Robert Craddock: Why Queensland can’t afford another NRL team

Normally a snub from NRL headquarters is a burr on the saddle of local league fans. But the game’s decision not to entertain an expansion team in Queensland was lucky - and Magic Round was proof.

The defeats of all four Queensland sides in Magic Round was a timely reminder that when it comes to the latest NRL expansion moves Queensland got lucky ... by missing out.

Normally a snub from NRL headquarters is a burr on the saddle of local league fans. Not this time.

The Perth aligned Bears and Papua New Guinea got the expansion nods from the NRL and every Queensland fan should be grateful for that.

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The last thing Queensland needs is another local side cannibalising a Titans team who could not beat an egg, a Dolphins side who show promise, have a soul but need more time, a Cowboys team for whom nothing comes easily and a Broncos side who have talent but have not won a title since 2006.

All four teams could win their next matches but it doesn’t change the fact that none of them is roaring forward.

These are intriguing times for Queensland league fans.

For many years the success of the Queensland State of Origin team has masked the fact that the NRL club sides have been whacking away without a spectacular dividend and just two premierships this century.

The Titans are the biggest worry, particularly as their AFL rivals, the Gold Coast Suns, are blossoming into potential finalists.

Titans coach Des Hasler has had a decorated career but the magic appears to have faded.

Hasler’s axing of David Fifita has the potential to be an ongoing distraction because there appears to be a worryingly large gap between what Hasler wants from Fifita and what he is currently delivering.

At 64 Hasler looks close to the end of the road but potential replacements are hard to find.

The Titans have tried coaches at all ends of the spectrum - giving Garth Brennan and Justin Holbrook their first NRL jobs before hiring the highly experienced Hasler - but have not managed to find one who can win 50% of games.

The closest of all was their first coach, John Cartwright, who averaged 46% in eight years at the helm. History now records his term as slightly underrated.

It’s a tricky appointment. If you try and search for the next Cameron Ciraldo and go with a new face you run the risk of unearthing someone who just doesn’t have the experience and toughness to lift a team from the bottom of the harbour.

But if you go to the other end of the scale and hire a flinty old hard head you run the risk of being caught with someone who was great in their day but that day has passed.

Originally published as Robert Craddock: Why Queensland can’t afford another NRL team