I heard that under the current bidding process the current bids will be a strict NDA's .. which makes sense. Any bids not adhering would likely forfeit their chances at the least without going into the legal ramifications..
So I'd assume that's why we're getting nothing and continue to get nothing until a decision is all but a done deal- August/September.
I thought the time frame was (anyone feel free to correct me if wrong!):
* Bids have until Wednesday 31 July to lodge their bid
* NRL takes August/September to decide on teams 18-20, maybe asking for any further info from bids/talk over finer details if needed.
* NRL makes announcement of a decision *sometime* before the Grand Final (ie before Sunday 6 October)
Now, if the goal is to get a decision out there before the GF, I imagine mid-September would be the goal, so it's well enough away from GF week?
Chances are we won't have much of an update from the NRL in early August after the bids are filed - so in the event of any previously unheralded bid (eg the mystery 3rd NZ bid syndicate thats been mentioned, supposedly backed by millionaires) there's a chance they could fly under the radar.