I can't see any Sydney teams being cut unless they are a complete basketcase at the time of decisions. Wests Tigers represents a massive demographic area, Parramatta and Penrith likewise. I can't see Manly going as it is the only North Shore club and is up against Rugby. Easts and Souths could easily merge except for their own club politics. Easts probably should have been one of the first clubs cut years ago but for their strong financial backing. There was also talk years ago of South taking over Cronulla but it would also be possible to merge Saints and Cronulla. The Bulldogs could also be merged. There is no easy answer and I suggest this is one of the main reasons why no changes to the makeup of the competition have been pushed for years. It is possible to lessen the number of teams in Sydney through merges but we have seen that this can be tough but it's imo better than completely cutting a club from existence.