PENRITH Panthers’ CEO believes NRL expansion will lead to more opportunities for players like Casey McLean to burst onto the big stage.
Matt Cameron acknowledged Australian Rugby League Commission chair Peter V’landys’ long-term desire for a 20-team competition will stretch the playing resources of both current and new clubs.
However, the Penrith chief added it would open doors for the likes of McLean, the 19-year-old three-quarter who already has 30 appearances for the Panthers under his belt and is a New Zealand international after only making his debut in Round 17 of the 2024 NRL season.
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“I think it will put pressure on clubs’ pathways more to be able to produce those players,” Cameron told the Rugby League Roundtable podcast.
“But, in saying that, Casey McLean.
“If you had say to me this time last year Casey was going to achieve what he has in the game, I think there’s cohorts of Casey McLeans out there who will filter into the NRL in those roles if given the opportunity.”
The NRL currently stands at 17 team following the introduction of the Brisbane-based Dolphins two years ago, with Perth Bears and Papua New Guinea Chiefs set to join in 2027 and 2028 respectively.
A second New Zealand-based franchise to join the Warriors could take the competition up to 20 in the future, which would bring the NRL up to a number of teams not seen since the 1998 season following the ARL-Super League merger.
Anthony Seibold was playing for Canberra Raiders during that period and the Manly Sea Eagles head coach recalled the gap between the top and bottom of the competition due to playing resources being stretched.
Seibold drew comparisons with the NRL’s biggest domestic rival, the AFL, which is also due to expand to 19 teams in 2028 with a franchise in Tasmania.
“If you look at the AFL and the amount of teams they have currently got, it was a real gap between the bottom clubs and top clubs,” Seibold told the Rugby League Roundtable.
“Very rarely, even in recent years, have there been too many upsets from the bottom clubs and that’s because the depth of talent pool has been diluted.
“If you look back to when we last had 20 teams in the late-90s, when I played, there certainly was a gap between the top half of the competition and the bottom. The positives, though, around expansion to potentially 20 is the national footprint.”
“There’s that media coverage and the potential new supporter base, so those are two good things. But from a pathways point of view and a player point of view, it’s going to be challenging to start with.”