The National Rugby League is the top level rugby league competition in Australia and New Zealand. It was formed in 1998 after the merger of the Australian Super League and the Australian Rugby League. Inaugurally containing 20 teams, rationalisation reduced this number to 14 by 2000.

The competition expanded back to 16 teams in 2007 and 17 teams in 2023, and will expand to 18 teams in 2027 and 19 teams in 2028.

History

NRL Club Location/Locations Years in NRL Status
Melbourne Storm Melbourne 1997-present Active
St. George Illawarra Dragons St. George and Wollongong 1999-present Active
Northern Eagles Central Coast, Northern Beaches and North Sydney 2000-2002 Defunct
Wests Tigers Inner West Sydney and South Western Sydney 2000-present Active
Gold Coast Titans Gold Coast 2007-present Active
Dolphins Brisbane and Redcliffe 2023-present Active
Perth Bears Perth 2027-present Pending
Papua New Guinea Chiefs Port Moresby 2028-present Pending

Rationalisation (1998-2000)

The Australian Super League and the ARL had 22 teams combined in 1997. When the NRL was formed in 1998, it was decided that there would only be 20 teams.

The Melbourne Storm were an expansion team that year, with the NRL shutting down the Perth Reds, the South Queensland Crushers, and the Hunter Mariners. In 1999, the Adelaide Rams were shut down and the Gold Coast Chargers were removed from the competition, and the South Sydney Rabbitohs were removed from the competition in 2000.

The NRL also had three mergers of established clubs from Sydney and regional New South Wales between 1999 and 2000 – the St. George Dragons and Illawarra Steelers formed the St. George Illawarra Dragons, the Western Suburbs Magpies and Balmain Tigers formed the Wests Tigers, and the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles and North Sydney Bears formed the Northern Eagles.

However, the Northern Eagles merger dissolved in 2002, and the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles returned to the competition the following year: the Bears will return to the competition in 2027 as the Perth Bears.

Return of South Sydney Rabbitohs (2002)

The South Sydney Rabbitohs were re-admitted to the competition for the 2002 NRL season after a legal battle with the NRL over their removal in 2000, with the help of New Zealand-born Australian actor and Rabbitohs supporter Russell Crowe.

Gold Coast Titans (2007)

The Gold Coast Titans were admitted to the NRL for the 2007 season, beating out bids from the Central Coast Bears and Wellington Orcas.

The Dolphins (2023)

On 13 October 2021, Queensland Cup side the Redcliffe Dolphins were granted a license to field a team in the NRL from the 2023 season to become the NRL's 17th franchise.[1]

They beat out bids from other Queensland rivals, the Brisbane Jets and Brisbane Firehawks, in securing the return of a second Brisbane team to the top-flight of rugby league after 26 years.

Perth Bears (2027)

On 8 May 2025, the ARL Commission formally agreed to the Western Australian Government's revised offer for an NRL franchise to be based in Perth, securing the return of the Bears to the NRL after 28 years and the return of a Western Australian team to the top-flight of rugby league after 30 years. It beat out a previous bid from the consortium known as Western Bears.[2]

Papua New Guinea Chiefs (2028)

On 12 December 2024, a team from Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea was confirmed to enter the NRL in 2028, with the assistance of $600 million in Australian government funding.[3] In 2025, it was announced the franchises name would be known as the 'PNG Chiefs'.[4]

Future expansion

The NRL has repeatedly expressed its intention to further expand the competition.

On 28 April 2021, it was reported that the NRL was considering an eventual 18-team competition divided into two conferences. The format that was suggested by NRL officials would see the nine Sydney-based clubs compete in one conference and the remaining nine teams in the other, with each team playing each other once and then a second time against the other teams in their respective conference. The intended effect is to strengthen the rivalries between the Sydney-based clubs by guaranteeing they all play each other twice, but it would come with the downside of forcing non-Sydney teams to travel a lot more than Sydney teams.[5]

On 12 March 2023, News Corp reported a 20-team competition, potentially to reach this number before the beginning of the 2032 Summer Olympics in Brisbane, was being considered by the ARL Commission.[6]

In July 2024, led by Andrew Abdo and the Australian Rugby League Commission’s chairman, Peter V'landys, it was confirmed that the plan would be to add three teams to the NRL by 2030, of which two could be based offshore.[7]

However, on 26 April 2025 - following the inclusion of the Perth-based Bears and its approval by the clubs - the NRL postponed the addition of a 20th team until after the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.[8]

Proposed bids and markets

Adelaide

Adelaide has not been represented in the NRL since the Adelaide Rams were shut down in 1998. With the Perth Bears entering the NRL in 2027, Adelaide becomes the largest city in Australia without a team.

