Aug 2nd, 2018

Aug 2nd, 2018

NRL great Andrew Johns has floated the idea of reducing the number of teams in the NRL from 16 to 12 in a bid to strengthen the game.

The Newcastle legend argued that the current number of teams stretched the available pool of talent to untenable levels that inadvertently spoiled the quality of the game.

“I think we should go down to 12 teams, play each other twice, with semi-finals,” Johns said.

“You see some of the games now, and I don’t think there’s enough talent to go around.

(AAP)

“I think the ideal number is 12.”

The idea of reducing the number of teams in the NRL is not a new one.

Johns questioned the sport’s Sydney-centric focus and considered the benefits of aligning the hodgepodge of teams in NSW to clear space for new inter-state teams.

“There’s too many teams in Sydney.”

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“The Ideal thing would be we have a team at Western Sydney, an inner-city team, maybe one in Northern Sydney or the Central Coast and we have a team in Southern Sydney which would be St. George and Cronulla combined.

“I think we need another team in Queensland whether it be in Brisbane or it’s a team up near Rockhampton.

“We need another team in Queensland definitely.”

Johns also didn’t discount the possibility of another New Zealand based team to mirror the success story of the New Zealand Warriors.

“Wellington in New Zealand, it’s an area we can really grow the game.”