Just popped up in the West Australian:
Deal between State Government and NRL for North Sydney Bears team to be announced on Thursday.
WTF with the North Sydney Bears bit though.
Pretty sure
@Red&BlackBear said this pages back or at least alluded to later in the week this week.
Roger Cook will face pressure to come clean with taxpayers over the value of the deal, after the Government was understood to have tabled a revised offer last month of $50 million to grow local participation.
thewest.com.au
Deal between State Government and NRL for North Sydney Bears team to be announced on Thursday
A deal between the State Government and the NRL to resurrect the North Sydney Bears is set to be announced on Thursday, after months of negotiations between the parties.
Sources say powerful League boss Peter V’Landys is due fly to Perth for the announcement alongside Roger Cook later this week, in a move which will force the Premier to reveal details of the deal and the cost to taxpayers.
It is understood the deal was signed off by club chief executives over the weekend, while the League held their “Magic Round” in Brisbane.
Mr Cook was asked on Monday if he had been contacted by the NRL about the deal, responding: “No”.
“I literally haven’t heard anything. Obviously, I get snippets of east coast sports media, like you all do, I’m watching it with with a level of amusement, I must say, but we’ll wait for an official announcement,” he said.
“I have learned over the last 12 months or so that sports media is perhaps the most well informed in terms of a stream of rumour and gossip that of any area of media I’ve ever come across.”
Mr Cook will face pressure to come clean with taxpayers over the value of the deal, after the Government was understood to have tabled a revised offer last month of $50 million to grow local participation.
Premier Roger Cook has not heard anything official about Perth-based NRL team
Roger Cook refuses to confirm rumours on NRL deal but commits to be ‘fully transparent’ with any agreement
The State Government and Mr Cook have vowed to release details, as well as economic modelling which shows the deal offers a benefit to WA, once an announcement is made.
While originally central to the League’s demands, a request to upgrade HBF Park has not been offered by WA, instead rugby league will have a “centre of excellence” at a $20 million Malaga sporting precinct.
It came after North Sydney director Billy Moore told east coast radio over the weekend the new WA club’s focus was on growing participation, amid a dearth of interest at a community level. Currently, just 6000 adults and children play league in WA.
“We’ll get that up to 20,000 in 10 years,” Moore said.
“Inside 10 years, we want to get five bonafide WA players in our top 30 squad. That will mean we will have done our job in pathways and production.
Western Bears: NRL announcement set to come as early as next week, forcing Labor’s hand on cost
“We’ve got to make sure we do our part. We’ll give them that opportunity and they’ll grow and develop.”
WA’s side has prompted fevered speculation over east about the make up of the team, with reports the relocated club will initially be used to entice South African rugby union players to play in the NRL.
“Since the speculation of the Bears team in Western Australia, we’ve been inundated by agents and by other parties wanting to tell me the opportunities of having South African rugby union players and how they would adapt to rugby league,” Mr V’landys said to east coast media.
“But also it could open up a new market in South Africa because it’s got over 70 million people.
“So it could be a dual win in the sense that we could get some very, very good players but also get a new market in South Africa.”
www.6pr.com.au
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are back BABY 
