Footy supremo Peter V’landys confirms the NRL will look at launching a second team in Victoria

ARL commission chairman Peter V’landys has revealed the NRL was ‘100 percent’ looking at adding a second team in Victoria as the code looks to expand further. 

The Dolphins became the NRL’s 17th club this season and V’landys has outlined a plan to grow the competition to 20 teams by 2032.

And according to News Corp, establishing a second team in Victoria is top of the NRL’s agenda with V’landys insisting the league ‘would have to be mad not to look’ at expanding in Australia’s second-smallest state.

‘The reason why we would never rule it out is because one thing the the Dolphins have proven to us is people love cross-town rivalries,’ he said.

‘The fabric of rugby league is built on tribalism and rivalry.

ARL commission chairman Peter V’landys has revealed the NRL is looking to expand its presence in Victoria by potentially adding a second team in the state 

The Melbourne Storm are unlikely to welcome the addition of a second team in Victoria 

‘That’s why we can’t rule out. The other reason why a second Melbourne team is good for us, is that our junior base in Victoria has expanded considerably.’

Any concerns on whether the Dolphins would be competitive in their inaugural season were swiftly put to bed after the NRL’s newcomers won their first two games.

Wayne Bennett’s team are ninth on the ladder and would still be in the top eight bar from a controversial narrow loss to the Raiders on Saturday.

The Dolphins have been an even bigger success from an audience standpoint, drawing a staggering 1.1million viewers in their first two rounds.

Their debut game against the Roosters in March was watched by 567,000 viewers on Foxtel, contributing to the broadcaster recording its highest ever TV ratings for an NRL round with 4.1million fans tuning in – a 17 percent increase from Round  1 last season. 

Meanwhile, according to NRL figures, the number of registered participants playing rugby in league in Victoria stands at approximately 4,000.

Despite being the AFL’s heartland, NRL fan data showed rugby league boasts over 350,000 passionate fans in Melbourne.

V’landys, however, insisted plans to expand the game in Victoria were not to be interpreted as a direct attack on the AFL.

The Dolphins have been a great success since joining the NRL this season

The NRL’s newcomers have drawn large crowds and huge TV audiences in their debut season

‘That’s not even a consideration,’ he said.

‘Our only focus will always be to grow the game of rugby league. The rest of it is irrelevant.’

However, the NRL’s plans to grow the game in Victoria are unlikely to win much support from the Melbourne Storm.

Since entering the competition in 1998, the Storm have been one of the NRL’s great success story but have previously warned introducing another team in AFL-dominated market could be detrimental to the game.

Plans to expand the competition are set to be discussed when the ARL Commission will meet next week.

A Perth franchise, a second New Zealand team and a Pacific island team have all been mentioned as potential expansion destinations for the NRL.

The North Sydney Bears have long expressed interest in returning to the competition, which they exited in 1999 amid financial troubles. 

Last year, the Daily Telegraph reported the club could be considered for the NRL’s 18th licence as part of a joint-venture with Western Australia’s government.

The proposed plan would see the Bears split their home games between Perth and their historic North Sydney Oval home. 

The North Sydney Bears haven’t been in the NRL since they exited the competition in 1999 and are now a feeder club for the Sydney Roosters 

In January, the Bears signed an alliance with Cricket New South Wales lobbying for an $11million funding to redevelop the North Sydney Oval  

In January, the Bears signed an alliance with Cricket New South Wales lobbying for an $11million funding to redevelop the venue, which is seen as a crucial step for towards securing an NRL licence.

But Queensland Rugby League chairman Bruce Hatcher believes any expansion should come at the expense of one of the existing Sydney teams.

‘The best way to give Perth an identity in the NRL is to straddle two markets with a history starting out of Sydney,’ he told the Daily Telegraph in March. 

‘There are too many teams in Sydney, but if you take one team out of Sydney and move it to Perth, we will have a better-balanced competition with a national footprint.