THE man who helped build the Gold Coast Suns has launched an audacious bid to turn Queensland's famed Brothers Leprechauns into an NRL club.
Meet Justin Barlow, a veteran administrator intent on delivering what he described as a "world sporting first" to Brisbane
Barlow is adamant the reach of the Confraternity of Brothers can compete against the might of the Broncos.
A Brothers NRL club would be based at the Grange in the old offices of the defunct Crushers club.
Brothers were a force in Queensland rugby league for decades, winning their last Brisbane premiership in 1987.
They struck financial trouble in the late 1990s and after a failed merger with Valleys, were kicked out of the competition at the end of 2004.
Barlow has already met with former NRL executive Colin Love, seeking advice on preparing his bid.
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He is halfway through a feasibility study which he is adamant will prove the club would be a success in the NRL.
The franchise would have a large reach through the Brothers network and deliver a pathway from under-7s to an NRL team.
Player and administration vacancies would be primarily filled through former Brothers juniors, a list that includes Cameron Smith, Johnathan Thurston and Corey Parker.
"Our fan base will be rugby league fans who yearn for more traditional elements of the game to be reintroduced," Barlow told The Courier-Mail.
"The pre-Broncos fans, we want to engage those people.
"We are doing this for regional rugby league fans and Brisbane Rugby League fans.
"Our understanding is there is no club worldwide that has their under-7s through to elite level under one banner."
Brisbane Brothers play in sub-districts competition and are based at Gibson Park in Stafford.
Cities with Brothers clubs and juniors teams include Cairns, Mackay, Ipswich, Townsville and Gladstone.
"Brothers clubs are in 14 cities, three states and 40 affiliate clubs," Barlow said.
"We have an inbuilt fan base of 200,000 through Brothers clubs."
NRL chief executive David Smith is committed to expanding the code and recently named southeast Queensland as an area crying out for another team.
In 18 months, the ARL Commission will narrow the field of expansion contenders and then later grant two licences for a 2018 entry.
The Brothers' proposal will be competing in southeast Queensland against the Western Corridor and Brisbane Bombers bids for entry to the NRL. Perth is a certainty to be granted a licence.
A Brothers team would be based at Suncorp Stadium, but also play games in regional markets where there is a strong Brothers influence.
Barlow worked for the Suns from 2010 until late last year.
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