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WA BEARS

Bukowski

Bench
Messages
2,649
Jim Jeffires said he was only trying to buy in for 3%.
Not sure if the buy-in is ridiculously high, he's not as willing to put his money where his mouth is, or if he's just not as rich as a celebrity of his stature should be.
Is he out?
 

bazza

Immortal
Messages
30,670
Should ask twiggy, and let him do joint double header games with the Western Force, if they could make a thing of it most fortnight's, then he'd be interested if only to boost awareness for the force and increase their crowds aswell as advertising for his own purposes thru league aswell, he wouldn't need to sponsor the dragons like he does now either, or just do both, (hell he has the mula for it), trouble is for that all to work either the ARU or NRL need to align perths games
would have thought any partnership with the Force would be to try and get alternative weekend games so that someone is playing at HBF every week
 

Red&BlackBear

First Grade
Messages
5,425
Is he out?
Last I heard he was all in. It was just a matter of how and when. I guess those conversations have been directly with Norths and maybe he has or hasn’t had a chance to engage with the WA consortium side of things yet. Unsure.

Regardless of all that mumbo jumbo, JJ would be the highest profile supporter. It would be insanity to not bring him in some capacity. He brings something no one else at this point can bring, instant recognition of the brand on a global scene due to his status.

But beyond all that if he does ultimately come in then I again state what I said before. There will eventually be Bears people as board members and most likely those board members aren’t even Norths board members yet or may never be Norths board members in all honesty but they will be Bears people.
 
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RedVee

First Grade
Messages
7,029
I’m sure the article will get posted here today at some point but WA Consortium have been talking to Paul Smith (owner of Sydney Kings) from NSW and Paul Kind (former NRL senior executive) from NSW to be key stakeholders in the Western Bears.

Echoing what I said months ago. WA Consortium are looking beyond WA alone in who make up the board, stakeholders and financial benefactors. Now here we are with two lads from Sydney and Wollongong being figures.
Paul Smith was the guy the Dragons passed on in favour of the Gordon’s when the Steelers share was for sale.
 

RedVee

First Grade
Messages
7,029
TSe claimed they paid less, other articles has them paying same. dragons debt was $6mill at time so it would have been at least that. Either way Wb's assertion that they paid multiple amounts of $10mill is debunked as usual!
Steelers debt really. A lot of which was owed to WIN anyway. St G Leagues had given Steelers a loan earlier on but got into trouble because they provided a preferential, eg non commercial, interest rate and had to call the loan back. Then WIN helped them out and took property ownership as security from memory. In the end Steelers had to sell off their 50%. As part of the original agreement the shareholding had to be first offered to the other shareholder. St G was happy to buy it but the NRL knocked it back. Then eventually we got to the position we are now, a club owned 50:50 between a single (not 2) footy club and a business investor.
 

Nuke

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
5,361
Harsh but fair
Yeah. If situations were reversed, does anyone think for a sceric of a moment that union would want to be doing anything that could potentially help us? No. They would be the equivalent of the farmer standing over his sick animal and putting a bullet through its head to end the suffering.

We do the same. They are more vulnerable than ever before in my memory. We take every advantage. Foot to the throat.
 

Reflector

Bench
Messages
2,534
You forgot the nswrl multiple time In the 80s

only admitted to stop 11 straight and in hindsight the biggest mistake the nswrl did

admitting wentworhville with Penrith would’ve been a better result
Wentworthville?

They would've inevitably merged with Parra
 

Wb1234

Immortal
Messages
33,578
f**k union, let them die!
All those millions twiggy and the aru spent would just go to rugby league when the force eventually are killed off

that would be two of your clubs getting instant juniors without doing a thing
Yeah. If situations were reversed, does anyone think for a sceric of a moment that union would want to be doing anything that could potentially help us? No. They would be the equivalent of the farmer standing over his sick animal and putting a bullet through its head to end the suffering.

We do the same. They are more vulnerable than ever before in my memory. We take every advantage. Foot to the throat.
After the qru went broke after ww1 Harry sunderrland of the boss of the qrl(qra?) held benefit games for the qru to help them get re established
 

MugaB

Coach
Messages
15,010
All those millions twiggy and the aru spent would just go to rugby league when the force eventually are killed off

that would be two of your clubs getting instant juniors without doing a thing
For how long? That is only worth a few seasons,
1ST grade clubs create 1st Grade players, Bears or Force, it don't matter, there's no upside to not having them around
 

Perth Red

Post Whore
Messages
69,520
For how long? That is only worth a few seasons,
1ST grade clubs create 1st Grade players, Bears or Force, it don't matter, there's no upside to not having them around
Most kids here play union and RL. The good ones at the moment head off to the Force academy as they have the pathways to a prof career. No Force no option but for the best kids to join the Western Bears set up. I'm quite happy to see the Force disappear. The union club game here is still going strong and would continue regardless as its more a social thing and to some degree cultural with the kiwis and saffers and southern poms in WA.
 

MugaB

Coach
Messages
15,010
Most kids here play union and RL. The good ones at the moment head off to the Force academy as they have the pathways to a prof career. No Force no option but for the best kids to join the Western Bears set up. I'm quite happy to see the Force disappear. The union club game here is still going strong and would continue regardless as its more a social thing and to some degree cultural with the kiwis and saffers and southern poms in WA.
Again, 1st grade clubs create 1st grade players, to want to rid of the Force is stupidity, not when you can raid their local juniors, and they can try to raid yours too, but I'm confident that better players want to stay playing the better more challenging sport of RL
 

Perth Red

Post Whore
Messages
69,520
Again, 1st grade clubs create 1st grade players, to want to rid of the Force is stupidity, not when you can raid their local juniors, and they can try to raid yours too, but I'm confident that better players want to stay playing the better more challenging sport of RL
What's stupid is not taking an opportunity to bury a competitor.
 

Red&BlackBear

First Grade
Messages
5,425
What's stupid is not taking an opportunity to bury a competitor.
Depends what happens to the would-be and potential consumer after you bury the competitor though.

Your product shouldn’t be dependant on burying competition. Matter of fact it should be strong enough to sway would be and potential consumers from the competitors over in an authentic, organic and genuine way. IE our product is superior in multiple facets such as costs, travel, family, entertainment and general engagement between product and consumer.

It’s smarter to use those said strengths to pull the would-be and potential consumers over then risk simply burying a competitor and then those same would be and potential consumers actually end up going to another competitor instead of your product IE. Western Bears crush Western Force but then the Force fans jump over Dockers or Eagles in AFL as opposed to Bears in the NRL.

Commercial chess and Rugby is doing a fine job in its own self implosion here. We don’t need to waste energy or time for them. Spend that energy and time growing/strengthening our own game/product.
 
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