I think a union of Ipswich and Newtown based solely on the fact they are both called Jets is nonsensical.
Easts and Ipswich is a better merger. Or even if Ipswich could source some funding from somewhere and go it alone that could also work.
Easts replacing News Ltds ownership in the Broncos would be a good move for the sport too.
2 cents - In the foreseeable future there’s no chance Easts replace News Ltd in Broncos ownership. That doesn’t mean a corporation won’t/couldn’t replace News Ltd but it won’t be Easts.
Before anyone tries to bring up the Leagues Club scenario. Easts Leagues
were brought in a few years ago to help Broncos Leagues steady the ship and assist in reorganising their back of house. Essentially, Easts Leagues acted as consultants to Broncos Leagues in this manner. Nothing more.
As for Easts/Ipswich - it has been mentioned a few times that it doesn’t make much sense although there was a rushed attempt in mid-2021 via Jets, Easts and Bombers Consortium unifying bids in a late attempt to hop over Dolphins bid. Ultimately it failed.
Souths/Easts/Wynnum makes much more sense from the point that Easts are already heavily involved in Souths Logan territory via school rugby league programs and having established junior or affiliated clubs within Logan catchment. Seagulls also have a couple junior clubs in the same catchment.
However there’s no correlation between Ipswich and Easts that exists. The catchments couldn’t be more different from either commercial, footy and social perspectives. Not to say it
couldn’t or
wouldn’t work but there would need to be a considerable amount of leg work done to establish clear foundations where Ipswich Jets wouldn’t be lost to the “commercially” superior Easts Tigers.
Ipswich has a decent size nursery and the regional area is growing rapidly. Jets own their fields and have their own facilities albeit subpar. There’s things to work with and build up from but they desperately require proper resources ie money, to bring the best out of them. Easts
could provide it but I’m not sold that they would 100% commit to relocate their potential fulltime NRL base of operations and set up academy’s out west in Ipswich. But who knows, I could be way off in my opinion.