NRL expansion news: QRL push for fifth Queensland team to lock down southwest corridor

Although they’ve been flooded with expansion hopefuls looking to become the 18th franchise, QRL chairman Bruce Hatcher believes the NRL has the answer staring them in the face.

The NRL has been urged to consider adding a fifth Queensland team into Brisbane’s southwest corridor to combat the AFL threat and solidify one of the state’s rugby league strongholds.

On the back of the Dolphins securing the game’s 17th licence from 2023, the NRL has been flooded with expansion hopefuls looking to enter the top competition.

The North Sydney Bears and Western Reds have gone public with their desire to join the NRL as the league considers adding an 18th team in the coming years.

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But the Queensland Rugby League wants the NRL to ensure the game further strengthens its ties in one of the state’s fastest growing areas.

The Ipswich-backed Brisbane Jets failed in their bid for NRL inclusion, but have not given up hope of one day securing a licence.

Jets bid chief Nick Livermore hasn’t given up hope of his club entering the NRL. Picture: Lachie Millard

And QRL chairman Bruce Hatcher said the southwest corridor could not be ignored by the NRL as the AFL looks to encroach on league heartland.

“We can’t continue to allow Logan, Ipswich and Toowoomba to be a potential future NRL area – it’s got to come in at some stage,” he said.

“That has to be a focus. It is real rugby league territory. I’d like to see that.

“The Gold Coast Titans have battled adversity pretty much since they got on board but have done a good job and are now in a pretty good position.

“The next area for Queensland to have an NRL team has got to be that area.”

The Jets presented a strong geographical case during the expansion bidding process but their proposal lacked the financial certainty and infrastructure of the Dolphins.

While they were disappointed to miss out to Redcliffe, Jets bid chief Nick Livermore said they had not given up hope of entering the NRL.

“The short answer is yes,” Livermore said when asked if the Jets would bid again.

“The long answer is let’s see how the NRL progresses with their first expansion move with the Dolphins. It will come down to whether or not the NRL wants another Brisbane franchise.

“I believe there is still room in the market for a fifth Queensland team servicing the western corridor. Our area is the equivalent of Penrith and Parramatta in western Sydney so, if the NRL is serious about growing participation and grassroots, they would look at Brisbane’s west for an 18th team.

“While we were disappointed to miss out, we certainly can muster the energy to be part of another bid process down the track.”

The AFL’s Brisbane Lions have started making headway into the southwest region with their $70 million facility due to be completed next year.

Hatcher denied rugby league was under immediate threat from the AFL, but urged the NRL to not neglect the region in years to come.

“The AFL hasn’t done everything right, everyone seems to think they have never made a mistake,” he said. “I’d like to ask them if they had their time again would they have spent $200 million on the Gold Coast Suns to be no further advanced.

QRL chairman Bruce Hatcher believes the NRL needs a club in Brisbane’s southwest corridor. Picture: AAP Image/Dave Hunt

“The cynical part of me says the Lions have gone to that area because they’ve got sponsors with significant land developments out there. There are commercial interests involved as well.

“We’re not going to lose rugby league to Aussie rules in one or two years, I can assure you of that. But that’s why that corridor is so important for the future.

“There is a lot of activity going on out there. I’ve got a lot of time for the guys that run the Ipswich Jets, who are doing a bloody good job out there.

“We’re pretty keen to have Toowoomba in the Intrust Super Cup sooner rather than later. The biggest issue has been financial. It’s all very well to say you want to come back.

“You can’t bring a team back and spend the rest of your life funding them. That’s disastrous for the whole game. Ipswich is strong in the Intrust Super Cup. We need Toowoomba in there. The future of Souths-Logan is important.”

Hatcher came under fire earlier this year for suggesting the NRL relocate a Sydney-based club to Queensland rather than launch a 17th franchise. The QRL’s funding was cut due to Covid implications and Hatcher said he only wanted what was best for the game.

Ipswich Jets are a strong club in Brisbane’s southwest corridor. Picture: Jorja Brinums/QRL

“My view always was that I wanted to see the facts and figures around expansion,” he said.

“Anything that has to be funded out of the NRL coffers is most likely to affect us because we’re the bottom of the food chain. That’s how I look at it.

“We were happy to tighten our spending and live within our means so we did that, but I wouldn’t like that to be seen as a permanent adjustment to our funding. We took about a 20 per cent cut and I wouldn’t like to see another cut because we’ve got a new team.

“I agreed we should have a game of NRL at Lang Park (Suncorp Stadium) every week and I thought the quickest way to get a quality team was to make one of the Sydney clubs relocate. That went down like a lead balloon.

“Redcliffe is a real football club. They’ve done an enormous amount in their region for rugby league. They are a genuine club. They won’t come into a competition half-baked, they will be trying to win it from day one. I think they will do well over time.”

Originally published as NRL expansion news: QRL push for fifth Queensland team to lock down southwest corridor