Nine wants second Brisbane team

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THE man who negotiated rugby league's record $1 billion television deal, Channel Nine kingpin David Gyngell, has thrown his considerable weight behind the NRL having a second team in Brisbane.

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Despite predictable denials out of NRL headquarters on Wednesday, The Daily Telegraph maintains NRL powerbrokers have held talks about the possibility of moving the Cronulla Sharks to Queensland in 2015.

Amid a backlash of vitriol from the Shire to north of the Tweed River, NRL CEO Dave Smith attempted to reiterate there was no iron-clad blueprint to torpedo the Sharks 1450km north into enemy territory.

But as angry fans vented frustrations at the notion of Cronulla being relocated, Smith remained silent on whether he or any members of the NRL's Independent Commission had discussed the prospect.

One hugely-influential figure in rugby league who welcomed the narrative about a second NRL team north of the border was Channel Nine heavyweight Gyngell, who successfully outbid rival networks to win the NRL's five-year $1 billion broadcast rights deal.

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"I am 100 per cent in favour of a second team in Brisbane," Gyngell said.

"I support any moves the NRL makes on this because we have been pushing for it now for several years. It does nobody any favours only having the Broncos in Brisbane.

"Our return is 100 cents in the dollar with the Broncos and only 40 cents elsewhere. The Broncos would not have missed the eight this season if they'd had another team there.

"They need to compete and not be so complacent. We believe the market in Brisbane is more than ready for another team. My belief it that this is inevitable in the next few years."

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Gyngell's push comes as The Daily Telegraph can reveal Cronulla's previous board sought a guarantee the club would remain in the Shire prior to being overthrown by the new administration when the ASADA bombshell first hit the club.

But NRL headquarters maintains no club has been given fail safe guarantees about survival and all 16 teams will have their corporate governance and financial viability "reviewed" during the course of next season.

Under the NRL's current competition structure, the nine clubs in the Sydney market are all fighting for survival with Wests Tigers and St George Illawarra the latest to fall on financial hardship.

By contrast, there are only three clubs north of the border in Queensland and at least three cashed-up bid teams all pushing to win a licence in destinations like Rockhampton, Ipswich and Logan.

The arrival of the newest member of the Independent Commission, Graeme Samuel, in November is a monumental acquisition for the NRL.

Samuel was head commissioner of the AFL for 19 seasons and polarised opinion in Victoria when he declared 11 teams in Melbourne was too many.

The Sharks maintain the club's survival is assured due to the Woolooware Bay development on the land next to Remondis Stadium, which the club maintains will inject a minimum of $30 million over the next six years.

But the issue for the club is liquid cash.

After negotiating a $10 million advance to pay off its existing debts last year, the next instalment of cash being injected into Cronulla's bottom line from the development could take until 2018.

The Daily Telegraph understands members of Cronulla's new board have spoken about trading off some of their future rights on the 630-apartment development in return for an immediate cash injection.

To do so would effectively failsafe the club's immediate future against the financial strain of a $3.5 million leagues club debt and any potential million-dollar fine handed down at the conclusion of the ASADA investigation.  

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