http://www.foxsports.com.au/league/...avid-gallop-says/story-fn2mcuj6-1226127012225
Perth is realistic expansion option if Sydney NRL club will commit to relocation, David Gallop says
Perth would be a realistic expansion option if a Sydney club were willing to relocate, NRL chief executive David Gallop said.
Gallop reiterated his view on the short-term vitality of the game when he joined
NRL on Fox on Wednesday night, insisting that 2015 appeared to be the most feasible timeframe to extend the league beyond 16 teams.
Former New Zealand halfback Gary Freeman continued his call for an
NRL club to relocate to Western Australia, to which Gallop retorted: "If you can get someone to go, Wiz.
"We need a club that can go and be part of that community.
"We would incentivise that as long as it was the right move.
"If someone was to do that, we'd be open to the idea."But we're certainly not going to force it on anyone."
So where will expansion be? And how many teams?
Perth, Brisbane, Ipswich in Queensland, the NSW Central Coast, Central Queensland, Papua New Guinea and Wellington have expressed an interest in joining the NRL from 2013.
The NRL boss hinted the league would look to put one team in a rural heartland and another in a new market.
"Some strategic growth into new areas is important," he said.
"But I also think shoring up our heartland, in places where we know people are interested in rugby league, is important as well.
"If we added two teams, you could maybe do one of each."
Gallop's reluctance to leap into expansion relates to financial stability, pointing to the current struggles of many NRL clubs as a more pressing issue than funding new projects.
"We need to spend a few more years getting what we've got more financially robust," he said.
"I think we all realise the clubs need more money."
Former Kangaroos halfback Greg Alexander has witnessed the current struggles first hand during his time on the
Penrith board.
He said that all NRL stakeholders would each be reaching out to shore up their own future once the new television rights deal had been negotiated.
"That will be a priority, to get the distribution of the funds correct," the Fox Sports commentator said.
"When we do get some increased revenue, every part of the game will be putting their hand out ... wanting a piece of that pie."
Gallop said the challenge, once the vitality of the current 16 clubs was secure, would be to ensure the new entrants had the backing to becoming major players in the league from the outset.
"I think that the competitive market that football codes are in in this country you can't afford to have a team to come in and not be competitive almost straight away," he said.
