WA BEARS

[ThornlieBear]

Better chance that Tweed will.

Can’t see them leaving the Titans.

 

[Wb1234]

Can’t see them leaving the Titans.

Don’t bears own the leagues club.

 

[ThornlieBear]

Don’t bears own the leagues club.

That’s a good point.

It would still feel like a new franchise taking away from an existing franchise to me if it happens though. Tweed SeaGulls have been such a long-term and great partners since the Titans inception. There connection through the previous history of Gold Coast Rugby League adds to it for me.

If it were to happen though I would understand it.

 

[SirPies&Beers]

https://www.nospam47. com/au/rugby-...y-18th-nrl-franchise/070b7930c3976888d2c71cb6

 

[SirPies&Beers]

Roger Cook bullish about bid to bring NRL to WA

Labor is continuing to stall on announcing a taxpayer-funded deal with the NRL, instead dealing the Opposition into the drama to back its push to bring an east coast club to WA.

thewest.com.au

Opposition’s past support revealed as Roger Cook prepares to cut a deal with the NRL​

Labor is continuing to stall on announcing a taxpayer-funded deal with the NRL, instead dealing the Opposition into the drama to back its push to bring an east coast club to WA.
A deal to formally resurrect the North Sydney Bears and base the side in Perth is believed to have been struck on Friday, following a meeting of NRL club chief executives in Brisbane. An announcement is expected early next week.
Yet Premier Roger Cook has again refused to release details of the State Government’s offer, instead highlighting that the Opposition had sent letters of support backing the bid.
Labor has released letters from Peter Dutton, Basil Zempilas and other Liberal MPs supporting a push for a WA team. Some are from August last year, around the time WA’s NRL bid by a Perth-based private consortium was rejected.
“We are writing to express our full support for the WA bid for the 18th NRL franchise,” Mr Dutton wrote.
“WA has the necessary resources, talent and support base to become a valuable addition to the NRL.”

Premier Roger Cook has again refused to release details of the State Government’s offer, instead highlighting that the Opposition had sent letters of support backing the bid.
“Finally something me and Mr Dutton agree on,” he joked.
Shadow Sport and Recreation Minister Peter Rundle and deputy Liberal Leader Libby Mettam were also supportive.
In Broome on Friday, Mr Cook said a Perth-based team would be a “great outcome” but refused to talk figures.
“It’d be good for economic activity, it’d be another opportunity for Western Australians to show how they can whip the asses of any Eastern States side,” he said.
“But it has to represent value for money for the WA taxpayers. We’ve had positive discussions with the NRL and we’ve put a proposal to them, we are waiting for their response.”
Rita Saffioti laughed off the idea she would be waiting by the phone this weekend, saying: “No.”
The Treasurer and Sports Minister told The West Australian she “hasn’t seen” a scoping study that was commissioned by the State Government in 2023, at a cost of $500,000.
She again refused to release the results of an economic analysis done in the past few weeks.
“There’s still negotiations in place. Once, and if, those negotiations are completed then all that information will be released,” Ms Saffioti said.
In State Parliament on Thursday, Mr Cook responded with glee to an Opposition question about “gold standard transparency” and what the Government had offered the NRL.
“We put a revised and final position to the ARLC (Australian Rugby League Commission),” he said.

Roger Cook represented WA in rugby. Yes
“Should that be approved . . . the State will be transparent about the terms of any agreement reached. Should we not reach agreement this will obviously be a massive loss of opportunity to Western Australia.
“I’m not the only person passionate about bringing an NRL franchise to the State.”
The Government benches in Parliament erupted, when he read from a letter Liberal Leader, Mr Zempilas, signed when he was Perth Lord Mayor.
“A WA NRL entity is a win win for the new club, the WA Government, the City of Perth, broadcasters and the NRL. I encourage you to favourable consider the case put forward,” he said.
An announcement next week would end a brutal, near-year-long negotiation from Mr Cook, an avid rugby league fan, with the Sydney-based League, after regular updates as part of the discussions were leaked to east coast media.
During the election campaign, Mr Cook was blindsided by claims the League was demanding as much as $320 million from taxpayers, including renovations to HBF Park, forcing him to rule out any money going east as part a deal.
Talks collapsed late last month after the Premier accused the League of treating the State like a “cash cow.”
Instead, the Government’s first public offer included $35 million for growing the support in WA, through schools and the Clontarf Foundation, and a centre for excellence for league in Malaga.
It’s understood a revised $50 million bid from WA includes more funding for growing the sport, but no upgrade of HBF stadium and no license fee paid to the NRL.
Roger Cook refuses to confirm rumours on NRL deal but commits to be ‘fully transparent’ with any agreement

---

Even dutto is behind this lol at basil and tomatoes and the liberal west when their leader agrees with this move

 

[SirPies&Beers]

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=DTWEB_MRE170_a_GGL&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailytelegraph.com.au%2Fsport%2Fnrl%2Farlc-chairman-peter-vlandys-says-an-expanded-nrl-competition-could-see-monday-night-football-return%2Fnews-story%2F44df4eda569fa60d4b2dd2dfeea8afec&memtype=anonymous&mode=premium&v21=HIGH-Segment-1-SCORE

ARLC Chairman Peter V’landys says an expanded NRL competition could see Monday night football return​

It’s been almost a decade since the NRL has seen consistent Monday night footy action – but ARLC chair Peter V’landys says that could change as more teams enter the competition.

