Fallen out of love’: Wayne Bennett comments on NRL expansion plans with Western Bears
Mark Molyneux
In a seemingly never-ending cycle of boom and bust, the prospect of an NRL club based out of Western Australia has hit the skids again.
ARL Commission supremo Peter V’landys and WA premier Roger Cook have been engaged in a running battle via the media in recent weeks with dreams of an 18th team in Perth set to fall by the wayside during increasingly strained negotiations.
Yet South Sydney coach Wayne Bennett, who has been involved in the expansion talks, has expressed his belief that the two parties will eventually reach an agreement and bring the North Sydney Bears out of hibernation in the west.
Wayne Bennett comments on NRL expansion plans with Western Bears
V’landys stated that he was confident a deal would be struck with the WA government after protracted talks with a consortium led by Cash Converters owner Peter Cumins had previously yielded no results.
"The Western Australian situation is still progressing," V'landys said last December as he unveiled the historic PNG-based outfit alongside Aussie Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
These discussions were put on the backburner though earlier this year as Cook sought to lead Labor to its third consecutive term in his home state.
Before winning the vote and in the weeks after the May 8 landslide, Cook voiced his displeasure with the NRL’s attitudes towards WA in various interviews.
"Given our location on the Indian Ocean rim and in the same time zone as 60 per cent of the world’s population, the strategic value of a Western Australian side should be self-evident to the NRL," Cook declared.
"Unfortunately, like some people from the east, the NRL only appears to see WA as a potential cash cow."
Bennett has always been a vocal supporter of the expansion and remains steadfast in his belief that Perth should be the home of the next NRL franchise.
The Rabbitohs coach has ventured west once again this week as his side prepares to take on North Queensland in a double-header at Optus Stadium.
This follows on from him being at the helm during the Dolphins’ forays to Perth, allowing him to see the opportunities for growth first-hand.
Despite the recent souring of relations, the mastercoach refuses to believe the Bears deal is dead in the water.
"I was there 12 months ago with the premier (Cook) when Peter Beattie came over from the ARL Commission," Bennett told
The Courier Mail.
"Everybody was happy and it looked like it was all going to happen, so I don’t know why they have fallen out of love so quickly."
Stipulations around entrance into the competition have meant the potential next franchise is teetering on the brink of collapse.
Disagreements over required investment figures are the major sticking point with the redevelopment of HBF Park and long-term financial commitments into grassroots systems causing issues.
However, Bennett revealed he remained optimistic that a deal could be reached as the advantages of a Perth-based outfit were simply too good to pass up.
"There is a bit of posturing, governments are always looking for the best deal and the NRL is looking for a deal," Bennett said.
"But they need to come together and I’m confident it will happen soon.
"I really do believe we need a team in Perth.
"Western Australia is a massive state, the richest state in Australia, they have great facilities there and rugby league is well known there now.
"I hope they can sort things out and come together on it. I think they will, I really do believe they will work it out."
