20 teams for me no need to start from scratch either, just hone in on where your games are in regards to venues, all these team lists are great but they forget the country areas of NSW and QLD, where support is high, but lacks games in scheduling and promotion
For me it would go 4 conferences of 5 teams each, into 24 rounds where you verse everyone once, then twice vs whoevers in your conference. (this builds up more rivalries within closer areas)
also a heritage round (a round vs inception clubs, ie cronulla vs penrith, parra vs manly, nth qld vs auckland etc)
Most clubs would fit this criteria and its another good way to honor expansion, by stating " in the 1947 manly and parra entered"
Or "1995 saw these 2 teams enter, cowboys v warriors" and also wear their old jumpers, a proper heritage round every year during a long weekend (maybe easter) will get some proper nostalgia in the game, it has been really half-assed in recent years and there needs more attention back to it, plus jersey sales are a plus for old school kit
Northern conference=
North Qld Cowboys.
Sunshine Coast Dolphins. (falcons+redcliffe)
Brisbane Broncos.
South Qld Titans (travels South Qld)
Newcastle Knights.
Eastern Conference=
Auckland Warriors.
Central Coast Bears.
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles.
Eastern Sydney Roosters.
Cronulla Sutherland Sharks.
Southern Conference=
South Sydney Rabbitohs.
St.George Illawarra Dragons.
Canberra Raiders.
Melbourne Storm.
Adelaide Rams?
Western Conference=
Perth Western Reds?
Great Western Panthers (travels West NSW)
Parramatta Eels
Western Sydney Tigers
Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs
Venues & some Name change for the teams=
SOUTH QUEENSLAND Titans=
remain in Gold Coast, for only 8 games, the remaining 4 home games & 2 pre-season trials are in Toowoomba, Ipswich, and Logan.
GREATER WESTERN Panthers=
remain in Penrith, for only 8 games, the remaining 4 home games & 2 pre-season trials are in Bathurst, Orange & Dubbo
ST.GEORGE ILLAWARRA Dragons=
Also have 8 games in Wollongong, remaining 4 home and 2 pre-season trial games at kogarah
CENTRAL COAST Bears=
have 10 home games in Gosford, remaining 2 home & 2 trials at NSO
SOUTH SYDNEY Rabbitohs=
10 games at ANZ, 2 home+2 trials at Redfern
CRONULLA SUTHERLAND Sharks=
11 games at cronulla, 1 home and 2 trials at Henson Park
CANTERBURY BANKSTOWN Bulldogs=
8 games at ANZ, 4 home and 2 trials at Belmore Oval
WESTERN SYDNEY Tigers=
8 games at WSS, 4 home and 2 trials at
Campbelltown & Balmain
CANBERRA Raiders=
11 games at canberra, 1 home at Seiffert Oval and 2 trials in Goulburn & Wagga Wagga
MELBOURNE Storm=
10 games in Melbourne, 2 home & 2 trials at Hobart, Geelong & Albury
AUCKLAND Warriors
10 games in Auckland, 2 home & 2 trials in Wellington, Christchurch, Nelson & Hamilton
NORTH QUEENSLAND Cowboys
10 games in Townsville, 2 home & 2 trials in Cairns, Rockhampton & Mackay
PARRAMATTA Eels=
10 games in WSS, 2 home & 2 trials in
Mudgee & Darwin
MANLY WARRINGAH Sea Eagles
8 games in Brookvale, 4 home & 2 trials in Coffs Harbour, Byron Bay & Lismore
NEWCASTLE Knights
10 games in Newcastle, 2 home & 2 trials in Port Macquarie & Tamworth
SUNSHINE COAST Dolphins
6 games on sunshine coast, 6 home & 2 trials in Redcliffe and Suncorp
BRISBANE Broncos=
11 at Suncorp, 1 home and 2 trials in PNG
EASTERN SYDNEY Roosters=
11 at Allianz , 1 home and 2 trials in FIJI
Perth, Adelaide not sure on their number of locations, but 12 at their home ground would be smart for a few years then they can travel a home and trials to new areas that want a game.
Pre Season Trials will also feature teams from local area and lower grades reserves vs the team featuring there, not all teams need to verse each other to make sure they have 2 trial games
Done without culling or starting fresh
They can do this starting in the next tv deal, also add in 4 more teams in future to total 24 as the conferences split them up to north, south, east and west divisions, and as a fan you'd only need follow your local conference ladder, but can watch every team vs each other, and twice a year within your conference
Add in PNG, FIJI, NZ2 and/or maybe NT & TAS in 10-20 years time and move newcastle to the east conf. and cronulla to the south conf. and adelaide to the west conf. to accommodate the new teams, im sure there is more ideas to shuffle the ladder around.
I wouldn't add more Qld teams after this unless a few sydney teams fall over..
They'll probaby have to change the name of NRL to SPRL (south pacific rugby league) hehe