18th club, whose next?

[docbrown]

I'm not surprised at all by this. The NRL seem to have a lot of doubt about Perth being able to support a new franchise in an fumbleball state so they're trying to mitigate some of the risk by pairing it with a previous franchise with existing history and brand recognition. Honestly, if the Bears had simply merged with the Reds back after Super League instead of merging with Manly and we'd have had the Perth Bears for the past 25 years, nobody here would be blinking an eyelid.

That said the Perth Bears need to have 12 games in Perth. Get one of the SFS teams (Roosters, Rabbitohs, Dragons, Tigers) to give up a home game in exchange for some $$$ and then make up their lost game with a reciprocal SFS match. The other Bears game at NSO should just be a trial game. Both should be against Manly though.

If you did a Bears vs Sea Eagles trial game at NSO, Bears vs Sea Eagles NRL games at NSO and a Sea Eagles vs Bears game at Brookvale every season, you could market it as a Best of 3 game series annually.

 

[docbrown]

It wouldn't surprise me if the NRL wants the second New Zealand team engaging both Christchurch and Wellington, to effect ensure saturation of the New Zealand market. That's why I'd prefer them to be called the New Zealand (Keas). They could still play 8 or 9 Christchurch games, 3-4 Wellington games and a couple of Wellington away games (other NRL teams taking home games on the road).

No matter where you live in New Zealand there'll be a team to engage with. Instead of New Zealand 2 being little brother to the Warriors, they could be as supported as them. And they'd still end up playing more games in Christchurch and Wellington than the Crusaders and Hurricanes.

 

[Wb1234]

I'm not surprised at all by this. The NRL seem to have a lot of doubt about Perth being able to support a new franchise in an fumbleball state so they're trying to mitigate some of the risk by pairing it with a previous franchise with existing history and brand recognition. Honestly, if the Bears had simply merged with the Reds back after Super League instead of merging with Manly and we'd have had the Perth Bears for the past 25 years, nobody here would be blinking an eyelid.

That said the Perth Bears need to have 12 games in Perth. Get one of the SFS teams (Roosters, Rabbitohs, Dragons, Tigers) to give up a home game in exchange for some $$$ and then make up their lost game with a reciprocal SFS match. The other Bears game at NSO should just be a trial game. Both should be against Manly though.

If you did a Bears vs Sea Eagles trial game at NSO, Bears vs Sea Eagles NRL games at NSO and a Sea Eagles vs Bears game at Brookvale every season, you could market it as a Best of 3 game series annually.

Bears vs manly derby won’t be moved to Perth nor should it be

the wa govt can buy a home game off a Sydney club if they want

 

[BuffaloRules]

I'm not surprised at all by this. The NRL seem to have a lot of doubt about Perth being able to support a new franchise in an fumbleball state so they're trying to mitigate some of the risk by pairing it with a previous franchise with existing history and brand recognition. Honestly, if the Bears had simply merged with the Reds back after Super League instead of merging with Manly and we'd have had the Perth Bears for the past 25 years, nobody here would be blinking an eyelid.

That said the Perth Bears need to have 12 games in Perth. Get one of the SFS teams (Roosters, Rabbitohs, Dragons, Tigers) to give up a home game in exchange for some $$$ and then make up their lost game with a reciprocal SFS match. The other Bears game at NSO should just be a trial game. Both should be against Manly though.

If you did a Bears vs Sea Eagles trial game at NSO, Bears vs Sea Eagles NRL games at NSO and a Sea Eagles vs Bears game at Brookvale every season, you could market it as a Best of 3 game series annually.

Again.. Manly don’t get a pass to miss the travel to Perth every year over a dead rivalry that may or may not apply moving forward …play them in a trial at NSO every year if they must scratch that itch …

If they must play a regular season NRL game(s) at NSO …rotate the opponent …they shouldn’t have any problems filling the pissant ground regardless of who they play

 

[docbrown]

Bears vs manly derby won’t be moved to Perth nor should it be

the wa govt can buy a home game off a Sydney club if they want

12 home games in Perth. 3 Bears vs Sea Eagles games in Sydney (Trial NSO, NRL NSO, NRL Brookvale).

2 other teams give up a home game in exchange for a reciprocal rights match and some $$$ from the NRL. Problem solved.

 

[docbrown]

Again.. Manly don’t get a pass to miss the travel to Perth every year over a dead rivalry that may or may not apply moving forward …play them in a trial at NSO every year if they must scratch that itch …

If they must play a regular season NRL game(s) at NSO …rotate the opponent …they shouldn’t have any problems filling the pissant ground regardless of who they play

Not every team plays in Melbourne, Townsville and Auckland every year either. So I really don't care.

 

[BuffaloRules]

Not every team plays in Melbourne, Townsville and Auckland every year either. So I really don't care.

Well…there is a difference between not playing “every year“ and never

 

[reanimate]

Another one who said the bears would never return

wow this thread is a salt mine

I’ve stated I think the idea is a bad one in the present (back in the late 90s-early 2000s it was a different story) and that the boat’s been missed for it to be as effective as the Swans’ relocation, but the fact that the game’s governing bodies never removed their district from them as they did Newtown meant the door was never fully closed on them.

Hopefully this is the end of the saga. It’s all happening too late to be as effective as it could have been, but at least it’s a conclusion to the Bears’ many attempts to get back in the NRL. Unless they get left at the altar again, as happened with the CC Bears.

 

[docbrown]

Well…there is a difference between every year and never

If you haven't noticed the competition is already unequal. It never will be equal because it's impossible. So really, who cares?

