Rival Melbourne Super rugby interests are confident they can work together to mount a unified bid, which Australian Rugby Union boss John O'Neill says must be "drop dead gorgeous" to secure the competition's 15th licence.
The ARU board has endorsed Melbourne as Australia's only contender for the new team in the 2011 competition. ahead of bids from western Sydney, the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast.
However, the ARU decided to ask the three parties from Victoria to join forces in a bid to maximise Australia's prospects of securing the 15th licence.
The three interested Melbourne parties are the Victorian Rugby Union, the VicSuper 15 group headed by legendary former Wallabies five-eighth Mark Ella, and the Belgravia Group, which is associated with the Melbourne Victory A-League franchise.
