Brisbane turf war erupts as AFL invade rugby league heartland after Lions sign deal with Ipswich City Council
Brisbane’s rugby league heartland is under siege, with the AFL dropping a bombshell on the NRL, as the Lions prepare to unveil a historic deal in the Ipswich region.
Peter Badel
August 29, 2024 - 5:58PM
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The AFL has dropped a bombshell on the NRL in Brisbane’s rugby league heartland by inking a historic deal as Queensland’s sporting turf war explodes.
This masthead can reveal AFL’s Queensland flagship – the Brisbane Lions – have struck a three-year deal in the Ipswich region that produced Broncos rugby league legends Allan Langer and Kevin Walters.
Brisbane Lions CEO Greg Swann and Ipswich City Council powerbrokers will formally announce the deal on Friday.
Revelations of the landmark contract comes just 24 hours
after the Queensland Rugby League clinched a $100 million funding deal from the NRL, armed with a masterplan to invest in Brisbane’s western corridor.
Now the battle of the codes has intensified as the NRL comes under siege from a ruthless AFL organisation that has devised a strategic plan to dethrone rugby league in Queensland’s key growth market. Dolphins super coach Wayne Bennett has warned NRL bosses to get serious about adding a franchise to the Ipswich-Toowoomba region or risk AFL taking over.
This deal is another shot across the bow from the AFL, which will leverage the Lions brand to make lethal incursions into rugby league territory by also targeting the next generation of female players.
Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding confirmed the groundbreaking alliance, which will see major promotion of Lions games in Ipswich and using Brisbane AFLW players to support community-health programs. The City of Ipswich has also secured gameday presenting rights at a Lions AFL home game and will host the type of fan days that saw the Queensland State of Origin team visit Toowoomba this year.
The overarching message is clear – the NRL is under attack from the AFL.
“This exciting partnership capitalises on the Brisbane Lions AFLW team calling Brighton Homes Arena (in Springfield) their home and further cements Ipswich as the headquarters for the Brisbane Lions,” Harding said. “Over the next three years, our sporting community will welcome formal development pathways for our future female athletes and sport administrators through the Lions Institute of Business and Sport, a collaboration with TAFE Queensland."
“This partnership will also see the Brisbane Lions put their support behind Council’s advocacy for the city’s priority projects, as well as hosting a range of major state and national championship fixtures and events right here in Ipswich. We also look forward to the City of Ipswich being front and centre at the Gabba as we take over the match day presenting rights at a Brisbane Lions AFL home game, as well as hosting fan days in Ipswich following the successes of the Brisbane Lions AFLW team.”
This masthead revealed a fortnight ago that
Ipswich had joined forces with Sydney’s Newtown Jets to lodge a formal submission as part of the NRL’s plans for further expansion.The Brisbane Jets were a major contender during the NRL’s latest expansion battle in 2021, but lost out to the Redcliffe Dolphins for the code’s 17th licence.
At the time, Jets bid chief Steve Johnson warned the code was in danger of an AFL takeover in the western-corridor belt that also produced newly-minted Hall of Fame coach Bennett. Now his warning is real.
Johnson is part of a fresh Ipswich Jets bid to win an NRL licence over the next five years and that time frame will give the Lions a golden opportunity to entrench their brand in Brisbane’s greater west.
Brisbane boss Swann said the Lions are primed to ramp-up their footprint and become the sporting kings in Ipswich. “We’ve got the best venue in the area (Brighton Homes Arena) and the team are reigning premiers, so I’d encourage as many people as possible to come down and check out the action,” he said. “I’m excited about what we can deliver together into the future. We want the precinct to be a year-round attraction for sport, community and educational purposes and our partnership with (Ipswich) council is crucial to making this a reality.”
Ipswich Eagles president Scott Humphreys said: “Knowing we will be welcoming more AFL and AFLW games to Ipswich and giving our junior players –girls and boys – the chance to meet their heroes, and learn directly from them, will further many dreams of becoming the next generation of AFLW and AFL players.”
Bennett, who has led the Dolphins’ expansion drive in Queensland, put the NRL on notice on Thursday.
“We can’t underestimate the threat of the AFL,” he said. “That (western-corridor) region would be an ideal area for expansion. There’s enough kids out there to play both sports but it’s always been a strong rugby league area and the AFL have been very aggressive in targeting that area. They are putting a lot of funding into that region. We can’t ignore the western corridor.”
