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Souths and a few other teams are already taking games to Perth and this year they're getting a kangaroos test, so that's not really necessary.
THE NRL is making a bold footprint in WA as the state waits patiently for a full-time team
Glen Quartermain, PerthNow
July 9, 2016 6:28pm
WESTERN Australia might have to wait a minimum five years or longer for a full-time NRL team but the code is still making a bold footprint on the local sporting landscape.
Visiting NRL clubs South Sydney, Manly, New Zealand Warriors, Brisbane and Melbourne Storm have all left deep stud marks on WA turf.
While Australian rules will remain the No 1 code, a strong expatriate community from rugby league strongholds has ensured the sport is very much in the mix for the No 2 ranking.
In the meantime, the NRL WA is packing down in the scrum and doing the hard yards at grassroots level so there is a solid foundation if and when the NRL comes calling.
Manly and the Warriors will give league fans another taste of the NRL next Saturday when they clash at nib Stadium and the first ever Test between Australia and NZ will be played at the same venue in mid-October.
NRL WA chief executive John Sackson says his organisation is working closely with the visiting clubs and NRL headquarters to maintain and build interest in the code in WA.
“I still believe it is a case of” when, not if in relation to again having a Perth-based franchise representing WA in the elite national premiership,” Sackson said.
“Having said that it is unlikely that this will occur until at least 2020 or beyond, as the key priority for the (Australian Rugby League) Commission understandably is putting measures into place to make the existing 16 clubs more efficient, profitable, secure and sustainable.
NRL WA recently increased its team of WA game development officers from three to five.
“That will enable us to extend our reach into schools and junior clubs in both metro and key regional areas like the Pilbara, Bunbury and the South West in particular,” he said.
Numbers are strong in a thriving local 11-team NRL metropolitan competition, other burgeoning leagues in the Pilbara and Kimberley, as well as the WA Maori Rugby League. Registrations were up to 3574 participants in 2015 and Sackson expects to top that again this year.
But there is no doubt the showpiece events that give the sport real traction are the NRL games.
South Sydney has played games in WA for eight successive years, the Canterbury Bulldogs hosted a Perth game in 2014, and the Sea Eagles are looking at a long-term presence if next Saturday’s game is a success.
“Bringing regular games and community events to WA not only helps these clubs to cultivate their national membership footprint, but critically it helps us provide opportunities to leverage such opportunities as coaching and refereeing masterclasses to upskill our local talent, as well as providing officials and volunteers with experience at the elite levels of the sport,” Sackson said.
Rabbitohs CEO Blake Solly said bringing games to Perth was about investing the brand in the region.
“There are at least 12,000 South fans who will go and watch us play against any opposition when we are in Perth,” he said. “Not only do we have a good membership base, we have built up a good fan base.
“Our view is when we go there we also want to make sure that we’re supporting John and all the work he does and hopefully by giving coaches on the ground there some tips and advice that leaves a legacy in the way in which they coach and helps the development of the players that are registered.”
The NRL put a flag in the ground in the 1990s with the Western Reds in the Australian Rugby League and Perth Reds in the ill-fated Super League.
They were rebranded the WA Reds in 2006 as a new push emerged to join the NRL and in 2012 it morphed into the West Coast Pirates.
Perhaps the NRL’s finest moment arrived on the blackest of nights, when the Rabbitohs took on Brisbane in Round 16, 2011. The Rabbitohs won 17-12 in front of a crowd of 15,371, a big endorsement for the code given it was played in a monsoon with try slides through deep puddles a highlight.
“It showed there is a real demand for NRL games in Perth that it is quite a knowledgeable crowd in that they know the strength of the Broncos and they know the Rabbitohs,” Solly said.
“There is a core audience there in Perth that likes its rugby league and I’m sure Manly and the Test match later in the year will do just as well.
“It’s a city that has a strong interest in rugby league and the people there want to know more about the game and they want to go and watch the sport.”
