The NRL may have only just confirmed the move to go to 17 teams with the addition of the Dolphins, but that hasn't stopped the Queensland Rugby League throwing their support behind yet another team from the sunshine state.
The Dolphins, who will be based out of Redcliffe, but play a vast majority of their games out of Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, became the first expansion team since the Gold Coast Titans joined the competition in 2007.
While all eyes are set to turn to their recruitment of players from Monday following the announcement that Wayne Bennett will be the club's inaugural coach, the debate around an 18th team in the NRL has already sparked.
That hardly comes as a surprise, given the untold benefits an 18th team will bring, including the scrapping of the bye which will be needed from 2023, and the addition of a ninth game per weekend.
The North Sydney Bears and a Perth-backed bid have already thrown down the gauntlet to be included, while a second team in New Zealand will always remain a tantalising prospect for the NRL, with both Perth and New Zealand providing additional benefits to the broadcast deal through way of timezones, particularly if the competition needs to squeeze a ninth game into the weekly schedule.
However, QRL chief Bruce Hatcher has told The Daily Telegraph that the game must continue expanding through Logan, Ipswich and Toowoomba, with the Brisbane Jets - one of the failed bids for the 17th licence - not yet giving up hope of joining the competition.
โWe canโt continue to allow Logan, Ipswich and Toowoomba to be a potential future NRL area โ itโs got to come in at some stage,โ Hatcher said.
โThat has to be a focus. It is real rugby league territory. Iโd like to see that.
โThe Gold Coast Titans have battled adversity pretty much since they got on board but have done a good job and are now in a pretty good position.
โThe next area for Queensland to have an NRL team has got to be that area.โ
Given the NRL are set to sign off on a new TV deal and collective bargaining agreement, it would seem unlikely an 18th team will be rushed into the picture as the competition and talent pool learns to cope with a 17th team.
The player market is set to be squeezed beyond belief from Monday as all 2022 off-contract players earn the ability to negotiate with other teams in the competition.
However, Hatcher urged the AFL to lock down the south west corridor as the AFL look to make moves, including the Brisbane Lions building a new facility in the area.
โWeโre not going to lose rugby league to Aussie rules in one or two years, I can assure you of that. But thatโs why that corridor is so important for the future," Hatcher said.
โThere is a lot of activity going on out there. Iโve got a lot of time for the guys that run the Ipswich Jets, who are doing a bloody good job out there.
โWeโre pretty keen to have Toowoomba in the Intrust Super Cup sooner rather than later. The biggest issue has been financial. Itโs all very well to say you want to come back.
โYou canโt bring a team back and spend the rest of your life funding them. Thatโs disastrous for the whole game. Ipswich is strong in the Intrust Super Cup. We need Toowoomba in there. The future of Souths-Logan is important.โ
The Dolphins will join the competition in 2023.
