Southern Orcas chairman Sir Graham Lowe has insisted the South Island-based club is ready to get off the ground if they can successfully land an NRL license.
Momentum is building for another New Zealand NRL side following the recent overwhelming support the New Zealand Warriors have received in the past three years.
The Auckland-based club is selling out every home game, taking matches across the country to Wellington for Anzac Day, all while being in a rugby union-dominated landscape.
With ambitious expansion projects to Perth and Papua New Guinea, Lowe feels it's only right for the NRL to look towards the New Zealand market to capitalise on the hype following the Warriors around the country and mark Christchurch as the next NRL location.
With the ongoing broadcast rights deals being finalised, one reported bidder is keen to have a 20th team in the NRL as early as 2029, to create a 10th fixture, generating more revenue for both the NRL and the TV rights holder.
Speculation is mounting the two biggest bids for the latest NRL side are down to a second team in New Zealand, with the Orcas leading the race, and Brisbane's western corridor amid fears the rival AFL code is plotting to secure the vacant area.
“It won't be easy by any stretch of the imagination, and we are realistic,” Orcas boss Lowe explained on SEN's Front Office with Vossy.
“But there's a lot of players available, and you'll be surprised where we get them from.
“We are ready to go. The really important thing though, is to get the tick (from the NRL) so we can get the coach in place. That's got to be a key factor in the whole lot.
“But I mean, chances like this come along less than once in a blue moon.
“So, we are ready, we have to be ready, and we won't be coming along with any excuses at all.”
Following the successful introduction of the Dolphins franchise in 2023, located in Redcliffe, in Brisbane's outer suburbs, the blueprint has been set on how to configure an NRL organisation in claimed rugby league territories.
Despite Lowe's eagerness, the Orcas club has had no recent conversations with NRL head honchos and admits there are concerns around their infrastructure and ability to withstand the weight of an NRL side.
Warriors chief executive Cameron George, as per NewsCorp reports, said the NRL should hold off on introducing a second New Zealand team.
“I would absolutely share in the expansion of the NRL and consider the South Island as a preferred option – in time,” George said to the Daily Telegraph.
“But we need to build the game from within and we need further investment in the domestic competitions to underpin a second team in three to five years' time. That to me would make it sustainable.
“We need structures in place to support not only two teams in New Zealand but also the 18 other teams in the competition.
“As it stands now, a lot of players leave this country to go and play in genuine elite competitions in the NSWRL and Queensland Cup on their pathway through to the NRL.
“We should replicate those competitions here in New Zealand and that would require more investment and time to get those competitions up to that level.”
Lowe recognised the current flaw surfaced by George, but remains confident the pathway issue will be resolved in time before the bidding war commences.
“Well, there's not a professional structure there at the moment, to be honest,” Lowe explained.
“But I mean, we've got people in mind, and Cameron (George) is absolutely right.
“You have to have the right structure. You've got to have the right base to start.
“That's why we've just been trying to sound as calm as we can.
“We've got a list of names for the various things, but we will have that locked up. Have no worries about that because that's absolutely critical.
“It's just as important as what's going on in the field.”
One solution to solving doubt from the head honchos at the NRL would be to secure an elite coach to kick-start their introduction.
With Ivan Cleary stepping down from coaching duties for the 2028 season at the Penrith Panthers, the Orcas could consider throwing the book at him to secure a role at the club, given his strong relationship with the country as a Warriors player.
The Perth Bears will join the NRL competition in 2027. Meanwhile, the PNG Chiefs will have an extra year before their introduction in 2028.
