MAURICE LINDSAY, the former Wigan, Britain and international supremo, has been watching recent developments in Australia with interest and he believes the centre of the rugby league universe has shifted north.

Not as far as Europe, but from Sydney to Queensland - where the success of the Titans has replicated that of the Broncos and the Cowboys, stadiums are usually full and clubs don't rely on dwindling poker machine income to stay afloat.

"The question has to be asked: is Queensland now the game's new leader?" Lindsay says. "As any businessman will tell you, you've got to go where the growth is and, as sad as it is for the Sydney clubs, the real growth areas for the game are outside of Sydney."

Lindsay also advocates having a team on the Central Coast and believes expansion must be on the agenda. But what of the make-up of the competition? How many teams should there be? And should clubs relocate or should new ones be established?

North Sydney chief executive Greg Florimo says the Bears still aim to return to the NRL and had already moved to Gosford, where the club invested millions building Bluetongue Stadium, before being kicked out of the premiership along with Souths in 1999.

Rather than cull an existing team, Florimo believes the concept of promotion and relegation that operates in most British sports has merit. "If you can get the television support to generate income for the clubs, I could see that working," he said. "The television deal is the key."

While Lindsay believes promotion and relegation creates a lack of stability, watching Wigan fighting to escape the drop from Super League a few years ago was just as engrossing as the premiership battle.

Other ideas include: an American-style conference system, whereby teams would be split into two pools and come together either at certain times of the season or just in the finals; the introduction of a Challenge Cup-type knockout competition; and an expanded World Club Challenge involving the top four sides from the NRL and Super League.

One proposal under consideration is reducing the premiership to 22 rounds, moving Origin to Friday nights and introducing a Challenge Cup competition to be played on those weekends - providing television content and giving clubs the chance to rest their representative stars.

Florimo said teams such as Norths and Newtown, Queensland Cup sides and some from NSW Country could play earlier rounds, as the non-Super League clubs do in the Challenge Cup.

"I think that could be a good way to bring the game together and it would give some ownership to clubs like us and those in the bush or in Queensland," he said.

Another suggestion is that the 16 NRL teams be split into two pools of eight for the opening seven premiership rounds, with one comprising all Sydney clubs minus St George Illawarra - based in Wollongong - and the other the seven non-Sydney sides plus either the Dragons or a wildcard.

That way, the majority of NSW and Queensland players would be kept apart in the lead-up to Origin, while each pool could be a mini competition of derby games - possibly with bonus competition points or prizemoney as a reward for finishing first.

All 16 teams would then play each other once, ensuring a 22-round competition with all but one of the nine Sydney clubs - including the Dragons - meeting each other home and away.

Brad Walter