https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/nr...-digs-in-over-relocation-20190325-p517bi.html
Politis - anti-forced relocation, pro-expansion. Smart man Politis.
Note the key point : The NRL can't move clubs,
as long as the clubs can balance their books.
The correct answer for now is to go to 18 teams, and continue raising the standards expected of professional NRL clubs. The weak will naturally fall off if they deserve to, and the NRL should not save them.
Any of the 9 clubs regions in Sydney could be taken over by their neighbours in a generation, if they were to fall. The Bears situation is a failure of the NRL and Manly, and to a lesser extent Easts and Wests/Balmain to effectively take over this area, rather than an inevitable consequence of cutting a club.