No reason Sydney has 428 teams across the suburbs, but Brisbane has to stfu and be happy with 2 teams.
Perth and Adelaide sbould be relocated Sydney suburban teams.
Sydney doesn't need Canterbury (Adelaide) or Cronulla (Perth). That's for starters. Would force Dragons to Wollongong full time, Tigers to Campbelltown full time. Maybe even Sea Eagles to Gosford full time... Otherwise Bears there.
Sydney only needs... Roosters, Rabbits, representing the CBD as such, and Parramatta and Penrith (western growth), and you have Campbelltown/Liverpool serviced now (Tigers). Main Sydney regions of growth. Would still be Cronulla, Canterbury, etc in NSWRL to hold onto juniors.
Put it this way.... The NFL has max two teams in massive cities like LA and NY only, and eventually maybe a Cbicago 2. Theres a large number of other teams in cities with like say 500k-1m population centers.
If the NFL can plonk teams in such places, and not have 43 NY teams, then surely the NRL can be bullish with all these excess Sydney teams.
My ideal for QLD is Broncos, Ipswich, GC, Moreton Bay, Sunshine Coast, eventually Rockhampton, Townsville, maybe Cairns. To kind of match a NSW look of Wollongong, Campbelltown, Parramatta, Penrith, Sydney x2, Gosford, Newcastle. Maybe Tweed Heads.
All the main eastern regions even if the population in some of those places is 500k. Again, spreading the net around. And like the NFL, which has a revenue sharing process so all the smaller cities can stay competitive and rich, NRL could do something similar.
Just takes some brass balls, and incentives/threats on teams hanging on a thread. No need to kill their history, can keep a history in NSWRL.