EDITORIAL: NRL gives rugby league-loving Cook the old show & go
Speaking at The West Australian’s Leadership Matters breakfast in the dying days of the State election campaign, Roger Cook gave what appeared to be an iron-clad pledge not to spend your money on his personal passion project to establish a rugby league team in Perth.
“Sport and, indeed, national sport franchises are big business, and it’s a great opportunity for our economy, but not a single dollar of taxpayers’ dollars will go to the NRL,” the Premier said.
It was conceded that the NRL’s proposal to the WA Government — which was reported to carry a price tag of $320 million — simply wouldn’t wash with footy-obsessed West Aussies.
‘It’s got to happen quickly’: Peter V’landys mounts post-election pressure on Roger Cook over WA NRL side
But less than 48 hours after Mr Cook was returned as Premier with a diminished — but still thumping — majority, it was back on the agenda.
NRL chairman Peter V’Landys wasted no time in bringing negotiations back to the top of Mr Cook’s in-tray.
And he gave a different account of where talks stood, indicating things were well progressed.
“Look, it’s got to happen quickly and Roger and I made an agreement just before the election, or well before the election, that once the election started, we would down tools and wouldn’t discuss it,” Mr V’landys said.
“That’s what we did.
“So now the ball is in their court to come back to us. We put a proposal to (them) so it’s up to them to come back to us.”
Mitchell Johnson: Nothing quite light pre-season hype to get the footy fires burning
WA election 2025: Roger Cook rules out taxpayers’ money for NRL deal in last minute campaign revelation
That will come as news to West Aussies, who were told by Mr Cook just last month that talks with the NRL were in “very early days”.
Along with his claim that “not a single dollar” would go to the NRL to secure a deal, Mr Cook has said any agreement would need to be a “benefit to the WA economy”.
Nowhere in that has he ruled out spending up big on upgrades to sporting facilities. That original $320 million figure — which Mr Cook described as “fanciful” — was reported to include $200 million to upgrade HBF Park, which would act as a new team’s home ground.
West Australians won’t differentiate between money sent directly to the NRL or that which is spent building luxurious new corporate boxes at existing stadiums — they won’t tolerate extravagant spending on a team no one asked for in the first place.
Mr Cook must not take his election win at the weekend as an endorsement of his rugby league fantasy.
If a franchise can be secured at a reasonable price — and a net benefit to the State —that should be explored.
But at the moment, long time rugby league fan Mr Cook is being played off the field by Mr V’landys, who has a hard-earned reputation as a master tactician.
He proved then when he brokered a deal with the Australian Government worth $600m — $60m of which will go towards the code’s existing teams — to establish a franchise in PNG.
This may be one game Mr Cook simply can’t win.
NRL chairman Peter V’Landys wasted no time in bringing negotiations back to the top of Mr Cook’s in-tray.
thewest.com.au
