Western Clydesdales back QRL play to bring NRL to Western Corridor and save iconic Bears
All eyes are on the west to become the NRL’s latest team. But a rugby league heartland west of Brisbane could well be the answer to keeping the dream of the Western Bears alive.
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The west can still be won according to QRL boss Ben Ikin but it’s the ‘Western Corridor’ and not West Australia that will save day.
With the Western Bears bid in serious doubt, Ikin is once again urging the ARL to give Queensland a fifth NRL team, this time in Brisbane’s sprawling western corridor.
The Western Corridor and nearby Darling Downs and South West Queensland region are the beating heart of rugby league – boasting a player nursery equal to Penrith according to supercoach and former Toowoomba Rugby League player Wayne Bennett.
Determined to secure an NRL club linked future for their players and the region, the Western Clydesdales have thrown their support behind Ikin’s ‘Strive for Five’.
“Ben’s continued support for the Western Corridor bid, Toowoomba, South West and the Clydesdales is absolutely amazing,” Clydesdales CEO Shane Sullivan said.
“Any NRL affiliation to this region would be great for the game from the ground up.
“Naturally we would love to affiliate with any Western Corridor be it the Bears, Jets, Tigers – who ever it is.
“At the top level it would be that final layer, the last piece for our players to be able to link with an NRL program.
“It’s not just about the Clydesdales though.
“Another NRL club would mean so much for the region from the grassroots junior levels all the way through on and off the field.”
Ikin believes an NRL club in the Western Corridor would be an instant success.
“I have no doubt a Brisbane western-corridor team would be ready for 2027, absolutely,” Ikin told this masthead.
“This area can’t be ignored by the NRL. The western corridor is set up for success now.
“If the NRL is looking at operational readiness, that’s the next choice for the game.
“I understand there is a masterplan to take the game to PNG (which enters the NRL in 2028) and to make it truly national, you need to look at a team in Perth.
“I’m an old Bear so I would love to see the Bears back in the comp, but you could turn on a team in the western corridor tomorrow and it would work.”
Sullivan supports Ikin’s position and believes an affiliation would be an instant game changer for the Clydesdales as the new team’s feeder club.
“Affiliation would make a massive difference to our program top to bottom,” he said.
“Everything would strengthen top to bottom on and off the field.
“From a squad point of view it would really help us grow the pathway for our young players.
“We’re seeing players as young as 17 being lured away by the NRL brands and other clubs with those links.
“We would be able to retain more of our players from season – improving and growing as a club everywhere.
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