 

[Wb1234]

I’ve stated I think the idea is a bad one in the present (back in the late 90s-early 2000s it was a different story) and that the boat’s been missed for it to be as effective as the Swans’ relocation, but the fact that the game’s governing bodies never removed their district from them as they did Newtown meant the door was never fully closed on them.

Hopefully this is the end of the saga. It’s all happening too late to be as effective as it could have been, but at least it’s a conclusion to the Bears’ many attempts to get back in the NRL. Unless they get left at the altar again, as happened with the CC Bears.

You were wrong before and still wrong now

this is massive for rugby league in the north shore of Sydney plus Perth

this club will be a juggernaut

 

[BuffaloRules]

If you haven't noticed the competition is already unequal. It never will be equal because it's impossible. So really, who cares?

i could care less over some Bears v Manly sentimental reason that requires that game to be played at NSO every year …

 

[reanimate]

There are many N Sydney based gen Xers who are currently Swans members (and I know a few) who would welcome this. Swans membership could shrink a little

The Boomers are going to be the first to go and they’re a big part of the Bears’ Sydney base. Once they’re no longer with us, the Bears’ Sydney base will be Gen Xers and the earlier members of Gen Y, ie it’ll be much smaller. There’s very few from the younger end of Gen Y and under who care about the Bears.

 

[Babyface O'reilly]

The Boomers are going to be the first to go and they’re a big part of the Bears’ Sydney base. Once they’re no longer with us, the Bears’ Sydney base will be Gen Xers and the earlier members of Gen Y, ie it’ll be much smaller. There’s very few from the younger end of Gen Y and under who care about the Bears.

True but better having them as Bears members than Swans, yeh?

 

[BuffaloRules]

It wouldn't surprise me if the NRL wants the second New Zealand team engaging both Christchurch and Wellington, to effect ensure saturation of the New Zealand market. That's why I'd prefer them to be called the New Zealand (Keas). They could still play 8 or 9 Christchurch games, 3-4 Wellington games and a couple of Wellington away games (other NRL teams taking home games on the road).

No matter where you live in New Zealand there'll be a team to engage with. Instead of New Zealand 2 being little brother to the Warriors, they could be as supported as them. And they'd still end up playing more games in Christchurch and Wellington than the Crusaders and Hurricanes.

I would have the team as a South Island Team out of Christchurch with maybe 2 games a year in Dunedin …which has a good stadium ( better than the cake tin in Wellington for RL)…

Wellington Orcas for NZ3 down the track …probably in the 2040s…

 

[docbrown]

I would have the team as a South Island Team out of Christchurch with maybe 2 games a year in Dunedin …which has a good stadium ( better than the cake tin in Wellington for RL)…

Wellington Orcas for NZ3 down the track …probably in the 2040s…

At the bare minimum we'll likely get a Christchurch team. But my hunch is that they'll try to make the brand universally appealing so fans anywhere in New Zealand can support it. If you can get Wellington to support the club too then you've expand their fanbase.

 

[Wb1234]

At the bare minimum we'll likely get a Christchurch team. But my hunch is that they'll try to make the brand universally appealing so fans anywhere in New Zealand can support it. If you can get Wellington to support the club too then you've expand their fanbase.

the teams identity should be South Island or Christchurch

Wellington will probably get their own team in the future once the nrl has bedded down 20 teams and tv deals and junior pathways have grown because of it

the nrl should buy most clubs games against the warriors and play them around New Zealand for extra content (also Christchurch)

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

I'll believe it when I see it. The media spins these sort of articles every few months to sell papers.

If the "Perth Bears" play two home games at North Sydney Oval then it will anger parochial Western Australians who don't give a f**k about Sydney.

Playing two games in North Sydney risks cannibalising an already over saturated Sydney market. Not a good thing to do considering Manly are the poorest club in the competition.

 

[reanimate]

You were wrong before and still wrong now

this is massive for rugby league in the north shore of Sydney plus Perth

this club will be a juggernaut

It’s better than the status quo of the Bears going between partner club to partner club, but the benefits going forward into the future are questionable. It’s a shot in the arm for the nostalgic Sydney Bears fans now, but in 30-40 years time when the bulk of them are gone, you’re left with the North Sydney district feeding into Perth and the Bears possibly still playing home games in Sydney. Surely they’d drop them when the base is gone, but they may press on with them for some reason.

Why will kids being born today on the North Shore who don’t have any family connection to the Bears support the Perth Bears going forward? How will that North Shore to Perth feeder scenario make sense in the future? Why will these future North Shore kids want to support a WA team?

 

[Wb1234]

It’s better than the status quo of the Bears going between partner club to partner club, but not by much. It’s a shot in the arm for the nostalgic Sydney Bears fans now, but in 30-40 years time when the bulk of them are gone, you’re left with the North Sydney district feeding into Perth and the Bears possibly still playing home games in Sydney. Surely they’d drop them when the base is gone, but they may press on with them for some reason.

Why will kids being born today on the North Shore who don’t have any family connection to the Bears support the Perth Bears going forward? How will that North Shore to Perth feeder scenario make sense in the future? Why will these future North Shore kids want to support a WA team?

Bears fans have kids bro

they will be a far bigger club than manly

like a vampire you have waited 30 years to try go get access to their junior base and failed

all those kids will be playing for the bears and the good ones will go to Perth

 

[AlwaysGreen]

I'm sure the people of the North Shore are very excited about a team in Perth.