West Coast Bears....

[Hello, I'm The Doctor]

I dont know if this has been touched on before...

But for Bears fans and Perth people, what would you think of the ARLC introducing a team into the NRL under the Bears Logo
(kind of a South Melbourne > Sydney Swans revival).

Do you Bears fans only want a team if its on the CC?? Are Perth fans too attached to the Pirates image??

:sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm:

 

[Flapper]

Perth deserves a fresh team, not some nostalgia mission.

 

[Warrior@Heart]

I personally wouldn't mind, I'd support any team they put in Perth.

 

[Hello, I'm The Doctor]

Perth deserves a fresh team, not some nostalgia mission.

Well, i doubt it would do damage to the team in Perth and it would be great for the game in general...

(Probably draw better crowds in sydney that a Pirate team would aswell)

 

[Foreign Legion]

Well if the bears dis go to WA least they would have already 2 premierships under there belt

 

[alien]

It's ok, but the Bears should be on the Central Coast.

 

[Bulldog Force]

No. Relocating isn't expansion!

 

[alien]

No. Relocating isn't expansion!

Yes it is. It's expanding the NRL to new areas.

 

[Hello, I'm The Doctor]

No. Relocating isn't expansion!

Whether or not this is true, its not really applicable here

Bears to Perth wouldnt be relocation, because theyre not actually a team yet....

 

[Hello, I'm The Doctor]

It's ok, but the Bears should be on the Central Coast.

But assuming the Bears arent accepted on the CC (honestly, its seeming less and less likely)...

If it was Perth or nothing, would you take it or do Bears fans actually enjoy being bitter and miserable?

 

[Flapper]

Well, i doubt it would do damage to the team in Perth and it would be great for the game in general...

(Probably draw better crowds in sydney that a Pirate team would aswell)

Yeah but I doubt one of the criteria of expansion is drawing a crowd in Sydney. If people are too stupid to attend their team no matter who they're playing that isn't the NRL's fault.

I used to live in Perth, some relocated nonsense wouldn't wash.

 

[Perth Red]

I'm struggling to see any benefits to WA tbh and we lose our own identity and ownership. At best we may pick up a few hundred members in Sydney, maybe. NS have no money to bring to the table. jnrs not that relevant in the modern NRL as long as you have decent scouting system, the NS jnrs will be there to be picked up by NRL clubs regardless. On the flip side we lose what could be one of the potentially strongest brands and merchandise sales in the comp and have to share ownership with some dinosaurs in Sydney. Im not seeing much up side for us in the West!

There was a time (8 years ago!) that it might have worked and if RL in WA had been reinvigorated with a West Coast Bears NRL bid then it might be different but we have got back on our feet and have a strong WA bid brand ready to go now.

 

[alien]

But assuming the Bears arent accepted on the CC (honestly, its seeming less and less likely)...

If it was Perth or nothing, would you take it or do Bears fans actually enjoy being bitter and miserable?

oh if i was a bears fan i'd take it in a heartbeat.

 

[pHyR3]

oh if i was a bears fan i'd take it in a heartbeat.

yeah same

if the tigers got relocated i'd follow them in perth too

im sure the NRL will investigate it thoroughly over the next few months and make a good decision.

 

[El Diablo]

oh if i was a bears fan i'd take it in a heartbeat.

you probably were a Bears fan

you change teams as soon as your current one starts going shithouse

 

[alien]

you probably were a Bears fan

you change teams as soon as your current one starts going shithouse

 

[Hello, I'm The Doctor]

Yeah but I doubt one of the criteria of expansion is drawing a crowd in Sydney. If people are too stupid to attend their team no matter who they're playing that isn't the NRL's fault.

So you agree that there would probably be no adverse effects among the Westies and there would be a benefit in the Sydney games (and, in turn, TV stakes probably) but youre still against it based puritanical spite alone??

Ok....

I used to live in Perth, some relocated nonsense wouldn't wash.

Swans seem to go pretty well in Sydney.

 

[The Great Dane]

Though I'm probably not the best Bears fan to talk about it, as I haven't supported them as my main team since 1981, something like this is the only way I can see the Bears getting back into the competition.

The CC bears are dead in the water (the CC just isn't a realistic option for the NRL at the moment), so I reckon that the only way forward for the Bears is to move somewhere else and try to get a team that way.

However I can't see WA being interested in the Bears at this point as the Bears don't really offer them anything. I think that the Bears should get in contact with the bids in Brisbane and see if there're any opportunities there, and if there aren't any opportunities for them in Brisbane then they should contact the SARL and start working with them.

 

[Diesel]

I always thought the Bears would sit well as a Christchurch team, same colours as the Canterbury province but realistically if the Bears want to come back in the need to be seriously talking to a WA or Qld bid right now or express and interest to work with whatever area is nominated for expansion. It's only going to be a matter of years before we see one or two Sydney clubs merge with struggling non-Sydney areas (ie GC) or be forced to move (or partly move for a few seasons) to a non-NRL area. This isn't the great expansion periods of the 1980's and 90's, these next 5-10 years are about getting this competition surviving and thriving into the 22nd century

 

[_MayMoo 2]

I'm struggling to see any benefits to WA tbh and we lose our own identity and ownership. At best we may pick up a few hundred members in Sydney, maybe. NS have no money to bring to the table. jnrs not that relevant in the modern NRL as long as you have decent scouting system, the NS jnrs will be there to be picked up by NRL clubs regardless. On the flip side we lose what could be one of the potentially strongest brands and merchandise sales in the comp and have to share ownership with some dinosaurs in Sydney. Im not seeing much up side for us in the West!

There was a time (8 years ago!) that it might have worked and if RL in WA had been reinvigorated with a West Coast Bears NRL bid then it might be different but we have got back on our feet and have a strong WA bid brand ready to go now.

One of things the NRL should have done / could do is use the AFL strategy of relocating teams before they die at the top level.

To guess the value of support as a few dinosaurs in Sydney surely you troll here.

You so easily dismiss the marketing power of a treasured 107 year old brand yet then claim that the WC Pirates one could be one of the strongest brands as a reason for dissing the bears. Please.

I would guess there has been more CC Bears jumpers sold (note they haven't been admitted - Yet) than you may sell in your 1st 3 years in the NRL (providing you get in). Are you currently selling tons of jerseys ?? Didn't think so

In any event this is purely hypothetical the CC Bears bid is far from dead.