NRL expansion bid: Cameron Smith, Billy Slater warn against second Brisbane team
Two of Queensland’s greatest rugby league players have shot down the push for a second Brisbane team, issuing a chilling warning to ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys.
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Maroons Origin legends Cameron Smith and Billy Slater have shot down the push for a second Brisbane team, fearing an expanded 17-team league could decimate the NRL competition.
Despite their allegiance to the Sunshine State as proud Queenslanders, Smith and Slater issued a chilling warning to ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys in his quest to grow the code and deliver a broadcasting bonanza.
Smith and Slater were pivotal figures in the NRL’s successful expansion into AFL heartland in Melbourne, but the Storm icons believe a second Brisbane team to challenge the Broncos in 2023 could have a negative impact on the code.
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Former Maroons hooker Smith says Brisbane must be the next cab off the rank for an NRL team, but questioned whether the code had the depth of talent to cover 17 clubs.
“I don’t know if it’s the right time for expansion,” Smith said.
“There are definitely pros for another team, but is there enough talent for another team and would they be competitive?
“The last thing you want to do is introduce a new franchise and not have enough good players to go around ... or good players from several clubs go to that new team and it diminishes the whole competition.
“The last thing we want to do is affect the quality we have at the moment of the NRL and then introduce a new team and the quality of the competition drops down.
“We need to be careful. There are some very smart people running our game who will make the right decision. But if there was to be expansion of our league, another team in Brisbane would be fantastic.”
Should broadcasters Fox and Channel 9 opt to bankroll V’landys’ vision for 17 teams, the new NRL franchise would have to source 36 additional players.
The second Brisbane team would require a 30-man full-time squad, plus an extra six players to be placed on development contracts.
The prospect of removing one or two players from each of the NRL’s existing 16 clubs is seen as a major source of talent erosion at a time when the interchange benches of some teams already lack depth.
Former Test fullback Slater says the ARLC must balance the demands of injecting a new Brisbane club with the talent levels required to bolster a 17-team competition.
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“I think there are elements to expansion that demand it, and there are other elements to say that we are not ready for it,” he said.
“Brisbane is crying out for another team and they certainly have the capacity – you look at the sponsorship, the market in Brisbane will certainly handle another team.
“But have we got enough development around the players to divide another 30 players into a full-time squad?
“That’s my question mark, not necessarily the talent but the development of our talent.
“We need to improve in that area so that when we do expand, we aren’t depleting the rest of the competition.”
Originally published as NRL expansion bid: Cameron Smith, Billy Slater warn against second Brisbane team