West Coast Pirates Bid News

[bobmar28]

Ryan backs Perth NRL team
Former Kangaroo forward Andrew Ryan believes Australia has enough talent coming through junior ranks to sustain an expanded National Rugby League competition.

Ryan, a NSW State of Origin representative who had nine seasons with Canterbury, also said an expanded competition could help stop the player drain to the English Super League.

Ryan, now an NRL ambassador after hanging up his boots in 2011, is in Perth as part of the sport's community carnival and "tackle bullying" program and to promote the two NRL games at nib Stadium this year. The Bulldogs clash with Melbourne on Saturday, March 29 and South Sydney tackle the Warriors in June.

NRL boss Dave Smith has said expanding the 16-team competition is on the agenda for the end of this season however it is unlikely to take place until the current broadcasting deal runs out in three years.

Ryan, who with three other ambassadors, former players Ben Ross, Matt Cooper and Scott Prince, will take the NRL program to 5000 Perth schoolchildren this week, said the city would be an ideal place for its own expansion side.

"In my opinion, if they are looking to expand the competition it would be great to have a team playing out of here," Ryan said.

"There is a big supporter base and the live TV spot is obviously a feature. I think it would work very well. Often people speak about how many teams are in Sydney but I'm not sure what the locals would be like here with a relocated team.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/21826221/ryan-backs-perth-nrl-team/

No relocations. Sydney teams should merge to make room for teams in areas outside NSW.

 

[Perth Red]

Interestingly the Pirates are the only bid who have staff linked to it that are employed by the NRL. The WARL CEO and GM are both employed by the NRL and heavily involved in the bid. You'd think they would have insider info on what was happening with expansion, maybe why the bid has been so quiet of late?

 

[taipan]

Interestingly the Pirates are the only bid who have staff linked to it that are employed by the NRL. The WARL CEO and GM are both employed by the NRL and heavily involved in the bid. You'd think they would have insider info on what was happening with expansion, maybe why the bid has been so quiet of late?

Conflict of interest:sarcasm:

 

[Perth Red]

Conflict of interest:sarcasm:

Like NRL having 3 board members at Tigers or funding Storm $4mill more than others? NRL is now finally running the game and I can see them wanting a say in the running of the Pirates in the early years to protect their investment. I'm happy to see the game running the game for the good of the game.

 

[Perth Red]

Head to Perth, Dave, you won’t regret it
By Jason Lee

About twelve months ago, an ex-NRL first grader told me that rugby league in Perth was about to explode.
And he was right. Perth is primed for an NRL team.
With every passing year that volcano simmers and the inevitable eruption gets closer.
There are obvious reasons that the NRL should expand to Perth. We read about the bid in the media every day.
Prime TV slots, massive injections of money from mining magnates and cashed up sponsors in Western Australia. It’s all there, ready to go.
However, what people don’t realise is that it goes way beyond that.
The junior competition in Perth is strong. Granted, to someone who has seen junior rugby league on the east coast, it doesn’t compare favourably.
But take into account that Perth is thousands of miles from rugby league’s heartland and well and truly smack in the middle of AFL territory, and even the harshest critic will crack a wry smile and concede that it is doing well.
There are 10 junior clubs in Western Australia’s capital.
Mind you, that is only counting Perth and not other competitions around WA that are also very strong; the Pilbara is one that comes to mind.
Every one of these clubs has a proud tradition of rugby league, and boast a number of local juniors who have since gone on to play first grade in the NRL.
Rugby league was at its strongest in Perth when the Western Reds were in the national competition.
The reasons for this are obvious. They had a local presence in the strongest competition in the world and this created a distinct pathway for local juniors.
Interest in the game was huge, and everyone wanted to be a part of it.
Unfortunately for Perth, and WA as a whole, the fallout of the Super League war saw the ARL in damage control mode, and Perth were one of the casualties of a competition that was forced to withdraw to its heartland to rebuild.
This was understandable, but was a huge dagger in the heart of the fans in Western Australia, and did nothing to help the local clubs compete against a rising passion for AFL and the Eagles.
Fast forward to today. The situation in Perth has done almost a full 360 and interest has peaked once more.
Why? The mining boom is one big reason.
People don’t realise how many people from the eastern states have moved into Perth in the past five years.



http://www.theroar.com.au/2014/03/2...ont-regret-it/comment-page-8/#comment-2275376

 

[Perth Red]

This weekend two heavyweights take to the field as Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs face the Melbourne Storm at nib Stadium.

