Hold your horses: Broncos’ expansion warning

Brisbane chair Karl Morris and Gold Coast’s Dennis Watt have warned the ARL Commission to tread carefully with expansion.

Broncos chairman Karl Morris has warned the NRL should not rush a second Brisbane team Picture: AAP

Only Canterbury separates Brisbane and the Gold Coast as they head into Saturday afternoon’s derby at Suncorp Stadium. The Bulldogs, with one win to their name in 2020, are the meat in a southeast Queensland sandwich that has raised fresh questions over the prospect of expansion.

The idea of another team in Brisbane, as ARL Commission chair Peter V’landys has espoused, would appear to border on madness given the current travails of the Broncos and Titans.

Between them, they have three wins to their name this season. The Broncos, who started the season with such high hopes, haven’t won since the competition returned from COVID-19 hibernation.

At least they have two wins. The Titans have won only once and another bottom-three finish looms – they have finished 15th, 14th and 16th in the past three seasons.

Kayo is your ticket to the 2020 NRL Telstra Premiership. Every game of every round Live & On-Demand with no-ad breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >

No surprise then that Brisbane chair Karl Morris and his Gold Coast counterpart Dennis Watt are preaching patience as the game contemplates the addition of another side at a time when rugby league, like every other sport in the country, is attempting to recover from the debilitating financial impact of coronavirus.

Morris, head of one of the country’s biggest stockbroking firms in Ord Minnett and recently ranked as one of the most powerful men in Queensland, warns that any prospective bidder for a fresh licence — there have been no shortage — would need mountains of financial muscle.

“I think a second team looks terrific on paper and the Broncos are prepared for a second team,” Morris said.

“It seems inevitable. But with 16 clubs in the competition (I am) not quite sure how 17 would work and how long the NRL would need to financially support it.

“As we know it has been tried before. I hope the owners have deep pockets when we still have three to four teams in Sydney financially struggling.”

Watt, a former chair of the Broncos himself, acknowledges the threat a new side would pose to the Titans. The Broncos have a firm foothold in southeast Queensland thanks to years of unmitigated success.

The Titans have found the going much more difficult, although they have stabilised off the field in recent years thanks to the ownership of the Frizelle and Kelly families.

Watt also has great faith in new coach Justin Holbrook.

“Since the Frizelle and Kelly families took over just over two years ago, the club has rebuilt its junior development programs, and reignited and strengthened connections with schools and local leagues in what is a vibrant rugby league heartland with 110 years of history,” Watt said.

“While the AFL has thrown more than $200m at the Gold Coast Suns in recent years, this is rugby league country and we are determined to work with all our great local rugby league people, businesses and communities to take our game forward.

“At the end of the day it is about winning and as much as we have the right people in place across the business, we need to get some runs on the board in the next two seasons.

“Under Justin, you can already see that the DNA of the side is changing for the better. Our fans want to see us play with heart and pride.”

They just need results to follow. For all their huffing and puffing, the Gold Coast have failed to blow anyone away for a long time.

Time is not on their side when it comes to expansion. V’landys has talked about adding a 17th team in 2022, one year before a new broadcasting deal is due to come into effect.

“Timing will be important.” Watt said.

“The new rule changes have highlighted the growing talent gap between the haves and the have nots among NRL clubs.

“One of the great attractions of our game has been the closeness of the competition as compared to the blowouts which occur in other codes.

“There is a dearth of elite talent and unlike those sports where there is a player draft operating it is difficult to turn around the fortunes of battling clubs in a short time.

“The competition will not just be for players but also for staff, coaches, members, fans and sponsors. Having said that, it is incumbent on all clubs to keep working hard to ensure they are as strong and as sustainable as possible, notwithstanding the post-COVID-19 environment will pose historic challenges.

“Unless we, as a first priority, shore up and strengthen the existing 16-club NRL competition, we will be letting down the entire code, including those tens of thousands of volunteers working hard at grassroots level.’’

There are genuine concerns that the game may still be in recovery mode in 2022. The finances of the governing body and the clubs are likely to be dire again next season as the flow-on effect of COVID-19 continues to be felt. It seems hard to believe there won’t be some pain still felt in 2022, which raises further questions over the prospect of expansion. A 17th side would take money away from the existing 16 clubs at a time when they need it more than ever.

“(It) does seem too early,” Morris said.

“Like many things I think you may see it pushed back …. sponsorship and discretionary spending will take a long time to recover.

“The economy is still some time off from recovering from this ‘sudden stop’ recession. Two teams in the SEQ and then three, maths is maths. It has to have an impact.”