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WA BEARS

Wb1234

Immortal
Messages
33,565
based on his comments .. he is an 80 yr old who has seemingly lost his grip on reality…

Thinks it’s 1964 not 2024 …
Just checked he’s 79 lol

my mates ex wests now west tigers I asked him about this months ago

he said he would like to see the magpie come back but his kids are wests tigers

that’s the issue is the large current support base of the merged club they’ve grown up only knowing that club
 

BuffaloRules

Coach
Messages
15,451
Just checked he’s 79 lol

my mates ex wests now west tigers I asked him about this months ago

he said he would like to see the magpie come back but his kids are wests tigers

that’s the issue is the large current support base of the merged club they’ve grown up only knowing that club

Nothing would surprise me .., Wests have all the power and I’m sure they could change the mascot name and move all the games to wherever they wanted …

They have been more than fair to Balmain who they could have wiped out of existence when they went bust … this guy Leo must be suffering from CTE if he doesn’t understand this

But I don’t think flushing 25 years of branding would be the best move … I would say that a majority of fans would only know the Wests Tigers .., and you would need to be over 40 to really have passionate feelings for the Wests Magpies…

I would love to see a solution where HBG are either forced to sell the Wests Tigers or at the least have no say over the running of the football team
 

Wb1234

Immortal
Messages
33,565
Nothing would surprise me .., Wests have all the power and I’m sure they could change the mascot name and move all the games to wherever they wanted …

They have been more than fair to Balmain who they could have wiped out of existence when they went bust … this guy Leo must be suffering from CTE if he doesn’t understand this

But I don’t think flushing 25 years of branding would be the best move … I would say that a majority of fans would only know the Wests Tigers .., and you would need to be over 40 to really have passionate feelings for the Wests Magpies…

I would love to see a solution where HBG are either forced to sell the Wests Tigers or at the least have no say over the running of the football team
Holman Barnes has been funding the club and the junior leagues

wests get some good form on the field and all this goes away
 

BuffaloRules

Coach
Messages
15,451
Holman Barnes has been funding the club and the junior leagues

wests get some good form on the field and all this goes away

Holman Barnes put money in from their poker machine profits … but their management of the football team has been poor ...this is not their area of expertise..

They are currently trying to backflip on their earlier agreement to appoint independent directors to the Football club board
 

MugaB

Coach
Messages
15,004
Yes but you are counting NSW, QLD, VIC and then WA, so that’s 3rd ?, they are talking States not clubs.
Never mentioned either, just assumed we'd understand, but again if you are discounting nz, nsw and qld, your left with only 2 clubs to best, it's a by default claim
 

Dragonwest

Juniors
Messages
1,781
Maybe they both go under their original names e.g. North Sydney Bears and Western Australia RL (black & gold) and they are the two entities that have come together ?.
You’d want the WA team to also be called Bears though to have that link.
This is good news for the league youth of WA.
Last nights NRLWA awards night is on YouTube.
Below is the 2024 ISC Team of the Year, it is interesting that this weekends Grand Finalists, defending Premiers & Minor Premiers the North Beach Sea Eagles (one player) and the Fremantle Roosters (two players) only have three players represented between them.
This weekends Grand Final will be the 3rd straight Grand Final between the two sides, with both sides winning one Grand Final apiece North Beach Sea Eagles (2023) and Fremantle Roosters (2022).

View attachment 93231
And the player who won the "Player's Player Award" by a massive margin couldn't even make the team of the year ....
 

Perth Red

Post Whore
Messages
69,520
So what have we learnt from the last two weeks:

Name: Western Bears
Colours: Red, Black, Yellow & White
Logo: TBC
Ownership: 100% WA consortium
Home games: 11 Perth, 1 Sydney
Pathways: HM and SG Ball in Perth and NS. NSW cup in NS. Western Bears to supply NSFC with 4 key staff positions.
Investment: Bid has raised the $30mill start up costs.
Preferred game time: 4:30pm Sunday
Recruitment: requesting concessions to approach players 2 years out from contract end, requesting relocation additional payments
Coach: likely to join club early 2026
Govt Support. Confirmed the state Govt will build the club a CofE, rumoured a $300mill upgrade of HBF park is coming
Memberships: The club will work to have an East coast membership for Sydney away games. First membership options will go on sale soon after announcement.

I think after a press release from each side and two WA led media articles we can safely say the NDA is over :)
 

BuffaloRules

Coach
Messages
15,451
So if Western Bears adopt North Sydney‘s history …

What would happen if a few years down the track Norths make further demands around ownership and more games ?

If they do a Garry Leo and walk away ..does that mean that the Western team would have to start again from scratch ?
 

Perth Red

Post Whore
Messages
69,520
So if Western Bears adopt North Sydney‘s history …

What would happen if a few years down the track Norths make further demands around ownership and more games ?

If they do a Garry Leo and walk away ..does that mean that the Western team would have to start again from scratch ?
I am sure there are iron clad legal agreements in place that would stop either party just getting the hump and changing the fabric of the club. Bit like this Leo thing, which seems a rogue bloke who might not be very well spouting sht, Balmain could walk away but the Wests Tigers would remain as they are in effect as the club/NRL own the license and trademark/branding. So worse case scenario NSFC get the hump in a decade. We stay the Western Bears and only thing that changes is we'd lose the NS pathway program.
 

