Veteran rugby league administrator Nick Politis has claimed the 20th NRL team must go to Queensland, rather than New Zealand.
Under the terms of the NRL's new TV deal that comes into effect in 2028, the competition must announce a 20th team for the 2029 season.
That will mark three straight years of expansion, with the Perth Bears to join in 2027, the PNG Chiefs in 2028, and the new team in 2029.
It has been commonly theorised that with rugby league booming in New Zealand, the most likely location for Team 20 will be on the south island of New Zealand, potentially in Christchurch, with the Southern Orcas leading the way.
Other bids also exist from New Zealand, while a number of Queensland bids have also made their presence known.
Politis, speaking to News Corp revealed he believes team 20 must be in the west of Brisbane, where an Ipswich bid had already put their foot down.
“The 20th team has to go to Brisbane's west,” Politis declared.
“I've spoken to Peter (V'landys) and if you look at Christchurch, it's got around 400,000 people.
“Brisbane has three or four million and if you look at the population and economy, we need to strengthen Queensland.
“We need to turn Brisbane into the capital of rugby league. We need to shore up that south-west corridor right from northern Brisbane out to Ipswich and Toowoomba.”
Politis went on to say that the 20th team being in the region would fight back against the threat of the AFL, who are still looking to take over Queensland.
Politis admitted the New Zealand bid is a contender, with the TV rights being increased in their deal by the expansion of the game in New Zealand, but it has also been suggested a new team in New Zealand could actually cut into the success of the Warriors, who are going to host a qualifying final this year and have been the story of the rugby league year.
Zero Tackle understands New Zealand - particularly the Orcas bid - are still leading the charge to become the NRL's 20th team, with the additional benefit created through another team on the Warriors' timeline strengthening their cause.
The NRL and ARLC have also made it clear the new team will need significant financial status, with no central grant to be awarded for the first five years in operation.
