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Southern Orcas chairman Sir Graham Lowe has insisted the South Island-based club is ready to get off the ground if they can successfully land an NRL<\/a> license.<\/p>\n Momentum is building for another New Zealand<\/a> NRL<\/a> side following the recent overwhelming support the New Zealand Warriors<\/a> have received in the past three years.<\/p>\n The Auckland-based club is selling out every home game, taking matches across the country to Wellington for Anzac Day, all while being in a rugby union-dominated landscape.<\/p>\n With ambitious expansion projects to Perth and Papua New Guinea<\/a>, Lowe feels it’s only right for the NRL<\/a> to look towards the New Zealand<\/a> market to capitalise on the hype following the Warriors around the country and mark Christchurch as the next NRL<\/a> location.<\/p>\n With the ongoing broadcast rights deals being finalised, one reported bidder is keen to have a 20th team in the NRL<\/a> as early as 2029, to create a 10th fixture, generating more revenue for both the NRL<\/a> and the TV rights holder.\u00a0<\/p>\n Speculation is mounting the two biggest bids for the latest NRL<\/a> side are down to a second team in New Zealand<\/a>, with the Orcas leading the race, and Brisbane’s western corridor amid fears the rival AFL<\/a> code is plotting to secure the vacant area.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt won’t be easy by any stretch of the imagination, and we are realistic,\u201d Orcas boss Lowe explained on SEN’s Front Office with Vossy.<\/p>\n \u201cBut there’s a lot of players available, and you’ll be surprised where we get them from.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are ready to go. The really important thing though, is to get the tick (from the NRL<\/a>) so we can get the coach in place. That’s got to be a key factor in the whole lot.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I mean, chances like this come along less than once in a blue moon.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, we are ready, we have to be ready, and we won’t be coming along with any excuses at all.\u201d<\/p>\n Following the successful introduction of the Dolphins<\/a> franchise in 2023, located in Redcliffe, in Brisbane’s outer suburbs, the blueprint has been set on how to configure an NRL<\/a> organisation in claimed rugby league territories.<\/p>\n Despite Lowe’s eagerness, the Orcas club has had no recent conversations with NRL<\/a> head honchos and admits there are concerns around their infrastructure and ability to withstand the weight of an NRL<\/a> side.<\/p>\n Warriors chief executive Cameron George, as per NewsCorp reports, said the NRL<\/a> should hold off on introducing a second New Zealand<\/a> team.<\/p>\n \u201cI would absolutely share in the expansion of the NRL<\/a> and consider the South Island as a preferred option \u2013 in time,\u201d George said to the Daily Telegraph.<\/p>\n \u201cBut we need to build the game from within and we need further investment in the domestic competitions to underpin a second team in three to five years’ time. That to me would make it sustainable.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need structures in place to support not only two teams in New Zealand<\/a> but also the 18 other teams in the competition.<\/p>\n \u201cAs it stands now, a lot of players leave this country to go and play in genuine elite competitions in the NSWRL and Queensland Cup on their pathway through to the NRL<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe should replicate those competitions here in New Zealand<\/a> and that would require more investment and time to get those competitions up to that level.\u201d<\/p>\n Lowe recognised the current flaw surfaced by George, but remains confident the pathway issue will be resolved in time before the bidding war commences.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, there’s not a professional structure there at the moment, to be honest,\u201d Lowe explained.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I mean, we’ve got people in mind, and Cameron (George) is absolutely right.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have to have the right structure. You’ve got to have the right base to start.<\/p>\n \u201cThat’s why we’ve just been trying to sound as calm as we can.<\/p>\n \u201cWe’ve got a list of names for the various things, but we will have that locked up. Have no worries about that because that’s absolutely critical.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s just as important as what’s going on in the field.\u201d<\/p>\n One solution to solving doubt from the head honchos at the NRL<\/a> would be to secure an elite coach to kick-start their introduction.\u00a0<\/p>\n With Ivan Cleary<\/a> stepping down from coaching duties for the 2028 season at the Penrith Panthers<\/a>, the Orcas could consider throwing the book at him to secure a role at the club, given his strong relationship with the country as a Warriors player.<\/p>\n The Perth Bears<\/a> will join the NRL<\/a> competition in 2027. Meanwhile, the PNG Chiefs<\/a> will have an extra year before their introduction in 2028.<\/p>\n
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