"Day's notice": Jets prepared for NRL bid after $200m boost

Ipswich Jets chairman Steve Johnson has reinforced the group’s preparedness to become the NRL's 20th side should the opportunity come, having secured a significant amount of financial support.

Following the record-breaking TV rights deal signed in July, which sees the NRL set to earn $5.3 billion over seven years from 2028, the competition was quick to confirm its interest in introducing a 20th side, thus creating a 10th game on the weekly fixture.

Out of the potential interested parties, it appears to be a two-horse race between introducing a fifth side into Queensland or expanding internationally with a second team in New Zealand (most likely on the South Island).

Between the two, the South Island option appears to be the favourite.

But in recent days, the Jets bid has received a major boost with reports that the club has secured $200 million from seven investors should they get the nod, blowing past the $100 million requirement set out by the NRL’s now executive chairman Peter V’Landys.

With those reports, Johnson believes this announcement solidified the seriousness of their bid.

“Well, it just shows to the NRL that our bid is real,” Johnson said on SENQ Breakfast.

“It's sustainable, and it's not just words in a paper.

“And Mo (Moses Mbye), you're working in Ipswich yourself; you know the game in Ipswich now.

“I mean, you came back from England to fill that role because you saw a future, and the future is there (in Ipswich).

“All we need is a licence to make it real.”

This is not the first time that an Ipswich/Western Corridor bid has tried to make the jump into the NRL, having previously missed out when the Dolphins were awarded the 17th NRL licence in 2021.

But with previous experience, Johnson notes it provides the Jets an advantage, making them ready for whatever deadlines are proposed.

“He's (Peter V’Landys) very busy at the moment with the other two clubs (Perth and PNG) and the World Cup and his new role,” he explained.

“But if he wants to have us put something forward before Christmas, we're in a position to do so.

“I mean, we've had our bid written for 10 years. So, it's simply the proposal of how we say we will become the 20th team.

“That's what Peter's looking for, and we can trot that out on a day's notice.”

The ARLC is reportedly set to decide on the location of the 20th side by the end of this year.