Southern Orcas make Warriors claim in latest statement on NRL franchise bid

Southern Orcas managing director Andrew Chalmers has paid tribute to the success of the New Zealand Warriors in his latest comments regarding his NRL bid.

Chalmers is the key player trying to get the Orcas’ bid to be the NRL’s 20th franchise over the line.

The NRL currently has 17 teams, with Perth Bears set to join the ranks in 2027, before PNG Chiefs are added to the mix a year later.

A 20th franchise could hit the NRL by 2030, with the Southern Orcas in the mix, having already shared what their colours and kit would look like.

But there is competition from Queensland, and a second New Zealand NRL team is far from a done deal.

Chalmers, though, has been talking up the reasons why NZ should have another side, with the MD touching on the success the Warriors have had and why it needs to be built on, with a second team expected to play out of Christchurch.

“If you look at playing numbers, this last year, just on 50,000 players in New Zealand. And if you look at rugby union players, they claim to have about 155,000 as well,” Chalmers told Zero Tackle.

“When you look at it from a population perspective, New Zealand’s 5.3 million population and rapidly growing economy-wise, it’s a very big, growing economy, sports mad.

“The Warriors have been so successful. But the NRL as a whole has been hugely successful in terms of the marketplace, in terms of spectators.

“The challenge, of course, is only one team here to be able to capitalise on that and there’s a huge, huge opportunity to build on what tremendous work that’s been achieved by the Warriors and take advantage of that.”