5 min read
May 2, 2025 - 4:00PM
News Sport Network
https://archive.md/c7RGD/again?url=...ory/44df4eda569fa60d4b2dd2dfeea8afec#comments

NRL: NRL CEO has been forced to defend the officiating ahead of Magic Round.
Three networks are serious players for the NRL’s TV rights as ARL Commission boss Peter V’landys revealed Monday Night Football could return as part of an 18-team premiership.
V’landys is entering one of the busiest phases of his chairmanship, with the ARLC boss set to formally announce the Perth Bears as the NRL’s 18th team next week, before sitting down for high-powered negotiations on the code’s next broadcast deal.
The return of the Bears, and Papua New Guinea’s entry in 2029 as the 19th team, positions the NRL perfectly for a record TV rights deal tipped to be worth north of $3 billion dollars.
“We have a much more valuable product now,” V’landys said.
“I’m confident the hard work will pay off with a record deal.”
The last scheduled Monday night NRL game was between the Eels and Dragons in Rd 25, 2016. Picture: NRL Photos
MAD MONDAY
Monday Night Football is a premium product in the NFL and V’landys said MNF could return to the NRL from 2027 onwards.
The pending admission of the Perth Bears will give the NRL nine games per round, and V’landys says the extra match could see the code expand its weekly schedule from Thursday to Monday nights.
The NRL staged Monday Night Football for a decade from 2007-16 before axing it from 2017 amid concerns over player workloads and short turnarounds.
But V’landys says the addition of two new franchises by 2028 could lead to the resurrection of a Monday timeslot, with Perth’s time zone giving League Central some scheduling flexibility.
“That (Monday Night Football) is certainly an option,” he said.
“The problem you would have is it makes it very hard on the turnarounds, because if you play on a Monday night, you could have a shorter turnaround.
“We would have to be careful with how the draw is put together so that teams aren’t disadvantaged by the turnaround.
“It’s not impossible, but it makes it more complicated. Having said that, another night of rugby league would be great and Monday night would be perfect for it.”
CQ Capras players Michael Waqa and Tom Farr take photos for the enthusiastic crowd at a pre-season trial game against the PNG Hunters.
20/20 VISION
V’landys said the code’s gradual march towards a 20-team league would also give the NRL scope to reduce the number of rounds and help promote international football.
The NRL currently has 27 regular-season rounds but there is a view the season is at least a month too long, especially if the code is serious about the growth of the international calendar.
Prior to the formation of the NRL in 1998, the Winfield Cup and ARL premierships were played over 22 rounds.
A 20-team competition, in conjunction with Monday Night Football, could see the number of rounds cut back to 19 or 20, creating more latitude for State of Origin and Test football.

Loading embed...
“If we went to 20 teams, that’s the beauty of it, the scheduling,” V’landys said.
“Everyone could play each other once and it reduces the number of rounds, so you have more time for State of Origin and internationals.
“We are very keen to grow the international games and fewer rounds takes some of the workload off the players.
“It’s not just about expansion.
“It’s also about having the premium format for the competition and in years to come, not in my time I’d say, you could even break the NRL into two conferences.
“Nick Politis (billionaire Roosters chairman) deserves all the credit for this.
“It was his vision to go to 20 teams.
“Nick said at an AGM, ‘If this sport is fair dinkum, we need to go to 20 teams’.
“And he is 100 per cent right. We are working towards that slowly. There will be some risks, but there will be huge rewards as well.”
TV RIGHTS
V’landys was tight-lipped about potential bids, but this masthead can reveal existing rights holders Fox Sports and Channel 9 officially have competition for the NRL’s TV rights.
A third network has contacted the ARL Commission to formally express interest.
Up to five or six bidders are expected to take seats at the negotiating table, with V’landys piqued by the emergence of new media streaming giants, with global tentacles, such as Netflix, Amazon and Paramount.
The NRL’s next broadcast deal will span 2028-32 and V’landys revealed he will kick off talks after Magic Round with a view to formalising the code’s richest ever TV rights contract later this year.
Fans may be moving to streaming services to watch footy if the price is right. Picture: Mark Nolan/Getty Images
“We’ll start talks in the next few weeks,” he said.
“There’s a lot of options at the moment. I can confirm we’ve had genuine interest.
“We are confident there are several parties in the marketplace and I’m confident there will be more to come when we begin talks.
“This will be a record deal. We have worked very hard to get our supporter base up. We have gone from 100 million viewers to more than 200 million viewers.
“We have a much more valuable product now, much more valuable.
“We will get a lot more dollars now than we have ever gotten before because of the things we have done to get to where we are.
“That’s not just the NRL’s hard work. It’s the clubs and the players. They will be rewarded. Everyone has worked hard together, they have a game that is the best in the world and naturally we want to make sure we get our financial returns on that.”
The AFL were applauded for their $4.5 billion deal, struck in 2022.
But V’landys won’t be short-changed. The ARLC boss will head to the negotiating table armed with key metrics that show the NRL is a superior TV product to the AFL.
Last year, the NRL and NRLW was the most watched sport in Australia with 186.8 million viewers – 38 million more than the AFL and AFLW.
“We won’t take a backward step on broadcasting,” he said.
“If we sold our rights back then (in 2022), we wouldn’t get anywhere near the deal we will get done now. This has been a planned strategy – and it will pay off big time.”