The Rabbitohs in early June attracted 13,142 to their nib Stadium clash with the Gold Coast Titans, a team that does not have a huge supporter base in WA, and Solly confirmed South
Sydney was in talks with Venues West about playing games “next year and the year after”.
Manly CEO Joe Kelly, who in previous incarnations worked at English Premier League club Chelsea under the ownership of Russian tycoon Roman Abramovich, and oversaw South Sydney’s drought breaking 2014 premiership, believes Manly’s investment in the west will pay dividends.
“Having worked at the Rabbitohs for a number of years and being part of the decision to play a game a season to see the support that rugby league has in WA and Perth I know it is very strong rugby league territory,” he said.
“We felt having been there in 2012 as a club most recently having played the Warriors it was a no-brainer and we are doing so for the next three seasons as a minimum.”
The partnership with the Warriors was a no-brainer given the strong Kiwi presence in WA.
“We combined all of our thinking from past experiences and have done a deal to take the Warriors there for at least another couple of years. The Warriors are part of it as a partnership, they are going to be heavily involved in the promotion of the game.
“We want to reward them ... It’s not the easiest trip for them to make but we believe they are a big part of the overall success of the game.”
Broncos CEO Paul White said it was critical his team had a flourishing presence in WA.
“We track our social media pretty well and we know we have a latent support base in Western Australia,” White said. “We know part of that is in Perth, but it goes well beyond that.
“We know where we stand in terms of the landscape — AFL is the predominant sport — but we want to be the biggest rugby league brand in Western Australia.”
The Broncos are locked in to play all their home games at Suncorp Stadium, but are open to away games in Perth.
The club recently took its Broncos on the Road dinner outside Queensland for the first time, with club greats Justin Hodges and Scott Prince guest speakers.
A raffle at the dinner with funds matched by former Queensland Origin greats raised $9000 for junior development. The money will subside the costs of State Under 12s and 156s travelling this year to represent WA at the national championship on the east coast.
“That’s a sizeable donation and it does make a material difference, White said.
“People are smart enough to understand, if you are going to earn the right to have support in any community, you have got to be seen as investing something back there.
“We understand where our strength is. It’s on the east coast and in particular in Queensland, but we know we have support in WA and we think it’s right that we seek it out and invest in it.
“We’re contracted to play 12 home games at Suncorp Stadium. but we’re always happy to put our hand up to play an away game in Perth or a trial game,” White said.
Sackson’s team has another grand vision — bringing a State of Origin game to Western Australia when the new Perth Stadium is built.
“There is absolutely no doubt that the Origin brand is a powerful and unique marketing spearhead for rugby league,” Sackson said.
“It is an awesome showcase for the code and a TV ratings juggernaut that now transcends borders in Australia and internationally.”
He said such a game would not only attract “significant numbers” of interstate and overseas visitors, but promote the city to national and international television audiences
“It would enrich the lives of the sports mad WA community by adding more diversity and prestige to the entertainment options on offer and importantly it would make a very positive statement for our code in WA.”
NRL crowd figures in Perth
2010: South Sydney v Melbourne (13,164)*
2011: South Sydney v Brisbane (15,371)
2012: South Sydney v Brisbane (15,599)
2013: South Sydney v NZ Warriors (20,221)
2013: Manly v NZ Warriors (20,121)*
2014: South Sydney v NZ Warriors (20,267)
2014: Canterbury Bankstown v Melbourne (13,300)
2015: South Sydney v NZ Warriors (20,272)
2016: South Sydney v Gold Coast (13,142)
2016: Manly v NZ Warriors (Saturday, July 16)
*Storm playing for no points due to salary cap scandal.
*At Subiaco Oval.
http://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/nr...d/news-story/2ef8e1306b26815032970f2023f8cdd7
Interested to know your thoughts on the article that RooTahs posted above. THE NRL is making a bold footprint in WA as the state waits patiently for a full-time team
Good post! It would undo a great injustice as well. Damn super league!!!
