Plan for $2.2 million rugby league nines tournament to kick start NRL season

REVEALED: The $2.2M plan to launch the NRL season with a festival of nine-a-side rugby league.

A KIWI promoter has a $2.2 million plan to kick off the rugby league season with a super Nines tournament - with the winner pocketing more money than the NRL premiers.

The offer is considered too good to refuse with all 16 clubs agreeing in principle to field their strongest sides.

That would see champions Greg Inglis, Ben Barba, Benji Marshall and Jarryd Hayne featuring in the tournament to be staged in Auckland.

An NRL CEOs conference on February 20 is expected give the proposal the green light.

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The concept is the brainchild of New Zealand events organiser Dean Lonergan of Duco Events and business partner David Higgins.

They were responsible for organising the popular Fight For Life charity boxing event which featured league players Paul Gallen, Greg Bird, Willie Mason and Manu Vatuvei in December.

Under the proposal, which was first pitched to NRL clubs in July, each team would receive $70,000 for competing with the tournament winner earning $500,000.

It's a staggering purse considering last year's NRL premiers, the Melbourne Storm, received $400,000.

Lonergan said the concept was going "full steam ahead" after positive talks with the NRL, the 16 clubs and Auckland City council. Discussions with a naming rights sponsor and TV network Sky NZ are also in full swing.

"We're making great progress," Lonergan said.

"The feedback so far from the clubs and the NRL has been extremely positive, so we're moving closer to having it totally ratified."

Under the proposal, the knockout tournament would be held in the first week of February.

Some clubs fear the Nines could threaten the Annual All Stars concept - held a week later - despite Lonergan and the NRL claiming it would have no impact on the showpiece game.

"We think this tournament would only complement the All Stars," Lonergan said.

The NRL have made no secret of their desire to continue the promotion of rugby league in New Zealand and see the Nines as the perfect challenge to rugby's hugely popular Wellington Sevens tournament, which will be held this weekend.

"With the support of the NRL clubs and the talent that rugby league has, it could be bigger than the rugby's sevens," Lonergan said.

Paul Kind, director of commercial and marketing at the NRL, confirmed discussions with Lonergan and the clubs had been positive.

He said there was a plan to draw up a formal recommendation to the ARL commission after the upcoming chief executives' meeting.

Channel Nine and Fox Sports are yet to see the proposal, but it's believed both networks would support the pre-season tournament.