(RYAN WITHERS is a freelance journalist, rugby league fan and BPL contributor.)

The NRL has recently brought up the issue of expansion once again, prompting a very mixed reaction from the public. In the proposed expansion, Queensland and New South Wales once again represent the majority of the possible regions for consideration, leaving the rest of the country to wonder whether rugby league is indeed just a two-state sport. 

Teams from regions and cities such as central Queensland, Ipswich, Perth, Brisbane and the Central Coast have been mooted as possible expansion zones. However, with the exception of Perth, each one of these selections remains within the already-captured rugby league market.

The NRL have suggested that an 18- or possibly even 20-team competition in 2013 is not out of the question. But if the NRL's idea of expansion is to remain within the borders of Queensland and New South Wales, why bother in the first place? 

Granted, Melbourne Storm has been a ‘success' but, after 10 years, the franchise still struggles to maintain a presence in the southern capital, home of the country's biggest sporting code - Australian football. 

The AFL has announced over the past few years its plans to expand into the Gold Coast and Western Sydney, with the franchises already named and well funded by the league. For a sport spawned on the wet grass of Melbourne, this is expansion. With teams based in WA, SA, Victoria and, in the past 25 years, NSW and Queensland, the AFL is working harder than ever to make sure that their game thrives nationally.

The NRL has watched the AFL spread its wings, win greater spectator attendances, greater broadcast rights and sponsorship deals and become the No.1 sport in the country - all through expansion. And what do they do to combat this trend? Stick more sides in the two states who already love rugby league. That's like the AFL basing a team full-time in Bendigo or Morwell. 

Having said that, it should be acknowleged the battle facing the NRL is greater than the one facing the AFL in their efforts to expand. Having had that two-decade presence in Queensland and NSW, the AFL now has a market for its product, and it is growing.

But for the NRL, expansion into areas such as Adelaide and Perth are far harder. For a start, they have tried before, and failed - with the Adelaide Rams and Perth Reds both falling in a heap. Now, years on from the failed Super League attempts, neither state appears to be crying out for representation. On the contrary, Western Australia seems more likely to receive another AFL side than one NRL team, leaving rugby league's national expansion plans looking very sick.

South Sydney owner and actor, Russell Crowe, recently suggested that until all NRL clubs are able to be juggernauts in their own districts and towns, expansion should not even be considered - and I agree. With teams struggling with their attendances and finances, placing extra clubs into an already crowded marketplace in NSW or QLD would be foolish. 

The NRL needs to look at its books again before any decisions are made about the future of rugby league in this country - beyond two states.