What's new
The Front Row Forums

Register a free account today to become a member of the world's largest Rugby League discussion forum! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Bears Board & Structure

Red&BlackBear

First Grade
Messages
6,137
Missed the CC Bears bid, or the alleged attempt to but the GC license, or the Pacific Bears bid rumour?
Clarification here;

Central Coast Bears missed out because the NRL chose to not expand at all during that time.

Gold Coast was only heresy and behind the scenes chats. Nothing more.

Pasifika wasn’t a rumour as it was true however, the NRL advised the Bears to look west and not east.

The private models including Norths owned models were disbanded after the NRL found success and chose to go with government invested franchises instead. This model includes the NRL (ARLC) owning the franchises. This investment is also directly to the franchise like PNG or to pathways like Perth.

This meant all private bids were nuked. Dolphins were chosen prior to PNG and Perth due to sheer demand and the capital behind them. This includes continued cash flow through their owned commercial spaces and equity in their land ownership.

Neither CC, GC or Pasifika failed because NRL didn’t want Norths ownership involvement. That’s grossly inaccurate. Both CC and Pasifika were under 2 vastly different NRL administrators with vastly different game growth goals at the time of their respective bids. As stated before, GC was never a bid. It was chit chat between people.
 
Messages
2,692
Clarification here;

Central Coast Bears missed out because the NRL chose to not expand at all during that time.

Gold Coast was only heresy and behind the scenes chats. Nothing more.

Pasifika wasn’t a rumour as it was true however, the NRL advised the Bears to look west and not east.

The private models including Norths owned models were disbanded after the NRL found success and chose to go with government invested franchises instead. This model includes the NRL (ARLC) owning the franchises. This investment is also directly to the franchise like PNG or to pathways like Perth.

This meant all private bids were nuked. Dolphins were chosen prior to PNG and Perth due to sheer demand and the capital behind them. This includes continued cash flow through their owned commercial spaces and equity in their land ownership.

Neither CC, GC or Pasifika failed because NRL didn’t want Norths ownership involvement. That’s grossly inaccurate. Both CC and Pasifika were under 2 vastly different NRL administrators with vastly different game growth goals at the time of their respective bids. As stated before, GC was never a bid. It was chit chat between people.
insightful as always
 

Centy Coast

Juniors
Messages
2,104
Clarification here;

Central Coast Bears missed out because the NRL chose to not expand at all during that time.

Gold Coast was only heresy and behind the scenes chats. Nothing more.

Pasifika wasn’t a rumour as it was true however, the NRL advised the Bears to look west and not east.

The private models including Norths owned models were disbanded after the NRL found success and chose to go with government invested franchises instead. This model includes the NRL (ARLC) owning the franchises. This investment is also directly to the franchise like PNG or to pathways like Perth.

This meant all private bids were nuked. Dolphins were chosen prior to PNG and Perth due to sheer demand and the capital behind them. This includes continued cash flow through their owned commercial spaces and equity in their land ownership.

Neither CC, GC or Pasifika failed because NRL didn’t want Norths ownership involvement. That’s grossly inaccurate. Both CC and Pasifika were under 2 vastly different NRL administrators with vastly different game growth goals at the time of their respective bids. As stated before, GC was never a bid. It was chit chat between people.
100% correct, I think that they were keen on the Gold Coast at one stage but as soon as the NRL said that the logo and colours would not change the Bears lost interest.
I remember talking to North Sydney Bears Chairman Daniel Dickson about the Perth option during the after match function after the Bears had lost the NSW Cup Grand Final to South Sydney.
Dicko was keen on the Pacific Island e.g. Samoa, Tonga etc.
The Daily Telegraph even did an interview with Bears fans about the Pacifika Bears, I was interviewed and said I want the Bears to go to Perth.
I got my wish lol.
 

wb2027

Juniors
Messages
457
Rugby League doesn’t do compromise very well
This is the thing, the Bears continue to make compromise after compromise and hindsight being 20/20, should’ve done the same thing as Souths. Would’ve only cost them 2 seasons.

Northern Eagles alone is enough to make any Norths supporter sceptical about how the Perth franchise will take shape, but even looking at Wests Tigers and St George Illawarra, supporters either said “I guess this is as good as it’ll get” or walked away. Norths supporters are giving up the team being based in North Sydney so they’re already in that camp, so messing with the club’s identity would be one more departure that basically renders the partnership pointless.

How legitimate was the “Regional/Country Bears” bid? Probably the bid I thought was most like a joke.
By this point it was all proposing different models to the ARLC. If you start up a new rugby league from scratch and cover the state capitals, after Newcastle and Wollongong, the Central Coast was an obvious market, the next most obvious are the regional areas.
 

BuffaloRules

Coach
Messages
17,579
This is the thing, the Bears continue to make compromise after compromise and hindsight being 20/20, should’ve done the same thing as Souths. Would’ve only cost them 2 seasons.

Northern Eagles alone is enough to make any Norths supporter sceptical about how the Perth franchise will take shape, but even looking at Wests Tigers and St George Illawarra, supporters either said “I guess this is as good as it’ll get” or walked away. Norths supporters are giving up the team being based in North Sydney so they’re already in that camp, so messing with the club’s identity would be one more departure that basically renders the partnership pointless.
We have seen with the prior mergers , that with the other party you have a ready made scapegoat to blame when the inevitable hard times come as they do for most start up teams … I’ll also add that all 4 supporter bases with Dragons and Wests Tigers essentially had to give up their old clubs and start again

Of course …Perth can’t be blamed for the Northern Eagles debacle … perhaps point the finger at your old board for that ..to be fair you cant be carrying that debacle over IMO… it would be like Perth blaming the Bears for the Reds getting rissoled..

Perth has compromised too… they weren’t really given any other option by PVL other than to link with the Bears…the suitability of that has been debated here repeatedly so i won’t go through It again ….

The difference between the two is that Perth was always going to get a team eventually ( 4th largest city in Australasia… lots of $$$) … the Bears are at the stage of “take what they can get” after 25 years …or perhaps they should have continued to wait …Although my opinion is that the Central Coast Bears were decades away at best given that there are still 3-4 more areas ahead of them

We were told by the News Ltd hype machine that the Bears were going to bring hundreds of supporters each game flying over to Perth and of course many more in Sydney when they play .. time will tell if his happens and I hope it does…but still 16 months to go , looks like the North Sydney Bears fans want to get off already …
 
Last edited:

wb2027

Juniors
Messages
457
No one’s blaming Perth for the Northern Eagles, but that’s exactly why Bears fans are wary. It’s not about the baggage of past failures, it’s about what happens when you hand your identity to someone else.

Perth and Norths’ compromises aren't comparable. Perth was always in the queue for expansion with significant financial leverage, whereas Norths were never guaranteed a return. For Norths, the priority isn't immediate on-field success, but ensuring the Bears will even exist in a recognisable form once the partnership is underway.
 

Growthegame

Juniors
Messages
795
He might be switching clubs I’ve heard ..so he might be one by now
None of my business if he wants to be a Rugby League s**t.


dunno … can’t say I’ve read the forum rules.., I was using your statement quoted to bolster my opinions…. So let me know if it’s incorrect
Perhaps you should assume general and reasonable questions from Rugby League fans are indicative of an entire fan base’s opinion.
 

wb2027

Juniors
Messages
457
It’s easy to not pay NRL any attention. Done it every time they’ve ceased talks about expansion over the last 20+ years.
 

Latest posts

Top