NRL expansion: League opens up expressions of interest to three SEQ teams

Queensland’s three expansion hopefuls have been invited to submit expressions of interest to join the NRL. Here’s what happens next.

It’s official. The battle for Brisbane’s second NRL licence to rival the Broncos has begun.

In a landmark day for rugby league, The Courier-Mail can reveal the expansion race has been given the green light with ARL Commission boss Peter V’landys confirming the NRL will seek expressions of interest from Queensland’s three bid teams.

After 11 years of near misses, heartache and broken promises, the NRL is ready to expand to 17 teams, with the ARL Commission to seek formal expressions of interest starting Friday.

The trio of prospective franchises – the Brisbane Firehawks, Dolphins and Jets – have been contacted by NRL officials in the past 24 hours and will begin formulating their bid documents with a view to being named Queensland’s fourth team.

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The Redcliffe Dolphins are one of the team’s set to bid for an expansion spot. Picture: AAP Image/Richard Walker

V’landys stressed the ARL Commission has not rubber-stamped expansion yet, and will make a definitive decision by July, but the call for expressions of interest is the most compelling sign yet the code is poised to launch a second team in Brisbane.

As revealed by News Corp a fortnight ago, expansion has the backing of broadcasters Fox and Channel 9, with the Broncos to have another competitor in the south-east Queensland market in 2023.

Speaking exclusively to The Courier-Mail, V’landys on Tuesday confirmed the fierce battle for the NRL’s 17th licence has reached the pointy end.

“I can confirm that, yes, we will be seeking expressions of interest from the bid teams,” V’landys said following a board meeting on Tuesday.

“We are asking the bid teams to do a firm proposal now, so they have a bit of work to do.

“I won’t call it a tender process as such, but the three bid teams (Firehawks, Dolphins and Jets) have been asked to put their bids in and they have all been advised from what I’m told.

“We probably won’t meet with the bid teams because they have a lot of documentation to do first.

“We will make ourselves available when they are ready.

“We’ve got a roadmap as to how we are going to assess the bid teams, so all is progressing for the July date as I have indicated.

“It’s all systems go.”

The Courier-Mail understands the bid teams will be given one month to compile their bids for submission to NRL chiefs, who will peruse the documents before making a final call on the victorious second Brisbane team.

The three bid teams will be asked to satisfy a number of criteria, including participation, growth corridors, financial viability and formulating a blueprint that will not cannibalise existing Queensland teams the Broncos, Titans and Cowboys.

If the Firehawks, Dolphins and Jets’ bids do not stack up, expansion will not proceed - but V’landys and other political heavy-hitters are confident the code is ready for expansion.

The three bid teams refused to comment today, but a fortnight ago, Shane Richardson, the former NRL strategy boss who investigated the merits of expansion, declared rugby league is ready for a second Brisbane team

Richardson is now spearheading the Brisbane Firehawks’ bid to join the NRL and said two weeks ago the code cannot afford to lose a turf war against the AFL in Queensland.

“Brisbane is ready for another team. The game is ready for expansion, absolutely,” Richardson said.

“I was part of the NRL in 2015 and we did a comprehensive analysis of the demographics and where the best locations were (for expansion), myself and Andrew Fraser did a fair bit of work on it.

Posters for the Brisbane Firehawks expansion franchise. Pictures: Supplied

“We were looking at regions in Brisbane, New Zealand and Western Australia and we were getting excited about it all, but the ARL Commission was still fresh (after being created in 2012).

“South-east Queensland is a hotbed for rugby league talent, but the key is you have to value-add. It’s important the new team doesn’t steal IP (Intellectual Property) from the Broncos or Titans.

“The performance of the Queensland teams at the moment is not a concern.

“If anything, another team means more opportunities for Queensland kids to stay home. The expansion team will develop and keep others on their toes.

“The Brisbane Broncos recently signed deals with three feeder clubs because they are wary of the expansion threat.

“A second Brisbane team helps Queensland in the State of Origin arena. It’s important we consider the benefits of expansion if we want Origin to remain healthy.”

The Broncos are historically a ratings powerhouse for Channel 9, who could be guaranteed a weekly Friday night game at Suncorp Stadium with two Brisbane teams.

Last year, Foxtel Group CEO Patrick Delany told The Courier-Mailin a rare interview that he would relish the creation of a new cross-city NRL rivalry in Brisbane.

ARL chairman Peter V'landys talks to Jason Taumalolo of the Cowboys and Kevin Proctor of the Titans. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

“I would like to see a second Brisbane team because it brings intra-city rivalry opportunities with the Broncos,” he said.

“The Broncos are the Broncos. They are a huge brand. But if you have a second Brisbane organisation with another tribe and you build a rivalry like the old ‘Silvertails versus the Fibros’ with Manly and Wests, it adds to the whole excitement of the NRL.

“If you look at the proportion of population between NSW and Queensland, quite clearly one (NRL) team in Brisbane is under-serving.

“In terms of expansion, so long as a new NRL team is put in the right place, in and around a tribe of supporters, then it will work.”

V’landys and NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo have been visiting clubs to discuss the pros and cons of expansion.

Roosters supremo Nick Politis last month backed the NRL’s expansion plans and another Sydney club, the Bulldogs, are also in favour of a second Brisbane team.

“A trust-us model doesn’t appeal to me, but if the research is there, well let’s do it and have a second Brisbane team,” Bulldogs CEO Aaron Warburton said last week.

“If we are making decisions without really clear data, I would be uncomfortable.

“But if the data shows us that expansion is the right thing to do, then I’m 100 per cent behind it.

“I understand the need to grow the game and do the right thing by our sport and our Queensland audience.

“The opportunity cost to the NRL is what is concerning a number of the other teams. There might be upside in expansion, but what is the opportunity cost if the Titans or Broncos lose a percentage of their supporter base to a second Brisbane team?

“It would be huge for Brisbane to have another NRL team especially with the city set to get the Olympics (in 2032).

“I’m not here to try and protect the Bulldogs’ interests. If expansion is going to grow the game and there is a greater purpose for a second Brisbane team, then I’m all for it.”

Originally published as NRL expansion: League opens up expressions of interest to three SEQ teams