Former Warriors coach Tony Kemp has revealed he wants the potential 18th license in the NRL to be handed to another New Zealand team.
Speaking on SEN’s NRL Crunch Time, Kemp explained his reasoning behind his recommendation of New Zealand as the destination for a new club.
“I’ve always advocated that a second team in New Zealand should be here,” Kemp said.
“It would strengthen the media rights, playing a game on Saturday then on Sunday in New Zealand.
“That would really grow the viewership.”
On top of the increased interest, Kemp is adamant the talent is there for the proposed side to be a competitive and successful addition to the competition.
“If you look at the Super 12 competition, you’ve got the Crusaders, the Chiefs, the Hurricanes, the Blues and the Highlanders spread out through New Zealand, it shows that you can sustain five teams in New Zealand,” he explained.
“Part of me says, ‘it should be based in Auckland’… but the other part of me says, ‘why wouldn’t you put it in Canterbury or Christchurch’… they’ve got the Crusaders' high-performance model.
“The Crusaders have had four coaches; all of those coaches have gone on to coach the All-Blacks. In the same time, the Warriors have had 13 coaches, they’ve been to two grand finals, but they’ve never built any DNA at that club.”
Kemp says it is the NRL’s responsibility to have this team in the untapped heartland of Rugby that is New Zealand.
“The day that I would like to see is when the NRL come over here and take the game over,” he said.
“They need to be courageous and put backing behind it, and really get in and support New Zealand.
“It’s the right time for that to happen and hopefully they (the NRL) see that.”
The Redcliffe Dolphins will join the NRL as the 17th team in season 2023, leaving many anticipating the announcement of an 18th to scrap weekly byes.