There seriously needs to be a thorough review of open age sub-NRL competitions. The current feeder system is way too ad hoc and inefficient. This has arisen because we have the elite competition, the NRL as a separate organisation to the organisations running the rest of RL below the elite level.
The standard of the Queensland Cup, NSW Cup and Jim Beam Cup is good, and could have a much higher profile. Most obviously though, we need a single NSW state league.
I think they need to make it so that an NRL licence is contingent upon having a feeder team in the state competition in the state you are in. We should also have standalone teams in the larger regional centres that are too small to support the costs of an NRL club, but still could support a boutique RL team.
I also think the teams should be standalone brands with no branding links to the NRL teams so that any person can support them, not just fans of that club. Brands that used to exist in the old NSWRL could be kept alive in the NSWRL state league.
I'd like to see the Steelers running around again. We could have the Newtown Jets, the North Sydney Bears, the Illawarra Steelers (and even the Hunter Mariners!) up against teams from Coffs Harbour, Queanbeyan, Armidale, Wagga, or Dubbo.
How about a NSWRL and a Queensland Cup, each having their grand final the week before the NRL grand final, and then the winners of each playing in a Superbowl style final as a curtainraiser to the NRL grand final.
This might sound pretty pie in the sky, but I think it's achievable. Cost is obviously an issue, but currently NSW clubs are shuttling players back and forth to Queenland every week which must be very expensive, not to mention unsettling on players and their families. It's easy to see players getting to the age of 21 and giving the game away if they can't crack the NRL straight away. The NRL definitely needs to be involved here to fix up the development pathways into the NRL, not just for under 20s, but to recognise that we need a high standard of open age feeder competitions in NSW.
A stronger NSWRL also means more coming in on the revenue side, particularly if the higher standard and wider interest means ABC coverage.
An Auckland team and a Perth team in the NSWRL, and long term reintroducing a PNG team and introducing an NT team into the Queensland Cup would be great for the sport.