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Important update on 1476AMGiant awakes: Central Queensland NRL bid stakes expansion claim
Joel Gould, AAP • April 9th, 2026 8:18 am
North Queensland Cowboys | Photo: AAP
The Central Queensland NRL bid team is preparing to make a compelling case to the ARL Commission about why the region is ready to be the 20th NRL team.
The aim of the bid is to establish an NRL powerhouse with financial clout and sustainability in a region that's developed a production line of NRL stars but is still untapped in terms of reaching its potential in participation and viewership.
"We know we must get the foundations of the business set up correctly so we are working closely with government and major industry," CQ NRL bid spokesman Peter White told AAP.
"Remember when North Queensland didn't have the Cowboys? That region had provided a truckload of quality footballers and Kerry Boustead and company rolled up their sleeves and said, 'we want our own team.'
"We are absolutely no different in a massive area of over one million people that the game is not servicing properly."
Queensland Rugby League CEO Ben Ikin told AAP the NRL bid out of CQ would create competitive tension with the Ipswich-aligned Jets' NRL bid as the race to become the 20th side in the league hots up.
Photo: AAP
Although much of CQ bid's financial support would come from the resource sector, they are looking further afield.
White, without trying, found 36 multinational companies based in the region who don't have a major sporting team to sponsor.
The CQ NRL bid, anchored in Rockhampton, is not new.
In 2010 former NRL CEO David Gallop and current NRL head of elite football Graham Annesley were guests of the late Geoff Murphy who was driving the bid. Murphy flew the NRL brains trust around the region in his private jet where they met business leaders and key stakeholders.
White, currently the CQ Capras CEO, was a member of the bid team at that time.
The bid was right in the mix for inclusion in the NRL but Gallop left his post and expansion was put on the backburner until 2023 when the Dolphins were admitted as the 17th team, a move facilitated by ARLC chairman Peter V'landys and NRL CEO Andrew Abdo. Perth Bears (2027) and PNG Chiefs (2028) will follow. The next piece in the puzzle is the 20th team.
The CQ Capras, who play in the Hostplus Cup, have an affiliation with the Dolphins and White said it was "a good one" but added that to service the rusted-on rugby league region "we need our own NRL team".
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"There are 1328 kilometres between Redcliffe and Townsville in a massive region that also stretches westward and is underserviced with so much potential for more participation, TV eyeballs and Queensland rivalry rounds," White said.
"Part of our submission to the NRL 18 months ago was that we would play games in the region, not just Rockhampton"
If the CQ side was to play Brisbane they would be open to taking a home match to Suncorp Stadium.
Browne Park in Rockhampton hosted two NRL games and a semi-final in 2021. An NZ$72.6 million revamp will be completed next week and when stage two is finished the stadium will hold up to 15,000.
Cameron Munster, Harry Grant and Tamika Upton are current superstars from a region that has produced Matt Scott, Gary Larson, Jason Hetherington, Felise Kaufusi and a laundry list of other household names.
In 2010 the CQ side was preparing to be called The Miners. The NRL bid, after negotiating with multiple resource giants, was to get a financial windfall by receiving an allocated dollar amount for every ton of coal that exited ports from Mackay to Bundaberg.
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