Former Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs halfback Steve Mortimer is pleased to see the growth of the game in Western Australia recently had a chat in Sydney with the Pirates academy team.

The man who captained New South Wales during the State of Origins series in 1984 and 1985 said that the new governance of Rugby League in Perth would be a main factor for the development of the game in WA.

This is exemplified with the Melbourne Storm v Canterbury Bulldogs curtain raiser featuring the West Coast Pirates and the Illawarra Cutters SG Ball sides.

“It is wonderful seeing Perth having a youth team playing Rugby League. I have no doubt that Western Australians are very much on the focus of expanding their game across Australia,” he said.

Mortimer said he has hopes for a Perth representation at the professional level in the next 3 to 5 years.

“There are plenty of committed people here in Perth who have a passion for developing Rugby League,” he said.

http://warugbyleague.com.au/turvey-backs-growth-of-nrl-in-wa/

 

[papabear]

It is hard to see perth not getting a team.

 

[oikee]

Perth and Brisbane are the best options for now, followed by Wellington which is crying out for a team and a third team in Brisbane as soon as possible after that. If they can merge a further two Sydney teams the code could really grow. They cant have any more than a 18 team comp. It is just too many teams.
They need to get Sydney sorted, they are now holding the code back.

 

[flippikat]

Perth and Brisbane are the best options for now, followed by Wellington which is crying out for a team and a third team in Brisbane as soon as possible after that. If they can merge a further two Sydney teams the code could really grow. They cant have any more than a 18 team comp. It is just too many teams.
They need to get Sydney sorted, they are now holding the code back.

Yep, that's one of the greatest dilemmas in the game right now - maybe *the* greatest.

The expansionists vs the traditionalists.. it's boiled away since the 1990s - the Superleague war was a flashpoint - but the tensions are still there.

 

[RUG13Y]

Judging by the lack of presence at the Canterbury Storm game, it looks like the Pirates have given up on a NRL team. :sarcasm:

 

[Perth Red]

Given the warl is run by the NRL maybe they know something we don't?

 

[Perth Red]

Seems they do and it's not good news. Thanks for shitting on us again NRL!


NRL in Perth takes a beating
The WA Rugby League was misled into believing it was in line for a side in an expanded National Rugby League competition when it launched West Coast Pirates two year ago.

Australian Rugby League Commission chairman John Grant said the then rugby league administration handled the expansion issue badly.

Grant, in Perth to watch the Bulldogs' 40-12 win over Melbourne Storm in front of 12,000 supporters at nib Stadium on Saturday night, stressed there were still no plans for an expansion.

"We didn't even architect the process out of which came the Pirates. We as an administration, and it was pre-commission, didn't handle that well," Grant said.

"We gave people the oppor- tunity to build expectations that they should not have had.

"I think we misled them and that's inappropriate so we've tried to correct that. Good rugby league people spent a lot of time and energy pursuing something that wasn't even on the table and I think that's very disappointing.

"There has been a lot of disappointment in that process, however you've got to be true with people, you've got to tell them exactly what's going on, which is what we've tried to do.

"We've put this whole issue for NRL expansion off the agenda to post-2014. At the end of the season we'll do the right work to understand what makes sense.

"If we are going to expand at the NRL level, and there's no commitment that we will, we would look at all the areas. We would need to find out where the WARL would stand if an NRL expansion was on.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/sport/a/22271019/nrl-in-perth-takes-a-beating/

 

[taipan]

Seems they do and it's not good news. Thanks for shitting on us again NRL!


