THE Battle for Brisbane begins tomorrow when the consortium bidding for the city's second NRL team holds a media conference at Suncorp Stadium.
Although, I wouldn't be surprised if the real action kicks off over the road a few hours later.
That's when the movers and shakers behind the bid will be putting on a feed at Iceworks bar and restaurant.
Having whiled away many enjoyable hours at Iceworks, I know from personal experience that there are a lot worse ways to spend an afternoon. If bid chairman Craig Davison wants to win over the hearts and minds of the locals, it's a good place to start.
Let's face it, the NRL's new commissioners will decide if the second Brisbane team becomes a reality but the people of Brisbane will determine whether it succeeds.
When news of the bid broke a couple of weeks ago, the question I heard often was, "Who would support a team like that?"
My answer was, "I would". I reckon plenty of others would too.
Last weekend I was discussing the bid's chances with a man who had a lot to do with the now defunct South Queensland Crushers. According to him, it wasn't lack of spectator support that killed the Crushers. It was lack of ARL support.
The Crushers were a victim of bad timing. They attracted plenty of crowds and sponsorship in their first year, but the arrival of Super League sounded their death-knell.
When Super League was desperate to sign up a 10th team, it made an offer to the Crushers that was the largest it had made to any club. The Crushers board was split until chairman Dick "Tosser" Turner, a lifelong rugby league traditionalist, gave his vote to the ARL.
When the two competitions came together, the Crushers were a casualty. According to my man, if Tosser had voted for Super League and secured the backing of News Limited, the club would probably still be alive today.
Of course, that's all ancient history now but it does show that the support base for a second Brisbane club isn't pie in the sky. It was there in 1995, it will still be there today.
Back to that question: Who would support a second Brisbane team?
Well, people who don't like the Broncos for starters. There are still those who blame the Broncos for killing off the old Brisbane Rugby League. And for hatching Super League. And for the assassination of JFK for all I know. They just don't like them.
Then there are the ex-pats; dyed in the wool supporters of Sydney or other interstate clubs who will never be anything but Dragons, Rabbitohs or Roosters fans. Those clubs only come to town once a year so their supporters are looking for a second team to cheer on and take their kids to on a regular basis.
Then there are people like me. Those whose clubs don't exist any more. When Super League killed the North Sydney Bears, I was left without a club to cheer for, anguish over, fume about.
Living in Brisbane, I support the Broncos but it's not the same. It's hard to give yourself totally to a team which once spanked your side 44-6 at Lang Park (although we did beat them 15-14 in the '94 semis). See what I mean?
But a new club that has no history, that never shattered your dreams of seeing your team win at least one premiership before you shuffled off to the big Moreton Bay fig in the sky, now that's another story altogether.
Emotional claptrap? Well obviously, but there's plenty of solid reasons for a second team in Brisbane. There's Suncorp, the best league ground in the world, sitting idle for half the competition.
There's sponsors who are locked out of league because their competitors have tied up the Broncos. Kids who will go for a club because it's new or because they like the jersey. Like, whatever.
There's the fact that the Broncos are so good on and off the field that a second team here would have to be nothing short of sensational just to survive, raising the bar for the Broncos and everyone else, which could only be good for sports fans.
I reckon it just makes better sense than any alternative. As long as they keep holding media get-togethers at Iceworks, count me in.
