Rugby league immortal Wally Lewis believes the NRL’s race for a 17th team is down to two franchises.

The King believes the Redcliffe Dolphins or the Ipswich Jets are the leading contenders to join the NRL in 2023.

The Brisbane Firehawks are also the third franchise bidding to be included in the competition.

Lewis told The Continuous Call Team both franchises have a strong support base.

“Redcliffe or Ipswich I think – it’s pretty close,” Lewis said.

“Redcliffe is basically a town on its own and so is Ipswich.

“The field that they’ve got down there is absolutely magnificent, they’ve got a wonderful leagues club and basically have got the support of the whole community.

“They’ve got a stadium that already is in place for I think 25,000 people.

“Ipswich is the other one, have a look at the talent they’ve had over the years come out of there.

“The Langers and the Walters were probably the most recent and most famous.”

The NRL is also considering an 18-team conference system in the years to come.

Click ‘play’ to hear the full interview below.

Image: NRL.