NRL in Perth takes a beating
The WA Rugby League was misled into believing it was in line for a side in an expanded National Rugby League competition when it launched West Coast Pirates two year ago.

Australian Rugby League Commission chairman John Grant said the then rugby league administration handled the expansion issue badly.

Grant, in Perth to watch the Bulldogs' 40-12 win over Melbourne Storm in front of 12,000 supporters at nib Stadium on Saturday night, stressed there were still no plans for an expansion.

"We didn't even architect the process out of which came the Pirates. We as an administration, and it was pre-commission, didn't handle that well," Grant said.

"We gave people the oppor- tunity to build expectations that they should not have had.

"I think we misled them and that's inappropriate so we've tried to correct that. Good rugby league people spent a lot of time and energy pursuing something that wasn't even on the table and I think that's very disappointing.

"There has been a lot of disappointment in that process, however you've got to be true with people, you've got to tell them exactly what's going on, which is what we've tried to do.

"We've put this whole issue for NRL expansion off the agenda to post-2014. At the end of the season we'll do the right work to understand what makes sense.

"If we are going to expand at the NRL level, and there's no commitment that we will, we would look at all the areas. We would need to find out where the WARL would stand if an NRL expansion was on.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/sport/a/22271019/nrl-in-perth-takes-a-beating/

Nothing has changed.The possible expansion issue was always going to be left til after the 2014 NRL season.If Perth and whoever can show they will contribute greatly (financially /TV /sponsorship/participation to an expanded comp by end 2014,and make a compelling argument,then get ready for action.
Blame the dopey Gallop admin for letting it run its course ,in the past.That admin was running on empty,and did not have the guts to spell out expansion would be delayed .

 

[Perth Red]

Another east coast convert. Top effort to drive across for the game!

http://www.rugbyleagueprofiler.com/...ds-an-nrl-team&catid=34:latest-blog&Itemid=92

 

[RedVee]

Seems they do and it's not good news. Thanks for shitting on us again NRL!


NRL in Perth takes a beating
The WA Rugby League was misled into believing it was in line for a side in an expanded National Rugby League competition when it launched West Coast Pirates two year ago.

Australian Rugby League Commission chairman John Grant said the then rugby league administration handled the expansion issue badly.

Grant, in Perth to watch the Bulldogs' 40-12 win over Melbourne Storm in front of 12,000 supporters at nib Stadium on Saturday night, stressed there were still no plans for an expansion.

"We didn't even architect the process out of which came the Pirates. We as an administration, and it was pre-commission, didn't handle that well," Grant said.

"We gave people the oppor- tunity to build expectations that they should not have had.

"I think we misled them and that's inappropriate so we've tried to correct that. Good rugby league people spent a lot of time and energy pursuing something that wasn't even on the table and I think that's very disappointing.

"There has been a lot of disappointment in that process, however you've got to be true with people, you've got to tell them exactly what's going on, which is what we've tried to do.

"We've put this whole issue for NRL expansion off the agenda to post-2014. At the end of the season we'll do the right work to understand what makes sense.

"If we are going to expand at the NRL level, and there's no commitment that we will, we would look at all the areas. We would need to find out where the WARL would stand if an NRL expansion was on.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/sport/a/22271019/nrl-in-perth-takes-a-beating/

Haven't heard much from the "other" WA bid team for a while either

 

[Perth Red]

First WA SG Ball junior to make first grade NRL start this weekend. Good luck Curtis.



http://www.cowboys.com.au/news/2014/04/15/rona_to_debut_for_toyota_cowboys.html

 

[georgesnmith]

greg florimo made some interesting comments on the decision to expand after recent discussions with todd greenberg in the latest edition of Big League magazine

 

[RUG13Y]

greg florimo made some interesting comments on the decision to expand after recent discussions with todd greenberg in the latest edition of Big League magazine

And?

 

[RedVee]

Link? Or excerpt?

 

[I Bleed Maroon]

I tell you what. if Perth miss out while pulling 10k+ crowds at fixtures that have nothing to do with WA, the whole thing is a farce.