Ipswich team takes its case for NRL admission to Nine Network
Brent Read
From: The Australian
August 12, 2011 12:00AM
THE Ipswich-based consortium bidding to join an expanded NRL competition will meet Nine Network chief executive David Gyngell next week as it looks to strengthen its claims for future entry to the premiership.
Gyngell has openly spoken of his preference for a third south-east Queensland team to be included in the competition if and when the independent commission decides to expand the game, most likely in 2015.
With that in mind, consortium members are keen to present their credentials to Gyngell next week. While the final decision on expansion will be made by the commission, the addition of teams will hinge to a significant extent on the desire of broadcasters.
The south-west corridor consortium, which is based in Ipswich -- about 40 minutes west of Brisbane -- believes recent broadcasting figures from the AFL, published earlier this week by The Australian, highlight the case for expansion.
Those figures suggested AFL attendance and viewing figures had risen significantly in south-east Queensland as a result of the Gold Coast Suns entering the AFL.
South-west corridor consortium head Steve Johnson believes another NRL side in south-east Queensland would have a similar impact on viewing figures for rugby league.
"We just thought we would go and air our case directly to Channel Nine about south-east Queensland and our corridor, just to create an awareness at that level that we do exist and that we're not Brisbane," Johnson said.
"Anything that a second Brisbane team can offer, we can match that and offer a lot, lot more."
The south-west corridor bid has taken a softly, softly approach in comparison to the other south-east Queensland consortium bidding to enter the NRL, the Brisbane Bombers.
The Bombers have made a host of public announcements.
The other regions vying for entry are Perth, Papua New Guinea, central Queensland, Central Coast and Wellington. Along with a second team in south-east Queensland, Perth is considered the front-runner because its time zone makes it ideal for television.
Johnson believes the game needs to seriously consider the south-west corridor -- which covers more than 1 million people in a triangular zone between Brisbane, Logan and Toowoomba -- or risk losing it to the AFL.
"The increase in viewers is disturbing for rugby league because it is a real increase in those involved in the AFL," Johnson said.
"It's also indicative of what another NRL side can do for viewing audiences."
As for the AFL, Johnson said: "Everything the AFL does is very planned and very considered. We have a chance to shore up the corridor.
"If not, there are 9500 juniors who are not directly aligned with an NRL club. That will be a happy hunting ground for the AFL."
Rugby league's new commission will take over running the game on November 1.
Their first order of business is likely to be the broadcasting rights, which will in turn mean reaching a decision on the timing of expansion.
