League: Bulldogs could play home game in Wellington

SYDNEY - The Bulldogs are close to signing off on a strategic partnership which will allow the National Rugby League (NRL) club to have first pick of Wellington's most promising young footballers in exchange for shifting a home game to the city.

Bulldogs chairman Malcolm Noad has met with New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) board director Andrew Chalmers to discuss staging games in Wellington from 2007, with a formal announcement expected next month.

The NZRL had hoped to secure the Bulldogs for one NRL match in Wellington next year, but the club has already committed a home game to the Gold Coast for 2006.

"We met with Andrew Chalmers from the NZRL when we were in Auckland (for the round 18 clash against the NZ Warriors), who presented a concept to us regarding a strategic partnership between the Bulldogs and the Wellington region of New Zealand," Noad said.

"It was a fruitful meeting and discussions are ongoing."

The NZRL is also looking at also building other regional pathways for players outside of Auckland to link with NRL clubs, with Manly and Cronulla approached about affiliating with districts like Canterbury and Waikato.

The Bulldogs already have a distinctive New Zealand influence, with Matt Utai, Sonny Bill Williams and Jamaal Lolesi amongst the club's highest profile players.

Chalmers, who was behind the Southern Orcas' unsuccessful bid for admission into the NRL for 2007, said the deal would provide evidence of the NZRL's continued interest in a second NRL franchise for New Zealand down the track.

"The Bulldogs is very much one of the clubs we are talking to," Chalmers confirmed.

"Wellington has an academy which is linked to the Bartercard Cup and under-18 and under-16 sides. Obviously that's a big pool of players that have the potential to go on and play professional football.

"If you look at Wellington's champion under-18 side from last year, nine of those players have NRL contracts -- and that's just one team in one year.

"As part of the relationship, the Bulldogs would ... have access to, on an exclusive basis, the elite players that are in that region.

"Those talks have been extremely positive."

- AAP