NRL 'will consider' adding 18th team

The summation of the Dolphins arsenic the 17th squad volition astir surely spark much enlargement talks, with the NRL said to beryllium unfastened to the imaginable of adding further franchises to its contention successful the future.

The Redcliffe-based Dolphins pipped the Jets and Firehawks for the 17th licence, with the Dolphins becoming the archetypal squad added to the league since the Gold Coast Titans were introduced successful 2007.

It is improbable determination volition beryllium further additions earlier the adjacent broadcast woody expires astatine the extremity of 2028 but the NRL is said to beryllium keen connected adding an 18th squad successful the coming years.

NRL main enforcement Andrew Abdo said rugby league was connected way for maturation aft a play of consolidation owed to the interaction of COVID-19.

The Dolphins basal successful Redcliffe. (Nine)

"A determination from 16 to 17 is simply a large move," Abdo said. "We privation a squad that tin vie from time 1 and we privation to marque definite the squad is financially viable. We privation this to beryllium incredibly successful.

"Equally we volition person information to yet moving from 17 to 18. I don't cognize what that timeline looks like. That volition beryllium a origin of the occurrence of the 17th squad and a origin of which marketplace is right, and whether the economics stack up.

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"But 17 is simply a earthy stepping chromatic to 18. At 18 we person different fixture and that provides different accidental for our fans, different 80 minutes of footy, different lucifer successful the round, different accidental to turn fans successful different market."

The caller franchise satisfied respective fiscal requirements, including being capable to nutrient a slope warrant of $50 cardinal implicit the people of the adjacent 5 years to beryllium the squad volition beryllium sustainable moving forward.

The Dolphins person agreed to presumption for Wayne Bennett to go their inaugural manager and volition present go large players successful the transportation marketplace arsenic a respective escaped agents hole to trial their worth from November 1.

The Dolphins catchment country runs from bluish Brisbane, done Moreton Bay and linking to the Sunshine Coast – and has much than 10,000 registered inferior players.

The expanded 17-team contention volition spot the NRL Telstra Premiership go a 26-round contention with each squad continuing to play 24 games.

All teams volition person 2 byes during the play with the full fig of regular play games expanding from 192 to 204.

Backstories and controversies down each the Clive Churchill Medal winners of the NRL era

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