NRL 2024: Incoming Queensland Rugby League chairman Brian Canavan has called on the NRL to support the fight against the AFL

There is a new man in charge of rugby league in Queensland and he has wasted no time in calling for the NRL to support rugby league’s war against the cashed-up AFL.

The man who killed the last National Youth Competition has warned the NRL not to tread that path again as he called for League Central to do more to fight the cashed-up AFL threat in Queensland.

Former Roosters chief Brian Canavan has officially taken over as chairman of the Queensland Rugby League, replacing statesman Bruce Hatcher following a seven-year stint.

Canavan is one of rugby league’s longest-serving and most respected administrators, kicking off his career as a foundation employee of the Brisbane Broncos alongside Wayne Bennett and John Ribot in the late 1980s.

After 28 years in Sydney’s league furnace, Canavan returned to his home state of Queensland in 2020 and has slowly climbed the ranks of the QRL to now take charge of the Maroons alongside CEO Ben Ikin for at least the next three years.

Incoming Queensland Rugby League chairman Brian Canavan has opened up on rugby league’s war with the AFL, expansion, a revival of the National Youth Competition, and more. Picture: Sarah Harvey

Canavan has seen it all throughout a three-decade career in rugby league and said he was ready to fight for Queensland, albeit in a different style to the swinging Hatcher.

“I’ll be up for that (fight) in different ways, you can never replicate Bruce,” Canavan said with a laugh.

“The game in Queensland is in really good shape. Our numbers have increased five per cent yearly and we’re up to more than 70,000 participants.

“We’ve got population growth in Queensland and we need to make sure people are attracted to our game when they move here.”

HISTORY REPEATS

Canavan spent 18 years at the Sydney Roosters, including a decade as CEO, and has also had stints at the Gold Coast Titans and Newcastle Knights.

He joined the NRL as head of football in 2016 and spent three years at HQ, playing a major role in the death of the under-20s NYC in 2017.

The NRL is currently investigating bringing back the NYC, which would see juniors play under the banner of the NRL’s 17 clubs.

That would have a major impact on Queensland and NSW’s state competitions and Canavan said the NYC did not work.

As the NRL investigates reviving the National Youth Competition, the man who killed ito off says bringing it back has no real benefit. Picture: Colleen Petch

“I’m not quite sure where the benefit is,” he said.

“I was part of the review of the NYC program when I first joined the NRL in 2016 and it was ceased after 10 years. It took me 18 months to review it.

“My recollection of that was the NYC didn’t produce any more players than the state cups did. The NYC cost almost four times as much and had wellbeing, relocation and career development issues.

“I’m yet to be convinced that it needs to replace anything else.

“Of the current 17 NRL head coaches, 14 of them have coached in a state cup competition.

“We are a late maturing sport. The average age of a debutant is around 22, the average age of an NRL team is around 24-26 and the average of Origin is around 27.

“It is incredibly physically and mentally demanding and you also need to learn your craft in high pressure environments.”

TACKLING THE AFL

The NRL is waging a constant battle against rival code the AFL, particularly in Queensland.

Premiership champions the Brisbane Lions have strategically moved in on the western corridor of South East Queensland and the AFL is working hard to win over a traditional rugby league stronghold.

The QRL has secured a three-year funding guarantee from the NRL following an ugly dispute but Canavan said more had to be done to stave off the financial powerhouse of the AFL.

The NRL is at war against the AFL in Queensland. Here over 6000 Brisbane Lions fans flocked to greet their heroes after the 2024 grand final.

“We’ve got a beast out there known as the AFL that wants our territory,” he said.

“That territory is hard core rugby league territory. You go where the fish are and that’s where they are. The most common postcode of Broncos’ members used to be in that western corridor.

“We very much so (need support from the NRL). The AFL is a financial juggernaut. They have a national competition but it’s not a national sport.

“We want a national competition but the foundation has to be there and resourced properly.”

EXPANSION WARS

The QRL has traditionally been wary of NRL expansion, with the league’s newest two clubs – the Gold Coast Titans and Dolphins – entering the Queensland market.

The NRL is eyeing a 20-team competition in the coming years and Canavan said he wasn’t opposed to expansion, as long as pathways weren’t ignored.

Canavan isn’t opposed to NRL expansion, he says the Queensland Cup needs to be better resourced. Picture: QRL

“If there is to be expansion there has got to be better resourcing of the pathways systems,” he said.

“We have 15 (Hostplus Cup) clubs in Queensland, including the PNG Hunters, and we need to resource that better and potentially bigger.

“We have to supply more players, coaches, support staff, management (to the NRL). It’s not just about producing a few more players.

“I like the idea of expansion, but it has to have the foundations resourced.”

BLACK EYE

While the AFL is a genuine threat, rugby league has at times been its own worst enemy.

Player and spectator behaviour has been a constant issue for the state leagues, but the QRL has implemented tougher penalties, including mandatory 12-month bans, that are having an impact.

Canavan vowed to continue the code’s crackdown on unruly behaviour.

“We have tightened a lot of things up with our Positive Environment Program,” Canavan said.

“There has been a correction with behaviour and now we need to make sure this program works and it permeates throughout the state.

“Players are attracted to our game and stay in the game if they have a positive experience.

“We get aberrations. People are people, there are high emotions and they are passionate.

“But we have a high level of emotional control which is difficult to do. It’s a great thing about our sport.”