Vegas is turning into a money-spinner for the NRL. Picture: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
SIN CITY BONANZA
The NRL’s bold venture to launch the season in Las Vegas has not been without its critics. Even some club NRL bosses have privately questioned the concept amid fears the huge logistic exercise has cost the NRL millions.
But in a major revelation, V’landys says Las Vegas will turn a profit in 2026 in a huge shot-in-the-arm for a concept aimed at making incursions into the American gaming and TV market.
“Vegas has turned into a Magic Round as well because next year, we’re probably going to make a $1 million a year out of Vegas, probably more than that,” he said.
“So it’s not only turned into one of the great promotions, but it’s a money spinner. People who say Vegas is losing all this money, it’s nonsense.
“It will just get bigger again next year and we’re not finished with Vegas just yet.
“This is a five-year deal and the proof is in the pudding. The ratings alone and fan support from England this year shows it’s been a great success.”

 

[SirPies&Beers]

Any word on what happened today in ceos meeting @Red&BlackBear ?

 

[Wb1234]

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=DTWEB_MRE170_a_GGL&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailytelegraph.com.au%2Fsport%2Fnrl%2Farlc-chairman-peter-vlandys-says-an-expanded-nrl-competition-could-see-monday-night-football-return%2Fnews-story%2F44df4eda569fa60d4b2dd2dfeea8afec&memtype=anonymous&mode=premium&v21=HIGH-Segment-1-SCORE

ARLC Chairman Peter V’landys says an expanded NRL competition could see Monday night football return​

It’s been almost a decade since the NRL has seen consistent Monday night footy action – but ARLC chair Peter V’landys says that could change as more teams enter the competition.

5 min read
May 2, 2025 - 4:00PM
News Sport Network
https://archive.md/c7RGD/again?url=...ory/44df4eda569fa60d4b2dd2dfeea8afec#comments

NRL: NRL CEO has been forced to defend the officiating ahead of Magic Round.
Three networks are serious players for the NRL’s TV rights as ARL Commission boss Peter V’landys revealed Monday Night Football could return as part of an 18-team premiership.
V’landys is entering one of the busiest phases of his chairmanship, with the ARLC boss set to formally announce the Perth Bears as the NRL’s 18th team next week, before sitting down for high-powered negotiations on the code’s next broadcast deal.
The return of the Bears, and Papua New Guinea’s entry in 2029 as the 19th team, positions the NRL perfectly for a record TV rights deal tipped to be worth north of $3 billion dollars.
“We have a much more valuable product now,” V’landys said.
“I’m confident the hard work will pay off with a record deal.”
The last scheduled Monday night NRL game was between the Eels and Dragons in Rd 25, 2016. Picture: NRL Photos
MAD MONDAY
Monday Night Football is a premium product in the NFL and V’landys said MNF could return to the NRL from 2027 onwards.
The pending admission of the Perth Bears will give the NRL nine games per round, and V’landys says the extra match could see the code expand its weekly schedule from Thursday to Monday nights.
The NRL staged Monday Night Football for a decade from 2007-16 before axing it from 2017 amid concerns over player workloads and short turnarounds.
But V’landys says the addition of two new franchises by 2028 could lead to the resurrection of a Monday timeslot, with Perth’s time zone giving League Central some scheduling flexibility.
“That (Monday Night Football) is certainly an option,” he said.
“The problem you would have is it makes it very hard on the turnarounds, because if you play on a Monday night, you could have a shorter turnaround.
“We would have to be careful with how the draw is put together so that teams aren’t disadvantaged by the turnaround.
“It’s not impossible, but it makes it more complicated. Having said that, another night of rugby league would be great and Monday night would be perfect for it.”
CQ Capras players Michael Waqa and Tom Farr take photos for the enthusiastic crowd at a pre-season trial game against the PNG Hunters.
20/20 VISION
V’landys said the code’s gradual march towards a 20-team league would also give the NRL scope to reduce the number of rounds and help promote international football.
The NRL currently has 27 regular-season rounds but there is a view the season is at least a month too long, especially if the code is serious about the growth of the international calendar.
Prior to the formation of the NRL in 1998, the Winfield Cup and ARL premierships were played over 22 rounds.
A 20-team competition, in conjunction with Monday Night Football, could see the number of rounds cut back to 19 or 20, creating more latitude for State of Origin and Test football.