BuffaloRules

Coach
Messages
15,451
I am sure there are iron clad legal agreements in place that would stop either party just getting the hump and changing the fabric of the club. Bit like this Leo thing, which seems a rogue bloke who might not be very well spouting sht, Balmain could walk away but the Wests Tigers would remain as they are in effect as the club/NRL own the license and trademark/branding. So worse case scenario NSFC get the hump in a decade. We stay the Western Bears and only thing that changes is we'd lose the NS pathway program.

Wow ..you changed your tune quick on Wests Tigers lol .. last night It was all “how is the NRL gunna let them continue?! “…

The difference here is that the Wests Tigers are a separate entity from both JV clubs … it now has 25 yrs of its own history ..and if Balmain walk away ..that can continue ..

If the Western Bears adopt the North Sydney Bears history …and they (NS) subsequently walk away … then I think Western would need to start completely from scratch …new name , new history

Seems a complication they probably shouldn’t be opening themsleves up to , no?
 
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titoelcolombiano

First Grade
Messages
6,620
Not sure what the date is that this was released, but if that's a recent article (as in the last couple of weeks), then, umm, I think they missed the deadline if they're only talking about having 'expressed an interest' and they are looking forward to 'the bid process'.
It was from a couple of weeks ago and he says in the quote that they've put in a bid
 

titoelcolombiano

First Grade
Messages
6,620
Why would they join up with Brisbane … ? To retain the tigers name … which they have now already ?

I was reading the Telegraph this morning … the story looks like it’s been walked back considerably by the Balmain Chairman … could have just been a case of one of their dinosaur board members going rogue
They may need that sweet Brisbane Tigers coin, also not sure if they have a NSW junior zone anymore (Magpies would probably keep all the Wests Tigers territories). That would be the two major reasons I could think of that they'd entertain their Brisbane cousins.
 

titoelcolombiano

First Grade
Messages
6,620
I am sure there are iron clad legal agreements in place that would stop either party just getting the hump and changing the fabric of the club. Bit like this Leo thing, which seems a rogue bloke who might not be very well spouting sht, Balmain could walk away but the Wests Tigers would remain as they are in effect as the club/NRL own the license and trademark/branding. So worse case scenario NSFC get the hump in a decade. We stay the Western Bears and only thing that changes is we'd lose the NS pathway program.
I would have thought so, but when the Bears went broke Manly reverted back to the Sea Eagles in a heartbeat. Not sure that Wests Magpies wouldn't do the same.

With regards to the Western Bears, I think you're right. You'd imagine that part of the discussions about linking up with the Bears would have been the WA bid team telling them if you are in, you are in, this is a Perth team now, there is no going back from here.
 
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Perth Red

Post Whore
Messages
69,520
Wow ..you changed your tune quick on Wests Tigers lol .. last night It was all “how is the NRL gunna let them continue?! “…

The difference here is that the Wests Tigers are a separate entity from both JV clubs … it now has 25 yrs of its own history ..and if Balmain walk away ..that can continue ..

If the Western Bears adopt the North Sydney Bears history …and they (NS) subsequently walk away … then I think Western would need to start completely from scratch …new name , new history

Seems a complication they probably shouldn’t be opening themsleves up to , no?
Thats a lot of guess work and what if's on your part.

In effect if NS, or Balmain, walk away from the partnerships then nothing has to change. Like I said license ownership and brand ownership are where the power lies. Who holds them woudl have no obligation to change anything. So if NS get the hump the Western Bears continue just without the NS pathway. Not sure why we are even playing hypotheticals unlikely to happen lol
 

Perth Red

Post Whore
Messages
69,520
I would have thought so, but when the Bears went broke Manly reverted back to the Sea Eagles in a heartbeat. Not sure that Wests Magpies wouldn't do the same.

With regards to the Western Bears, I think you're right. You'd imagine that part of the discussions about linking up with the Bears would have been the WA bid team telling them if you are in, you are in, this is a Perth team now, there is no going back from here.
That was a choice though for Manly. Sure they could go back to Magpies if they choose to, or they could stay as Wests Tigers if they choose to. They hold the license and brand rights at end of day.
 

Nutz

First Grade
Messages
5,247
Wow ..you changed your tune quick on Wests Tigers lol .. last night It was all “how is the NRL gunna let them continue?! “…

The difference here is that the Wests Tigers are a separate entity from both JV clubs … it now has 25 yrs of its own history ..and if Balmain walk away ..that can continue ..

If the Western Bears adopt the North Sydney Bears history …and they (NS) subsequently walk away … then I think Western would need to start completely from scratch …new name , new history

Seems a complication they probably shouldn’t be opening themsleves up to , no?
Perth should have a strangle hold on the name. The Perth Bears.
In years to come if there were to be another expansion in the West could not Fremantle get a gig.
Having said that they may not be abIe to compete with Aussie Rules.
Here in Brisbane, the Broncos have the monopoly of the name in the city, Redcliffe should be known as that for the north, Gold Coast the south and Ipswich the West.
I've heard that the WA team wants to be known for a bigger all encompassing area but what about future expansion?
The Bears may need a said number of years plus options in case a billionaire come in and sets them up on the central coast.
 

BuffaloRules

Coach
Messages
15,451
They may need that sweet Brisbane Tigers coin, also not sure if they have a NSW junior zone anymore (Magpies would probably keep all the Wests Tigers territories). That would be the two major reasons I could think of that they'd entertain their Brisbane cousins.

How much are we talking ? And where will the money go with no juniors to spend it on..into Leo’s back pocket ?
 
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