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New ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys has declared his plans to have a second NRL team in Brisbane.

V’landys explained that a second Brisbane team would be good for State of Origin and to maintain rugby league's dominance as the main code.

Hailed as the man who saved horse racing with his commercial skills, V’landys will bring a corporate brain to the NRL.

He named Redcliffe as a potential home base for a new NRL side, despite the Brisbane Bombers' long pursuit of a license since 2011.

“Queensland is our market – we need a game every week in Brisbane,” V’landys told The Sunday Mail.

“I can see 17 teams in the next broadcast deal working.

“I am not going to pre-empt the ARL Commission’s decision, but having a second team in Brisbane is 100 per cent an option.

“This is only my view, but Brisbane can sustain a second team, no question.

“The NRL is a billion-dollar business and I will be doing everything possible to make Queensland even stronger.”

Perth have been touted as another potential home for a new club, but V’landys believes Brisbane's population of 2.1 million people can coexist with the Broncos market.

“We want to dominate the market in Queensland,” he said. “Forget wasting millions in rusted-on AFL states.

“We must undertake a full analysis (of growth markets) but Perth does not have a huge league audience. Then there is the concern around flying NRL players five hours when we already hear criticism of player workloads and how taxing the season is on the stars of the game.

“I am unashamedly a massive fan of Queensland because it’s our second strongest rugby league market.

“I have great admiration for Bruce Hatcher (QRL chairman). He has been a warrior for the game of rugby league in Queensland and that must be recognised.

“If you are running rugby league as a commercial operation, which we are, you want to be putting a lot of money and effort into Queensland.”

19 COMMENTS

  1. This is fantastic news, a team In the northern regions of/near Brisbane is a good for the city and the fans. Rugby league needs to expand. Melbourne has a good fan base in an AFL state and Perth will succeed also undoubtedly.

    When the time arrives for expansion Brisbane and Perth, both must be admitted together.

  2. How about someone starts another League competition all together?? Keep it simple and honest and the fans will leave these these corrupt NRL Cl.owns in droves.

  3. I can support this. A second Brisbane team should be a winner.

    The only thing I disagree with is his comments on Perth. With the right commercial backing and the right set up from the start, Perth can work and should be the 18th team in. If a bunch of Businessmen can set up a team in Canada and make it work then I just do not see the problem. Its all about the HOW!

  4. A second Brisbane makes sense, but surely the decision has been to made in conjunction with a decision on the Titans.
    Do you relocate the Titans to become South Brisbane, move them to a potentially viable location, throw big dollars at it and make it viable (give it a shot) or fold them? If the NRL adds a second Brisbane team, and leave the Titans in the comp to fade out, well that’s just another (net) negative to the sport.

  5. The way I see it, there are some really short sighted/narrow minded comments here.
    “Forget wasting millions in rusted-on AFL states.” But the AFL has been/still is “wasting millions in rusted-on NRL states.”. How much coin, and how long did it take to make the Sydney Swans viable, and they continue to “waste millions” on GWS, and the 2 Brisbane sides.
    “We must undertake a full analysis (of growth markets) but Perth does not have a huge league audience”. I’d like to break that comment down into 2 parts.
    Firstly, “We must undertake a full analysis (of growth markets)”. In the past 5 or so years Perth has had the same FTA coverage of the NRL as Sydney, it’s had (on average) 2 NRL club games a year, an opening round double header, some international games, a SOO, and will host the nines next year. How/when do you propose to start the “full analysis”?
    “but Perth does not have a huge league audience”. Is it as big as QLD’s or NSW’s, NO, but that’s what would make it a (potential) growth market.
    The way I see it, the NRL has already done pretty much all it can regarding “a full analysis”, and has to make its call now.

  6. I still personally think they need to expand further north away from Brisbane to the Sunshine Coast the population growth to that area is massive and when NRL teams are there look at the crowd numbers. Eelsalmighty Titans are going through that awkward period just about every club has been through but I believe Frizelle, Kelly, Holbrook, Meninga and the rest of the staff being brought in will turn Titans around next season and keep improving so need to relocate a winning formula. As for Perth I’d love to see them in the comp but they are dead right about how taxing the flight there from East is I use to do it Monthly and the travel shags you so I can understand that argument.

  7. To put some meat on V’Landys bones: Redcliffe should get the nod, they have more money & better facilities than most current NRL Clubs & their area would be Sandgate to Noosa including Caboolture & North Lakes (the fastest growing residential areas in Australia) They would not have a Q Cup team but have 2 feeder teams: Sunshine Coast & Falcons & play a couple of games at the Sunshine Coast Stadium & Dolphin oval with most of the games at Lang Park. This gives them 1. A massive local supporter base, 2. a great development area, 3. the funds & infrastructure to succeed quickly. Finally an administrator with vision.

  8. I agree with Eels,

    There has been a Perth team trying to get into the NRL for the last 20 years and keep getting told “not this year, maybe next”.

    Where is the pathway ?
    Where is the incentive for an area like this ?
    Where is the growth if you don’t go for new markets ?

    Melbourne wasn’t a rusted on AFL state, it was a full blown AFL obsessed “what the heck does NRL stand for” hotbed of AFL and Melbourne grew from nothing to the 4th largest (gates and memberships) in just 20 years. It opened up a whole new state for tv audiences. Maybe those audiences or the population concentration is not as big as Sydney or Brisbane but all those fans are brand spanking new additions.

    I support Brisbane 2 and I am sure it will be a success but how many new fans will they actually create ?

    Every new member, every person through the gate in Perth, every tv set turned on in WA, every WA sponsor in Perth will be a nett gain but it has to be supported and nurtured by local business and the NRL. It cannot be given a licence and left to fend for itself like Melbourne was. But if we find the right backers over there, Perth could be a big new market for us with more growth potential than Brissy 2 will ever have.

  9. @rucky “It cannot be given a licence and left to fend for itself like Melbourne was.” Since when has Melbourne been left to fend for itself? Its whole existence it has been hanging off the coattails and getting favours off News Ltd and the NRL that any sydney club would kill for.

  10. Is Lottoland getting a $350 millon dollar stadium upgrade like Parra did ??
    vvlandys can go jump in the sewer if he thinks Manly are going to go queitly, i reckon 100’s of 1000’s of NRL supporters, will take to the streets and march for MWSE !! come on guys, who’s with me !!!
    wears the ‘door mat’ warty when you need him ??? back me up WartMan !

  11. @Naveen
    2023 – we got 4 years left but we are signing James Roberts soon so here comes a 2020 premiership for MWSE !!

  12. TRR

    It hasn’t been a part of news now for about 7 years. In those early days it did get support from news as it was part of their business empire but imagine trying to build a new club in a hostile area with no aid from the NRL, no media coverage, no FTA broadcast in the state, GF cut off immediately after the final whistle, no advertising in the state, no help getting players to move south nor compensation for having to travel to Sydney for half the season.

    For a start up business in a new market, the support Melbourne got from the NRL was none existent and if news hadn’t been there they wouldn’t have survived the first 12 months. Its this complete lack of support from the NRL which I was referring to above.

  13. @ropeable
    your knew hear arnt you ? we have a few rulze :
    1. dont be a door mat like holmsey/manwarts
    you broke rule no. 1 already

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