL and chief executive Andrew Abdo after plans to expand Queensland’s top competition crumbled in a $4 million funding fiasco compared to political pork barrelling.

On the back of the player pay war exploding into a media boycott this week, the NRL has been engulfed by another drama that has escalated tensions with the Queensland Rugby League.

This masthead can reveal the ARL Commission rejected a proposal from the QRL to expand the Hostplus Cup to 17 teams next year following a request from the Gold Coast Titans and North Queensland Cowboys to field their own reserve grade teams.

The NRL claimed the QRL was seeking an additional $4.2 million in funding – on top of its annual $20 million grant – to expand the competition.

New QRL chief Ikin blasted the funding rejection and accused Abdo of trying to place the Titans and Cowboys in NSW’s top competition.

QRL chief Ben Ikin has launched a stinging attack on the NRL, after plans to expands the Hostplus Cup to 17 teams were rejected. Picture: Getty Images.

“We worked in good faith with the NRL to cost-up a hybrid solution that would allow the Titans and Cowboys to have second-tier teams in the Hostplus Cup from next year,” Ikin said.

“It came with two conditions. There would be extra funding for our state league clubs and competition logistics, and the new competition structure would proceed as a two-year trial.

“The ARLC rejected our proposal, which ironically the NRL helped design, but not before Andrew Abdo contacted the NSWRL and tried to convince them to let the Titans and Cowboys play their second-tier teams in the NSW Cup.

“That deeply offended the QRL, and rugby league people on the Gold Coast and in north Queensland should feel just as disappointed.

“Think about that – the NRL CEO working behind the back of the QRL to get two Queensland clubs to participate in a NSW competition.”

The NRL issues the QRL a grant of about $20 million-a-year, which covers everything from grassroots junior footy to State of Origin match payments for the Maroons.

The QRL was seeking further funding to increase club grants and cover the costs of an expanded Hostplus Cup featuring NRL teams – but that will not be happening.

After outlining plans to launch their own reserves, the Titans have been left red-faced by Hostplus Cup heavyweights Burleigh Bears signing an affiliate agreement with the Brisbane Broncos.

Ikin has accused NRL CEO Andrew Abdo of trying to place the Titans and Cowboys in NSW’s top competition. Picture: Daily Telegraph, Monique Harmer.

The Titans have now lost their relationship with one of Queensland’s premier clubs and pathways and won’t field a dedicated reserve grade team next year, leaving them with just the Tweed Heads Seagulls as a feeder club.

Abdo said the NRL was not in a position to fund an expanded Queensland competition as it continues to assess pathways.

“We’ve been working on a national view for development of pathways, including the second-tier competitions,” he said.

“It’s important the Commission takes a broader view on development. We have the rest of the country, New Zealand and the Pacific as well.

“We’re working with our members on what the right development model is for them and many are seeking a vertically integrated model.

“The QRL provided us a proposal on June 13 with a deadline of June 30 saying they will accommodate two extra teams if the Commission invests another $4.2 million into the Queensland Cup competition. We were given two weeks to respond, with a number of restrictive conditions and a significant funding increase.

“We are very supportive of clubs choosing the right model for development and are prepared to invest in making that happen.

“We are not yet in a position to consider an investment of the size proposed in an ultimatum style proposal in a two-week period.”

Ikin has urged ARL Commission chair Peter V'landys and Abdo to invest more in Queensland’s pathways. Picture: Supplied.

When asked about Ikin’s allegation that the NRL attempted to place the Titans and Cowboys in the NSW Cup, Abdo said: “I am having regular conversations with the QRL, NSWRL and all 17 NRL clubs about options and what their plans are.

“Have I had conversations with the QRL and NSWRL about second tier competitions and their view on expansion and clubs? Absolutely.”

The Hostplus Cup will remain a 15-team competition next year and Ikin urged the NRL and ARLC chairman Peter V’landys to invest in Queensland’s rich pathways – instead of trying to crush them.

“In the case of the Burleigh Bears, they saw the direction the Titans were heading and decided to link with an NRL club that believes in the role state league clubs play in the development pathway in Queensland,” he said.

“Unfortunately, it seems that Andrew Abdo continues to push for some version of national reserve grade, which is just another way to pork barrel NRL clubs by giving them more money and greater control of the supply chain.

The NRL is fighting wars on multiple fronts, after RLPA CEO Clint Newton announced a player media blackout over stalled CBA negotiations. Picture: AAP.

“Not forgetting that Peter V’landys is on the public record saying he wants to bring back national reserve grade and he’ll run over anyone that stands in his way.

“The QRL will fight with everything we’ve got to protect our statewide competitions and clubs, and we’ll stand against any decision that negatively impacts on our rugby league communities across Queensland.

“We’ve got clubs, competitions and pathways that run from PNG all the way down the eastern seaboard into the Tweed that create more opportunity for more people in more places.

“We get unbelievable backing from the Queensland Premiers’ office, all the way through to local businesses across the state, who invest upwards of ten million dollars to support the work our state league clubs do in their communities.

“My advice to Andrew Abdo on our competition is – don’t mess with it, invest in it.”