Former National Rugby League side Brisbane Broncos captain Gorden Tallis said that Brisbane's double-header sellout "proves there are enough rugby league fans in the city to make a second team successful," according to Chris Garry of the Brisbane COURIER-MAIL. Tallis said that the 52,347 fans who attended Saturday night’s double billing at Suncorp Stadium "showed there were enough league fans not aligned to the Broncos who would support a second Brisbane side." Tallis said that the timing "had to be right and patience was needed so the competition wasn’t diluted." The double-header "was sold out weeks in advance and there were few empty seats for Melbourne’s thrilling win over North Queensland and the Broncos’ crushing victory over Manly." The NRL "has put expansion on the backburner, however there is a provision in the NRL’s new broadcast agreement that allows for the introduction of an extra team." The provision "stipulates that extra team must be from Queensland." Tallis said that "there were clearly enough fans for the second Brisbane team to attract an average crowd of 20,000 to 25,000, which would be higher than any other NRL team bar the Broncos." Tallis said, "We are getting closer to having a second Brisbane team." The main question for Tallis and the NRL "is whether there is enough talent to justify an extra NRL team" (COURIER-MAIL, 5/15).
