Australia's rugby players association boss Ross Xenos has foreshadowed the possibility of the Western Force returning to a revamped Super Rugby competition in 2021.
Rugby Australia axed the Force for financial reasons last September as Super Rugby reverted to a 15-team competition after an unsuccessful experiment with an 18-team format.
But there is uncertainty about whether the Sanzaar joint partnership between South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Argentina will continue beyond the expiry of the current broadcast agreement in 2020.
Even if the Sanzaar partnership continues, the structure of the Super Rugby competition beyond 2020 could be very different.
With new Rugby Australia chief executive Raelene Castle visiting Western Australia this week to discuss the future of rugby in the state, Xenos believes it is important to keep the door open for the return of the Force or another team from the west.