Just another reason why this Brisbane bid is not the Brisbane bid that should led Rugby League's second ever Brisbane team.
SBW wanted to captain Brisbane expansion side
The bid director for a second Brisbane team wants Sonny Bill Williams to captain his potential side.
One of the agendas for the incoming independent commission will be to investigate the merits of expanding the 16 team competition, possibly as early as 2013.
And bid head Craig Davison isn't ruling out attracting Wayne Bennett and the All Black centre to head up his expansion side.
Williams, has hinted he'd like to return rugby league in the future.
"Sonny Bill is a great footballer and he's been offered something like $2 million a year by French and Japanese rugby clubs," said Davison who spoke passionately at Suncorp Stadium on Monday about the impact their bid would have on rugby league at grass roots and in fighting off the AFL threat.
"We'd be very interested in talking to Sonny Bill but only if his price was relative to what we can afford.
"If he wants a million dollars, then he'll have to go to France.
"But it's not always about money.
"If he was available and interested he'd definitely be on our hit list.
A successful businessman, Davison hopes the NRL will agree the time is right for Brisbane to welcome another team playing out of Suncorp Stadium.
"Brisbane's been ready to go for a number of years," said Davison.
"You've got this wonderful market in Queensland with three million people in South East Queensland and you've only got two teams; you look at the Sydney market and you've got nine teams within that area.
"That's an issue that has to be resolved over the years by the commission, and we'll have nothing to do with that, but the reality is, if you look at the Brisbane market, it is ripe, ready to go."
The consortium, which also includes meat mogul Bill Rae and Nicholas Livermore whose father Ross is managing director of the QRL, believes it can sell its local derby with the Brisbane Broncos as the NRL's club version of State of Origin.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/league/4705119/SBW-wanted-to-captain-Brisbane-expansion-side/