It has been reported down under that NRL teams are ‘exploring’ the possibility of purchasing Super League clubs, should an investment deal be struck.
NRL CEO Andrew Abdo is in the UK at the moment with talks having opened up on a possible partnership between the two competitions that would see the Australian league invest funds into Super League.
Plenty of red tape is still to be navigated with no formal offer made yet and the main sticking point being that Super League clubs would have to cede some of their control.
Reports from The Daily Telegraph have perhaps now put Super League club owners off even more as it has emerged that a number of NRL clubs are ‘exploring the feasibility of buying English clubs.
Brisbane Broncos and Sydney Roosters are both named within the report with reasons for purchasing including pathways, loan deals and salary cap relief.
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NRL CEO explains benefits of Super League club purchase
The report has come amidst further news of Sydney Roosters’ interest in investing in Salford Red Devils last year, with the NRL club reportedly still interested in investing or buying another UK club.
NRL clubs would benefit massively from purchasing a Super League club as they’d have a direct pathway to English talent, plenty of which has made the switch down under in recent years, whilst loan deals could also be arranged more easily.
Should an NRL club find themselves pushing the salary cap then players could be moved to England as some form of relief, one of the most appealing aspects with Brisbane Broncos reportedly approached by ‘up to four English clubs’.
One NRL CEO said: “Buying or part-owning a Super League is something NRL clubs are looking at, but it would all depend on whether the NRL invests in Super League.
“Only the wealthy NRL clubs could afford to buy an English franchise but it would certainly have its advantages.”
The timing of the report is poor as it probably only reinforces the belief from some in England the only reason the NRL are interested in investment is to make Super League a second-tier feeder competition.
John Dalton
April 19, 2026 at 12:51 pm
We all need to wake up to the fact that the money sloshing around in the NRL, is making our competition and players a very ,very poor second rate affair. How many more Clubs need to go to the wall, before we wake up & smell the circumstances.
Waiting for a miracle that will never happen is naive!
All of this speculation is not helping…….
Andrew
April 19, 2026 at 2:43 pm
If anyone thinks the NRL is interested in anything but the interest of the NRL then they haven’t been paying attention for the last thirty-plus years. This deal would put the Super League on the level of the NSW Cup or the Queensland Cup. Maybe that is where we are going but let’s all be clear that is what is on the table.
Wiganexpat
April 20, 2026 at 5:44 am
“If anyone thinks the NRL is interested in anything but the interest of the NRL then they haven’t been paying attention for the last thirty-plus years.”
Why do you think that the intersts of the NRL are not aligned with having a successful Superleague ? Surely growing Rugby League globally benefits everyone. Why is Australian dollars coming into our competition when we have clubs going bankrupt left right and centre a bad thing ?
What has the NRL done over the last 30 years (ignoring all the dollars they gave us last time to form Superleague) that has damaged our sport ?