ARLC chairman Peter V’Landys says the league will consider an 18th team after observing the Redcliffe Dolphins in action next season.
The Dolphins are putting together an impressive roster in their preparations to join the NRL in 2023 and become the league's 17th club.
However, their inclusion will mean a bye for one team per round, prompting discussions of an 18th team to even out the league.
When asked about the importance of maintaining an even amount of teams, V’Landys admitted it was a concern.
But he’s keen to allow the Dolphins some breathing space when they join the league next year with Wayne Bennett at the helm.
“Look probably (it is important that we have an even number),” he told SEN 1170 Breakfast.
“But we just want to see how we go with the Dolphins and to see that there is a sufficient player pool there.
“I think there is, and then we look at possibly going to the 18th team.
“We have to expand, we have to always look towards the future, you can’t just stand still, you need to be proactive and you need to continue the popularity of the game, and if we can make the game national we’ll do so.
“There’s a possibility of Perth or even New Zealand, there’s a lot of possibilities.
“But let’s just see how we go with the Dolphins first, then we can make a decision on an 18th team.”
The addition of the Dolphins will extend the regular season out to 26 rounds, meaning the NRL will screen an extra three games from 2023 onwards.
V’Landys suggested that deal made it financially viable to bring in the new team, and would hope an 18th club would be able to provide the league with similar compensation.
“It has to stack up with a business case, what the Dolphins did is it stacked up,” he continued.
“We don’t have to pay tens of millions having that 17th team, in actual fact we generated substantial new revenue from broadcast to have that 17th team.
“So it pays for itself without harming any of the other clubs, so if we go for the 18th team, it has to be important that it actually brings benefits.
“We’re not going to do it just for the sake of doing it, it has to have a business case and it has to have substantial outcomes for the game.”
V’Landys was akso asked about his future as ARLC chairman, but he insisted he still has plenty of work left to do, suggesting a drop in participation levels was something he hoped to correct in the near future.
Listen to the full interview with Peter V'Landys below