Uniting the South Island under one moniker has been tipped as one of the major hurdles for the newly proposed Kea NRL franchise

Former Rugby Australia chief executive Andy Marinos is on David Moffett's team behind the rugby league project, attempting to join the NRL in 2028.

Marinos says New Zealand's a rugby dominated country, and they'll be competing for attention with the Crusaders and Highlanders.



The Kea not only have to compete with a rival South Island bid... but also the favoured Papua New Guinea consortium... and the North Sydney Bears, a previous team that exited in 1999.

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