Brisbane

A third Brisbane-based club could follow the Dolphins' entry into the NRL.

Brisbane Tigers

The Brisbane Tigers bid for inclusion in the NRL in 2020 under the name "Brisbane Firehawks" - a bid which was defeated by the Dolphins. Following suggestions from the NRL that a fifth Queensland-based team could join the league,[9] the Tigers announced they would again bid for the NRL in May 2023. The bid would be boosted by redevelopments to the club's home ground and intentions to target the south-west corridor between Ipswich and Logan.[10] Should the club be accepted, it would be represented in the NRL under a name other than "Tigers", due to the Wests Tigers already competing in the league.

Ipswich Jets

In August 2024, it was confirmed that two of rugby league's most famous teams, Ipswich and Newtown, had joined forces in a $20 million bid to form a historic partnership in the hope of being part of the NRL's expanded competition. Queensland could have a fifth franchise in the NRL, with the two famous clubs - both known as the Jets - combining to lodge a formal submission with a view to being part of a 20-team league.[11] The team name will simply be the Jets.

Newtown and Ipswich share the same moniker, which they will keep in the name, mirroring that of the Dolphins' decision to not have a region attached to it, and would be joint owners of the NRL franchise. The team would be permanently based in Ipswich. They would train at Ipswich and aim to play at least six home games at Suncorp Stadium.

They would wear Ipswich’s traditional green jersey whenever they play in Queensland, but outside of Queensland, they would have a Newtown Jets-inspired blue kit. There is also the potential to play one home game at either Henson Park or Leichhardt Oval.[11]

In April 2026, talks resumed again, with the Ipswich Jets tabling a monster $60 million expansion bid to win the NRL’s 20th licence as the ARL Commission ramps up plans for a fifth Queensland franchise.[12]

Fiji

In March 2024, the Cabinet of Fiji approved an endorsement of Rugby League Bid (Fiji) Limited's goal of securing an NRL licence. The Cabinet also approved a tax rebate of 200% for sponsors of the bidding consortium.[13] Fiji currently have a team in the New South Wales Jersey Flegg Cup, the Kaiviti Silktails.

New Zealand

In March 2021, NRL CEO Andrew Abdo suggested an 18th team could be based in New Zealand to create a rivalry with the New Zealand Warriors.[14]

Southern Orcas

Following the allusion to a potential second New Zealand-based team, a resurrected Wellington Orcas bid was announced by former New Zealand Rugby League chair Andrew Chalmers. The proposed team, potentially under the name ‘Southern Orcas’, would play most home games at Sky Stadium and also take games to Christchurch and Dunedin.[15]

South Island NRL bid

A South Island NRL bid based in Christchurch is headed by former Canterbury Rugby League chairman Tony Kidd, with the intention of playing a majority of home games at the under-construction Te Kaha stadium, with additional games at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin. The bid is yet to confirm a name for its proposed team.[16]

South Island Kea

Another bid intended to represent the South Island was announced on 14 March 2024, headed by former Rugby New Zealand and NRL chief executive David Moffett, with the name for the proposed team revealed to be the South Island Kea. This team would also make use of the Te Kaha stadium.[17]

Past bids

Other consortia and clubs have expressed interest in launching an NRL team in past years. These bids are considered defunct.

Brisbane Bombers/Jets

The Brisbane Jets bid was one of three considered by the NRL in 2021. An amalgamation of two other Brisbane-based bids,[18] the Jets sought to tap into the south-west of Brisbane, including with a 20,500-seat stadium in Ipswich.[19]

Brothers Leprechauns

In April 2013, a bid was made to bring Brothers Leprechauns into the NRL, uniting and representing a large base revolving around over 40 Brothers clubs across three states. Bid founder Justin Barlow proposed to base a Brothers NRL team at Corbett Park in Brisbane’s northern suburbs and primarily play out of Suncorp Stadium. The team was also proposed to take a handful of home games each year to regional centres, and would be the pathway for junior rugby league players who come up through a club in the Brothers Confraternity.[20]

The Brothers Confraternity made no expression of interest when the NRL declared its interest in introducing another Brisbane-based side in 2020.

The Central Coast Logo

Central Coast Bears

The Central Coast Bears were a proposed team based on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia. They were trying to be included in an expanded National Rugby League competition since 2006.[21] The proposed team would have played 11 games in Gosford and one game against Manly at North Sydney Oval, in the annual Heritage Round.

