NRL 2023: Wayne Bennett pleads with NRL not to kill Queensland Cup

The war for talent in Queensland has taken a new turn, with Supercoach Wayne Bennett pleading with the NRL to leave Queensland’s top competition be.

Kotoni Staggs and Titans players get into it. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty

Wayne Bennett has issued an impassioned plea for the NRL to not kill Queensland’s top competition as QRL chief Ben Ikin urged the Titans to target the neglected western corridor.

The Queensland Rugby League is at war with the NRL after the ARL Commission rejected a $4.2 million funding proposal to overhaul the Hostplus Cup.

The QRL made the application to expand to a 17-team competition next year to accommodate a request from the Gold Coast Titans and North Queensland Cowboys to field their own reserve grade teams in the second-tier league.

The Titans have been left scrambling after losing an affiliate relationship with Gold Coast powerhouse Burleigh Bears.

Ikin blasted the NRL and its CEO Andrew Abdo, accusing him of backstabbing the QRL and plotting to launch a national reserve grade that would have major ramifications for the Hostplus Cup.

And he has found an ally in the Dolphins’ supercoach Bennett, who warned the NRL not to sabotage Queensland’s premier competition.

Bennett says the NRL must leave the Queensland Cup be. (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)

“We cannot mess with the Queensland Cup which is the best second-tier competition in the world,” Bennett said.

“It was too expensive to run an NRL reserve grade 30 years ago, can you imagine the cost of doing it in this day and age?

“I have been coaching since 1977. Ron McAuliffe started the state league competition in the 1970s and that’s how much longevity has gone into our game in Queensland and the game in this state has never been in a healthier position.

“There is no code in this country that would not love to have what we’ve got with the Queensland Cup. I’ve looked at all sorts of models and nothing is as effective as the structure we have now.

“I coached in NSW for nine years with the Dragons and Newcastle and they don’t match what we do. They are nowhere near what we do in Queensland in terms of game development and pathways.

“The Queensland Cup has a team in Papua New Guinea all the way down to Toowoomba (and Tweed Heads).

“We don’t need an NRL reserve grade. It’s nonsense. It’s another expense we don’t need and it won’t make our competition any better.

“I personally do not want to see the Queensland Cup affected in any way, it’s underpinned the success of the game and the expansion with the Dolphins coming into the NRL.”

While the QRL’s proposal was rejected, killing the competition’s expansion plans, the Titans have been the biggest losers from the fiasco.

After the Titans outlined plans to launch their own reserves, successful feeder club Burleigh – who have helped produce NRL stars Darius Boyd, Ben Hannant and Jai Arrow – struck an affiliate deal with the Brisbane Broncos, who had a spot open after Norths Devils linked with the Dolphins.

Ikin hit out hard at both the NRL and boss Andrew Abdo. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

The Broncos’ shrewd move to secure the Gold Coast’s premier club has seen the Titans surrender a key development pathway on the back of having their reserve grade plans dashed.

Ikin said the QRL’s preference was for NRL clubs to have multiple affiliates, rather than their own reserve grade team, but they were open to accommodating the Titans and Cowboys’ wishes.

Now, he has urged the Titans to consider boosting the struggling Ipswich Jets, who are last on the Hostplus Cup ladder without a win in 2023.

The western corridor is considered to be a league heartland and nursery and while the Jets have a relationship with the Sydney Roosters, they do not receive fringe players for their top team.

The Toowoomba-based Western Clydesdales entered the Hostplus Cup this year and have an agreement with the Canterbury Bulldogs, but also don’t receive players.

“We were trying to remain flexible and open-minded,” Ikin said when asked why the QRL supported the Titans and Cowboys’ plans.

“We did the respectful thing for the Cowboys, Titans and NRL, while the other three NRL clubs that operate in the Hostplus Cup (Broncos, Dolphins, Storm) pursued the affiliate model, to try and come up with something workable that we could trial for two years.

“We were very transparent the whole way through with the Titans about what we were submitting and what we’d be doing going forward under both scenarios, whether the ARLC approved it or not.

“Under the new rules, this might create an opportunity for the Titans to chat with the Jets, depending on what the contract looks like with the Roosters.

“I really rate Ben Cross as a head coach (Jets) and thinker and really like Richard Hughes (Jets CEO). What they’re trying to do there will be made better at the top level if they can form an affiliation with an NRL club that’s going to supply them surplus top 30 players.

“There’s no two ways about that. The Clydesdales are in the same boat.”

Turf war erupts: Broncos steal QCup team from Titans

Queensland’s NRL turf war has exploded with the Broncos infiltrating the Gold Coast to steal feeder-club Burleigh from under the noses of derby rivals the Titans.

In a huge blow for the Titans, Big Brother Brisbane have marched into their backyard to sign an affiliate deal with Gold Coast’s long-time Queensland Cup feeder club Burleigh Bears.

Just weeks ago, Brisbane were rocked by new expansion rivals the Dolphins pulling off a poaching raid on Norths Devils, leaving the Broncos with two affiliate outfits in Souths Logan and Wynnum Manly.

But the Broncos have beefed-up their feeder-club ties with a Burleigh Bears contractual coup that puts the Titans under siege in their own territory on the Glitter Strip.

The Broncos now have a presence in enemy territory and are certain to ramp-up their development plans to steal the hearts and minds of the best talent on the Gold Coast via their Burleigh Bears links.

The Titans confirmed severing ties with Burleigh, who have won two Queensland Cup premierships (2016 and 2019) in the past seven years.

A turf war has erupted between the Titans and Broncos. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty

“The Gold Coast Titans are disappointed to learn that the Burleigh Bears have chosen to align with an out of region NRL club in 2024,” the club said in a statement.

“The Titans and Bears have had a long affiliation, with the Titans investing in the club significantly over many years and by providing NRL quality players to support Burleigh’s Queensland Cup campaigns.

“After meeting with the club earlier in the week and presenting to the chair, executive and coach, the Titans were informed that the Bears would move in a different direction next year.”

The Gold Coast is also a breeding ground for top NRL talent, with current Broncos Reece Walsh, Keenan Palasia, Deine Mariner, Jesse Arthars and Xavier Willison hailing from the region.

The Burleigh Bears have linked with the Broncos. Picture: Richard Gosling

The Titans have fought hard to push the Broncos out of the Gold Coast, but they are now leaving themselves open to poaching raids by severing ties with the Bears.

“The Titans are committed to the Gold Coast, developing local junior talent and producing pathways that lead to future NRL and NRLW stars representing our region,” the club said.

“We remain committed to developing the game across the Coast and competing in the Queensland Cup through the Tweed Seagulls.

“The club will honour its commitment to the Burleigh Bears for the remainder of the year including the NRL players taking part in the match with PNG Hunters this weekend.”

Originally published as NRL 2023: Wayne Bennett pleads with NRL not to kill Queensland Cup