Loading embed...
“If we went to 20 teams, that’s the beauty of it, the scheduling,” V’landys said.
“Everyone could play each other once and it reduces the number of rounds, so you have more time for State of Origin and internationals.
“We are very keen to grow the international games and fewer rounds takes some of the workload off the players.
“It’s not just about expansion.
“It’s also about having the premium format for the competition and in years to come, not in my time I’d say, you could even break the NRL into two conferences.
“Nick Politis (billionaire Roosters chairman) deserves all the credit for this.
“It was his vision to go to 20 teams.
“Nick said at an AGM, ‘If this sport is fair dinkum, we need to go to 20 teams’.
“And he is 100 per cent right. We are working towards that slowly. There will be some risks, but there will be huge rewards as well.”
TV RIGHTS
V’landys was tight-lipped about potential bids, but this masthead can reveal existing rights holders Fox Sports and Channel 9 officially have competition for the NRL’s TV rights.
A third network has contacted the ARL Commission to formally express interest.
Up to five or six bidders are expected to take seats at the negotiating table, with V’landys piqued by the emergence of new media streaming giants, with global tentacles, such as Netflix, Amazon and Paramount.
The NRL’s next broadcast deal will span 2028-32 and V’landys revealed he will kick off talks after Magic Round with a view to formalising the code’s richest ever TV rights contract later this year.
Fans may be moving to streaming services to watch footy if the price is right. Picture: Mark Nolan/Getty Images
“We’ll start talks in the next few weeks,” he said.
“There’s a lot of options at the moment. I can confirm we’ve had genuine interest.
“We are confident there are several parties in the marketplace and I’m confident there will be more to come when we begin talks.
“This will be a record deal. We have worked very hard to get our supporter base up. We have gone from 100 million viewers to more than 200 million viewers.
“We have a much more valuable product now, much more valuable.
“We will get a lot more dollars now than we have ever gotten before because of the things we have done to get to where we are.
“That’s not just the NRL’s hard work. It’s the clubs and the players. They will be rewarded. Everyone has worked hard together, they have a game that is the best in the world and naturally we want to make sure we get our financial returns on that.”
The AFL were applauded for their $4.5 billion deal, struck in 2022.
But V’landys won’t be short-changed. The ARLC boss will head to the negotiating table armed with key metrics that show the NRL is a superior TV product to the AFL.
Last year, the NRL and NRLW was the most watched sport in Australia with 186.8 million viewers – 38 million more than the AFL and AFLW.
“We won’t take a backward step on broadcasting,” he said.
“If we sold our rights back then (in 2022), we wouldn’t get anywhere near the deal we will get done now. This has been a planned strategy – and it will pay off big time.”

Vegas is turning into a money-spinner for the NRL. Picture: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
SIN CITY BONANZA
The NRL’s bold venture to launch the season in Las Vegas has not been without its critics. Even some club NRL bosses have privately questioned the concept amid fears the huge logistic exercise has cost the NRL millions.
But in a major revelation, V’landys says Las Vegas will turn a profit in 2026 in a huge shot-in-the-arm for a concept aimed at making incursions into the American gaming and TV market.
“Vegas has turned into a Magic Round as well because next year, we’re probably going to make a $1 million a year out of Vegas, probably more than that,” he said.
“So it’s not only turned into one of the great promotions, but it’s a money spinner. People who say Vegas is losing all this money, it’s nonsense.
“It will just get bigger again next year and we’re not finished with Vegas just yet.
“This is a five-year deal and the proof is in the pudding. The ratings alone and fan support from England this year shows it’s been a great success.”

Repost on the tv rights thread that’s good info ?

 

[Red&BlackBear]

Any word on what happened today in ceos meeting @Red&BlackBear ?

I caught up with a couple of the gentlemen after for a drink and a bit of a feed. Thanked a couple of them.

One or two of them might be getting heavily discounted renovations or their kids junior footy club might be getting new club houses in the near future.

I’ve done my part. Now to start looking into some sort of “charitable” funding towards one, or two of the WA junior clubs next year or so.