Central Queensland

In April 2009, a consortium from the Central Queensland region declared their intent to launch a bid for an NRL team to be based in Rockhampton. The bid aimed to be a new club by 2013.[22][23]

South Pacific Cyclones

Following the failed Wellington Orcas bid, the Wellington Rugby League began working on a proposal and business plan for a second New Zealand based team in 2008. They proposed a club that would be based in Wellington and divide their games between the New Zealand capital and other locations in New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.[24]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Peter Vlandys to confirm expansion with 17th team redcliffe dolphins favourites". dailytelegraph.com.au. The Daily Telegraph.
  2. ↑ "NRL agrees 50m deal with western australian government to seal the return of the bears". www.dailytelegraph.com.au. The Daily Telegraph.
  3. ↑ Walter, Brad (12 December 2024). "United in the stands: PNG NRL team to transform region". www.nrl.com. NRL. Archived from the original on 15 November 2025. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  4. ↑ "Name for NRL's Papua New Guinea team officially revealed — along with the runner-up". www.foxsports.com.au. Fox Sports. 12 October 2025. Archived from the original on 20 January 2026. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  5. ↑ "NRL floats idea of conference system in potentially huge shake up for rugby league". www.theguardian.com. The Guardian. 28 April 2021. Archived from the original on 28 April 2021. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  6. ↑ "NRL in talks for 20-team competition in $400m masterplan". www.foxsports.com.au. Fox Sports. 12 March 2023. Archived from the original on 15 December 2025. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  7. ↑ Samios, Zoe (7 July 2024). "Can the NRL pull off its biggest ever expansion?". www.afr.com. Australian Financial Review. Archived from the original on 7 September 2025. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  8. ↑ "NRL postpones 20 team expansion until after 2032 Brisbane Olympics". www.dailytelegraph.com.au. The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  9. ↑ "'Two new QLD clubs': Reason 18-team NRL competition is gathering momentum". www.foxsports.com.au. Fox Sports. 10 October 2021. Archived from the original on 24 January 2026. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  10. ↑ "Brisbane Tigers announce bid for 18th NRL team licence". www.theguardian.com. The Guardian. 17 May 2023. Archived from the original on 21 January 2025. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  11. 1 2 "newtown and ipswich form historic partnership to revive the jets moniker in the nrl". www.dailytelegraph.com.au. The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  12. ↑ "Peter Vlandys reveals nrl is exploring expansion options for third brisbane nrl team". www.dailytelegraph.com.au. The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  13. ↑ "Fiji Cabinet approves bid for NRL license". pina.com.fj. Pina. 21 March 2024. Archived from the original on 9 December 2025. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  14. ↑ "NRL chief backs second team in New Zealand to create rivalry with Warriors". www.stuff.co.nz. Stuff New Zealand. 2 March 2021. Archived from the original on 3 March 2021. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  15. ↑ Walter, Brad (17 May 2021). "Grand plans: Inside the $30m bid for a second New Zealand team". www.nrl.com. NRL. Archived from the original on 19 May 2026. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  16. ↑ Smith, Tony (17 February 2024). "South Island rugby league consortium behind NRL team bid". www.stuff.co.nz. New Zealand: Stuff NZ. Archived from the original on 21 February 2024. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  17. ↑ Burns, Adam (14 March 2024). "New Christchurch stadium a chance to add another New Zealand NRL side". www.rnz.co.nz. RNZ. Archived from the original on 17 December 2024. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  18. ↑ Spreadborough, Joel (1 July 2021). "NRL 17th team bids: Meet the Brisbane Jets". www.espn.com.au. ESPN. Archived from the original on 15 August 2025. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  19. ↑ Moore, Tony (17 June 2021). "Ipswich pushes for new stadium as centrepiece of Jets' NRL bid". www.brisbanetimes.com.au. Brisbane Times. Archived from the original on 17 May 2024. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  20. ↑ Garry, Chris (24 April 2013). "Queensland rugby league club Brothers Leprechauns make audacious bid to join NRL". www.foxsports.com.au. Fox Sports. Archived from the original on 6 December 2025. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  21. ↑ Lane, Daniel (2 June 2014). "Sydney Roosters' deal with Central Coast gives weight to Bears' NRL bid". www.smh.com.au. Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 26 March 2025. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  22. ↑ "NRL bid team takes control". www.couriermail.com.au. The Courier Mail. 6 November 2009. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  23. ↑ Hatzakis, Maria (26 October 2009). "Central Qld NRL bid eyes 2013 kick-off". www.abc.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Company. Archived from the original on 30 October 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  24. ↑ Walter, Brad (27 February 2016). "South Pacific Cyclones announce plan to play NRL games in Rotorua". www.smh.com.au. Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 15 August 2025. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expansion_of_the_National_Rugby_League