Source : ABC NEWS
It was only three weeks ago WA Premier Roger Cook lashed the National Rugby League for its treatment of a bid for a Perth team, accusing the organisation of using his state as a “cash cow”.
“Given our location on the Indian Ocean rim and in the same time zone as 60 per cent of the world’s population, the strategic value of a Western Australian side should be self-evident to the NRL,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“Unfortunately, like some people from the east, the NRL only appears to see WA as a potential cash cow.”
WA Premier Roger Cook is passionate about bringing an NRL team to the state. (ABC News: Keane Bourke)
But now media reports on the east-coast suggest the sides have come to an agreement, and that the Western Bears franchise will come into existence as the league’s 18th team.
It’s been a protracted, public, and at times downright mean negotiation process.
So is this the one that finally sticks? Or is it just another false dawn for long-suffering NRL fans in the west?
The fight for a WA team
League fans in Perth could be forgiven for being cynical of the reports out of Sydney, given Cook’s underwhelming response when asked about them at a press conference.
“We continue to have those negotiations, we haven’t had a formal response from the NRL,” he said.
“I assume they have a range of processes they need to go through to consider anything in relation to these conversations.
“I will say that conversations are positive and we continue to look forward to those discussions continuing.”
The cynicism can be forgiven, considering that last year fans had the rug pulled from under them a day before an official announcement was expected.
A consortium led by Cash Converters owner Peter Cumins put together a bid in conjunction with the North Sydney Bears, with the support of the WA government, which would have seen the Bears relocate to Perth.
It was expected the side would feature in the NRL in 2027. Such was the assurity of the success of the bid, the ABC understands there was a launch event scheduled for October 10 last year.
ARL Chairman Peter V’landys previously described the WA offer “disrespectful”. (Getty Images: Cameron Spencer)
But just two days before that, Newscorp reported the Australian Rugby League Commission had rejected the consortium’s bid as “significantly short”, while Nine Newspapers reported ARLC chair Peter V’landys described the offer as “low-ball” and “disrespectful”.
The long road
The battle to bring a professional rugby league side back to Perth has been a long one.
The Western Reds were axed in 1997, as part of a peace deal between the NRL and the breakaway Super League competition.
The success of bringing NRL games to Perth, and the huge crowds at State of Origin matches in the city has fuelled the drive to again bring a side to the west on a permanent basis.
State of Origin games in Perth have been well attended. (AAP: Dave Hunt)
But a recent double-header at Perth Stadium was poorly attended, as fans appeared to follow through on a threat to boycott the event following perceived poor treatment from the NRL.
Just over 31,000 fans went to the two games, with some holding up signs demanding a Perth side be added to the competition.
Fans have watched several attempts to re-enter the league fall flat.
When the Western Australian Rugby League resurrected the Reds to participate in the New South Wales state competition from 2008, it was with an eye to eventually rejoining the national competition. Those efforts failed.
The WARL then launched the West Coast Pirates brand in 2012, featuring the original colours of the Reds, hoping it would reignite Perth’s bid for an NRL presence. The club never made it beyond the NSW junior rugby league competition.
WA fans could be forgiven for only believing a Perth NRL team is real if and when they see the players take to the field in the top-flight competition.
A political football
The cost of establishing a team in Perth, or relocating one from Sydney as is the case with the North Sydney Bears, has been the major sticking point.
The now defunct consortium that backed a Perth-based bid to enter an NRL side in 2027 was rebuffed despite making a revised offer of a $20 million licence fee to join the competition.
Just 31,000 people attended the recent NRL double header at Perth Stadium. (Getty Images: Paul Kane)
When V’landys announced the introduction of the PNG NRL side for 2028 on December 12 last year, he also said the Perth consortium, known as the Western Bears and led by former Western Reds chair Cumins, was “in the dust bin”.
While bringing a side to Perth has been a pet-project of Premier Cook’s, he’s been steadfast in making it a value-for-money proposition.
“We’ve made our position to the NRL very clear, and that is any deal must deliver value for WA taxpayers,” Cook said in a statement earlier this month.
“Since then, we’ve had some positive discussions, and those discussions are ongoing.”
The quest for a team in Perth is supported by Liberal Opposition leader Basil Zempilas.
WA Opposition Leader Basil Zemplias is supportive of the push to bring an NRL team to WA. (ABC News: Keane Bourke)
“The idea of Perth having an NRL team based here makes sense, we’re a big city and a big state. We deserve to be on the national stage,” he said.
“But the people of West Australia deserve to know how much it is going to cost.
“Premiers of all persuasions are allowed to have projects that they are passionate about and I don’t question his right to champion something that he believes will be good for Perth.
“I think there are enough people here with an interest in rugby league that there will be a following that will make a Perth-based rugby league team something that can grow through the years.”
All things point to Perth finally making the NRL truly national, but many fans will be nervous until a ball is kicked.
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