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Jets, Bears or Reds? WA Premier outlines his hopes for Perth’s NRL expansion bid
Western Australian premier Roger Cook has made no secret of his desire to be part of an expanded NRL competition and in this exclusive interview he delivers a message to eastern state critics.
The self-confessed rugby league tragic sat down with Michael Carayannis to outline
his bold vision for ensuring the west are the NRL’s 18th team.
“The message to NRL teams on the east coast is to suck it up princess,” Cook said. “If you want to be part of a national code you have to have Western Australia as part of your competition. Travelling to WA is part of that.”
Not content with just being part of a new-look competition Cook spoke about his desire to host more NRL events including Magic Round, the pathway programs in schools they have set up and talks of a possible partnership with Newtown or North Sydney.
Michael Carayannis: What’s your connection to rugby league?
Roger Cook: About that time of your life when your brothers are God, he started to play a bit of union … I was six and we got the message that’s the game that you play. I grew up in Perth playing union and my other brother discovered league. I’d play union on a Saturday and league on a Sunday. It’s been part of my make-up ever since. It’s very unusual for someone born and bred in Perth not to have an AFL background.
What are your memories of the Reds?
I was incredibly excited. The season before the Reds came along, Channel 9 blasted the television with game after game and it was one of the best winters ever. When I grew up, we’d watch one game a year at midnight which was the grand final. We were devastated when the Reds folded and it has been unfinished business for a lot of the rugby league community in Western Australia ever since to get back into the national competition.
Why will rugby league work in WA?
We are the only people who can put the N into the NRL. At the moment it’s an eastern states code – it’s not a national code. We have something to offer the NRL in terms of eyeballs and people attending games. We can expand their broadcasting appeal with a new audience. The economy is growing faster than the national average, we’ve got very low unemployment and our mining industry continues to attract people from the east coast to live and work in Western Australia. We have a large Maori diaspora. When you hold a league game in WA you have a lot of people turning out. For us it’s an economic activity. It brings people and we want Perth to be one of the great event destinations of South East Asia. Having more sport content continues to boost that program.
You’ve been active. You’ve spoken with Peter V’landys and Peter Beattie. How hands on are you in ensuring WA gets a team?
V’landys said he was going to take out a VRO (violence restraining order) out against me. We have been aggressive. The consideration by the board for an expanded competition represents a huge opportunity for us. We are committed to being part of that bid process.
You mention the potential eyeballs and making the NRL ‘national’. Why else should Perth have a side?
We bring a new audience. Broadcast deals are the future of the sport because it’s all around streaming services. We know we will be able to provide a competitive bid in the context of providing a whole new audience for the NRL which they haven’t been able to get. Their options to consider are a new Queensland side, NSW side or New Zealand. That doesn’t provide them with a new audience.
What sort of financial commitment is the government willing to make?
We’ve made a substantial commitment to growing the sport. We have six high schools across the metropolitan area which are development schools for the NRL. We have a rectangular field which was upgraded as part of the women’s World Cup. We have good venues, the audience, a developing player group. We have to do more. We have to expand our development programs in our schools. We’d need to support the Bid-Co attached to NRL WA. What they bid is up to them.
You mention stadiums. Will there be improvements made to the stadium for an NRL team?
All this needs to be considered. We’ve re-established the Western Force. Perth Glory have a new owner and are looking to build their offering. Our rectangular field is one of our heritage stadiums. We need to improve it in terms of corporate offerings. All of those things are on the table if we know that we have three national codes playing at that one ground.
There’s lots of debate on who WA should partner up with? In terms of the Newtown Jets or North Sydney Bears. Do you have a preference?
The government is agnostic in relation to what form the bid takes. We will work with the Bid-Co to make sure they have a competitive bid. The proposition to partner with an established brand in the NRL scene such as the Jets or Bears is an attractive one. Ultimately if the NRLWA wanted to resurrect the Western Reds or have our own franchise then we would back them.
Is there a romanticism around either Newtown or the Bears or bringing back the Reds?
I’d love to bring back the Reds. That would be so much fun but I don’t know if that’s practical.
Will the people of WA accept a side that’s linked with Sydney?
I’m not sure. The WA rugby league community is tight-knit and passionate. To be part of the NRL would be the key objective. In terms of how the bid looks or shaped – they would be sympathetic to any form.
We’re seeing two Origin games in Perth in the next few years. Does the potential to have more product in terms of rugby league, Origins and grand finals part of this discussion?
We have always encouraged the NRL to bring content to WA. In the lead-up to any expanded competition, more content would continue to grow the support base that we need to have to make sure that we have good support in Sydney - if it’s a hybrid form - but we have a large supporter base in Western Australia.
Origin is coming. What else would you like to see there? There is Magic Round, grand finals, double-headers.
Magic Round would be a Hail Mary. That’s a big call. Double headers are really popular because they create a festival environment. The important thing is the clinics the players do with school kids and the work they do with the local clubs. If you can’t see it you can’t dream it.
Why is WA better placed now compared to when the Reds were in the competition?
We are bigger. 2.3 million people living in the city. A large eastern state, pacific island and New Zealand communities live there. We believe we are in a much stronger position now. We’ve learnt from the experiences of the Reds. We have to be careful that any bid we put forward will produce a sustainable club. The reflection in hindsight regarding the Western Reds – they had to put so many money into the comp to make it attractive for teams to travel to Western Australia that ultimately it put them in a very difficult financial position.
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