NRL expansion investigating second Victorian team to rival Storm

The NRL’s hunt for an expansion side to inject into the competition has taken a swift turn, with eyes turning to one destination that will create a new rivalry in Rugby League.

ARL commission chairman Peter V’landys has confirmed the NRL are ready and willing to investigate a second team in Victoria to rival the Melbourne Storm.

With a master plan to expand the current 17-team NRL competition to 20-teams by 2032, V’landys said the code was “100 per cent” adding the possible inclusion of an historic second NRL team in Victoria to their upcoming expansion charter.

The shock development will frustrate the Storm, who have little interest in competing against another rugby league team inside an AFL-centric market.

However, V’landys pointed to several contributing factors as to why the game wants to investigate another team in Victoria.

Surprisingly, attacking the AFL in their heartland wasn’t one of them.

Instead, V’landys said the return in value from the creation of a new rivalry for the Storm, as shown by record TV ratings and crowds in Queensland as a result of the arrival of the NRL’s newest franchise The Dolphins, was impossible to ignore.

He added that there was a rising number of junior participants in Victoria, who were supported by a large pacific island community.

Victoria’s sport-loving culture and state-of-the-art stadiums and facilities also leant towards investigating a second team in Victoria.

Melbourne Storm could soon have a cross-town rival. Picture: Graham Denholm/Getty

The ARL Commission will meet next week for a crucial game-wide strategy conference and the expansion of the competition, potentially to Victoria, will be high on the agenda.

A Perth franchise, a second New Zealand team and a Pacific island team that could play out of Papua New Guinea have all been mooted as likely expansion locations for the NRL.

The North Sydney Bears have also begun campaigning the NRL for their return to the competition by 2025.

The inclusion of a Pacifika team could rest with how much level of funding the government is willing to invest in supporting the bid.

The NRL have watched closely Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s decision to reportedly help fund a multipurpose stadium in Hobart, which would fulfil the AFL’s requirements for a 19th team in Tasmania.

However, V’landys has put Victoria on the expansion proposal list after being asked by The Saturday Telegraph if a new rivalry in Melbourne was on the Commission’s agenda.

“Absolutely, 100 per cent. You would have to be mad not to look at it,” V’landys said.

“The reason why we would never rule it out is because one thing the The Dolphins have proven to us is people love cross-town rivalries.

“The fabric of rugby league is built on tribalism and rivalry.

“That’s why we can’t rule out.

“The Dolphins have somewhat surprised us in this regard. We thought it would be only a natural rivalry with the Broncos.

“But it isn’t. The Titans and Cowboys are just as invested in going head-to-head with the game’s newest member.

“The other reason why a second Melbourne team is good for us, is that our junior base in Victoria has expanded considerably.”

The most recent statistics obtained by the NRL shows that participation in Victoria is up 50 per cent compared to this time last year.

At present, there are almost 4,000 registered participants playing rugby league in Victoria with fan base data showing that there are over 350,000 rugby league fanatics in Melbourne.

“One of the things that stuck in my head when I was most recently down at the Melbourne Storm is, there is a large pacific island community in Melbourne,” V’landys said.

Peter V'landys says a second Victorian team is “100 per cent” on the cards. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty

“And their physical prowess isn’t one that is suited to AFL.

“So when you factor that together with a culture down there, who love their sport, then why wouldn’t you look at it.’’

V’landys - forever willing to disregard the AFL as a competitor to the NRL - rejected the game’s interest in expanding to Victoria as a shot at the rival code.

“That’s not even a consideration,’’ he said.

“Our only focus will always be to grow the game of rugby league.

“The rest of it is irrelevant.”

One hurdle the NRL could face is from the Storm.

One of the most successfully run sporting franchises in Australian sport, the Storm would view the inclusion of a rival as detrimental to their 25-year commitment towards the growth of rugby league in Victoria.

Storm chairman Matt Tripp told the Herald Sun recently that he would oppose a second Victorian team.

Originally published as NRL expansion investigating second Victorian team to rival Storm