CQ aren't giving up. This from todays paper:
THE dream is very much alive for Denis Keeffe and those involved with the CQ NRL Bid.
The bid's CEO yesterday rejected rugby league commentator Tony Durkin's claim - made in his League of their Own column in The Morning Bulletin - that NRL expansion was off the cards.
Instead Keeffe says the opposite is the case.
"I have spoken with national media, the NRL independent commission and other clubs and I am very confident this is not the case," he said.
He said he preferred to take the word and assurances of those in the game's hierarchy instead of an opinion-based piece by Durkin.
The "window of opportunity" is now and those involved in the game understood the strategic value that a team from this region would bring.
Keeffe said he had just returned from down south where he engaged with key media players who have shown strong support.
"We have put a substantial amount of effort, time and money into this bid and we have produced a compelling argument to be included in the NRL expansion plans," Keeffe said.
"I agree some of the clubs are doing it tough in the NRL but that is because they have a few problems with their business model and they do not have the right corporate facilities at their home grounds.
And this from Thursdays Courier mail:
A comprehensive financial stress test from the world’s largest accountancy firm has the Central Queensland bid team confident they have nailed the crucial vialbility criteria for potential NRL inclusion.
Promising the NRL a “no risk in the heartland†future, CQ has completed a detailed business plan over nine months and received an endorsement from Pricewaterhouse Coopers following a six-month independent analysis.
“We’ve completed a very detailed financial plan. That is what our emphasis has been on,†CQ bid Chief Executive Denis Keeffe said yesterday. “We’ve had that stress-tested by Pricewaterhouse Coopers and that was a very expensive exercise.
“Now we have a stamp that says very achievable and some parts they said it was quite conservative in our estimates.
“The main criteria they will judge bidders on is the viability process and we think we have that nailed acutally.â€
While other bid teams such as Perth claim to offer the NRL a new frontier and market expansion, Keeffe said investing in true rugby league communities posed “no riskâ€. With the struggles of the NRL’s newest club, Gold Coast Titans, the CQ bid believe their strong financial position and “high-endâ€economic model offers a secure future.
“Without being disrespectful to the Titans because they’re my mates, they (ARLC) don’t want that (financial hardship) to happen,†Keeffe said. “There is no risk in the heartland and that is what….we can deliver to them.â€
Keeffe said he expected the NRL to address possible expansion in September. If bidders are sought, CQ would be ready for a full presentation to the ARLC by October and if awarded a licence by the end of the year they would be ready to enter the NRL by 2015.