The newest bid could be in play as the NRL's 20th team, with Toowoomba ready to put forward a $450 million bid to become the newest NRL side in 2029.
Central Queensland pulled out of a merged bid with Darling Downs and South West Queensland in October, leading Toowoomba to have its own bid.
Peter V'landys is expected to determine the NRL's 20th licence around late December.
Several Queensland bids, along with multiple New Zealand bids, are expected to compete.
According to Code Sports, Toowoomba is expected to make a formal application to the Australian Rugby League Commission in December.
Formal submissions are expected to heat up, with a decision on the 20th name to be confirmed by Christmas.
There has been a push for a fifth Queensland bid in the Sunshine State.
In addition, the Ipswich Jets bid is considered a contender, and a Logan bid is expected to be launched.
V'landys has visited the Toowoomba consortium as they hope to become the NRL's newest team after the PNG Chiefs.
“Certainly when we spoke to Peter on the weekend, he was very generous with his time and his information, and we thank Peter for that,” Mark Mason, Toowoomba spokesman, told Code Sports.
“We took Peter out and showed him some potential sites for future infrastructure.
“He didn't indicate a formal timeline (on naming the 20th team). It was effectively, ‘Put your best foot forward when you're ready'.
“We think we'll be in a position to submit our bid roughly in the next month, certainly before Christmas.”
Former QRL chief executive Ben Ikin was called in to assess whether Toowoomba's bid was competitive and could be a contender as the NRL's newest expansion team.
He was also asked for advice as they prepare their bid.
Bid spokesman Mark Mason spoke optimistically about Toowoomba's bid.
“We believe we're in a strong position,” he said.
“We're not doing this for fun, and we're not going through the motions.
“We're really serious about it - we think we're one of the top-line candidates.
“We certainly have the financial capacity to pay the NRL licence fee. We have the capability to put that money on the table effectively today.
“The overall investment that our consortium is looking to make as part of the franchise is up to $450 million, and that includes a non-football asset that will contribute to the operations of the club.
“All of our plans and structures that we're working on are based on entry to the NRL in 2029.”
There is no indication that Ben Ikin would become Toowoomba's CEO if they became the 20th team in the competition.
“To date, Ben has just provided us with exceptional advice, and he's been happy to do that," Mason said when asked about the possibility.
“Ben isn't being remunerated; he just loves the game.
“He'll be very close to us and give information. As to what role Ben will play in the future, let's get the licence first, and we'll see what the club would like him to do.”
