Having secured government funding backing both the Papua New Guinea and Perth NRL expansion bids, the National Rugby League is expected to make a formal announcement before the end of 2024 that will give the green light to both teams joining the National Rugby League over the next few years.
The Papua New Guinea bid is being back by the Australian Federal Government in an effort to forge closer ties with Papua New Guinea. This is part of a wider government move across the Pacific to bring nations closer to Australia in terms of their national goals.
The money on offer for this bid makes it a “too good to refuse” situation for the NRL. With at least 10 years worth of funding secured for the sides inclusion in the NRL, it makes a Papua New Guinea team a no lose situation for the NRL. The NRL even managed to secure tax breaks for players who sign with the Papua New Guinean side.
Meanwhile over in Western Australia the government there recently came to the table in terms of funding for the game in the west, and in turn the city of Perth. One again, this is an incredible situation for the NRL, and that will make this another expansion that is a no lose situation.
These expansions will see the league go from 17 teams to 19 teams. The league has already said its long term goal is to aim for having around 22 teams, with the season involving each team playing each other once. A good goal to have if you ask me.
That means the NRL has its eye on the next rounds of expansion, and you have to wonder where those other three teams will be based.
One is almost assuredly going to be based in the west of Brisbane. Ipswich is the favourite location for this team. It makes a lot of sense. It locks down Brisbane under the NRL umbrella and gives the Queensland based broadcasters relevant local content, which this can’t get enough to.
Another team is almost certain to be based in New Zealand. Whether that will be in Christchurch or Wellington is anyones guess right now. One thing to keep an eye on is that the NRL will be wanting expansion teams playing out of high quality, rectangular field stadiums. That right now gives Christchurch a leg up on Wellington.
As for the third team, the NRL may simply look to move into Adelaide, which would make a lot of sense. Helping the competition become more of a national league.
It is all very exciting for the game and shows the strong position Rugby League in Australia is in right now. They have more money available than ever before, and with television ratings going up every year, demand for the sport keep growing.
The cool thing to think about is where the NRL will be in say 30 years from now. Once we get to 22 teams, every team that is added after that can be a huge leap for the game into a completely new territory.
Would that mean we get an NRL team based somewhere in Asia? Could we see an NRL team based in Hawaii? There are so many possibilities from that point on, and it’s great to think about where the game will be at that point.
