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West Coast Pirates Bid News

Santino Patane

Juniors
Messages
243
A
I had similar thoughts a couple of weeks ago about the Titans ditching blue. Find a nice shade of gold that is somewhere in the middle of broncos yellow and crushers mustard, make that their main colour. Maybe keep navy just for minor details in a similar way to how the Storm use yellow, but that combo is a bit ‘crusher-ish’.

Although their home jersey is the best they’ve had in a long time, I still don’t love it. I think light blue and yellow are a difficult colour combo to get right
As a Titans fan, supporter and member- absolutely no. Our colours actually represent something real about the coast (surf, sea, sand). The response from the fans to getting our colours right this year has been overwhelming positive and the club accepts it is a move in the right direction.
 

toomuchsoup

Juniors
Messages
2,060
Shows there are plenty of rich backers willing to get behind a perth team. Sht name though and I would have reservations about Sage given his failures with Perth Glory.


In an exclusive for Wide World of Sports, The NRL Economist reveals the name chosen by the wealthy investors of a Perth-based expansion bid.

While the race for the NRL's 17th license heats up in Brisbane, another expansion group is watching with interest, keen to invest $30 million in order to launch a new team in Western Australia.

Successful businessman Tony Sage has registered the name West Coast Quokkas with the expectation that the NRL will inevitably need to expand the competition into Western Australia. The bid team also registered Perth Quokkas and Western Quokkas as alternative options.


The entrepreneur, who owns A-League club Perth glory and previously played rugby league for Port Hacking High School, is a huge Cronulla Sharks fan. His interest in launching a new team started years ago, having previously met with former NRL CEO David Gallop. He believes his bid team are best placed to grow the game in the west.

"The time zone is perfect for super Saturday, with a 6.30pm kick-off here being prime time over in the East. The synergies with the Perth Glory and the stadium are perfect," Sage said


The tycoon previously set up a sporting structure called West Coast Sports and hoped he could also get the Perth Wildcats on board.

WA's state Premier Mark McGowan supports the idea of expanding into Perth, willing to work with the governing body on making it happen.

Likewise, Sage is also keen to be involved in helping develop the code, which announced its intention to take its showpiece State of Origin event to Perth again in 2022. He believes an 18th franchise is crucial for the game.

"It would be a huge benefit not only for ex-pat fans but more importantly, help the grassroots which is not gaining ground in WA. It's not the National Rugby League without teams in Perth and Adelaide," Sage said.

The choice of the Quokkas mascot is interesting. Many have proposed a Perth franchise adopt the old North Sydney Bears colours and mascot as the West Coast Bears. The Quokkas syndicate refuses to entertain this idea, believing they need to create their own history with a completely new name.

While the quokka is indeed distinctive, the iconic wallaby species was actually also selected as Perth's official mascot for the T20 Cricket World Cup (the men's tournament was cancelled last year due to COVID-19).




https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/nrl-ec...vfMo5TjaM5J2y7sBP2_QAaxWmmMAs2f1TGYUjHCY43-mo

That name certainly doesn’t roll off the tongue. West Coast Pirates is such a great brand name. So many marketing options. I’d be SOOOO disappointed if the 2 new teams were ‘the Quokkas and the Firehawks‘
 

toomuchsoup

Juniors
Messages
2,060
A

As a Titans fan, supporter and member- absolutely no. Our colours actually represent something real about the coast (surf, sea, sand). The response from the fans to getting our colours right this year has been overwhelming positive and the club accepts it is a move in the right direction.

Fair enough. I do like the Titans, but I’ve just never been that into their branding. I think a new logo would do them some good
 

Santino Patane

Juniors
Messages
243
Fair enough. I do like the Titans, but I’ve just never been that into their branding. I think a new logo would do them some good
I don’t hate our logo and have never really thought it needs a change, but have have heard a bit of neutral hate for it lately. I just think it’s something that could get seriously messed up with this change.....
 

Perth Red

Post Whore
Messages
65,420
I don’t hate our logo and have never really thought it needs a change, but have have heard a bit of neutral hate for it lately. I just think it’s something that could get seriously messed up with this change.....

Fair enough. I do like the Titans, but I’ve just never been that into their branding. I think a new logo would do them some good

why are you discussing Titans in a pirate expansion thread?
 

MugaB

Coach
Messages
11,822
why are you discussing Titans in a pirate expansion thread?
Forum police......whoh whoh whoh!

Quokkas is pretty unique mascot, but seems lacking in comparison to the other league clubs, who have a lot of dangerous animals and cutthroat humans, maybe save that for the cheer squad sage
 

Eion

First Grade
Messages
7,601
Why are we discussing.pirates expansion when Saint Peter has killed off Perth expansion like the mangy old dog it is?
 

The Great Dane

First Grade
Messages
7,723
A

As a Titans fan, supporter and member- absolutely no. Our colours actually represent something real about the coast (surf, sea, sand). The response from the fans to getting our colours right this year has been overwhelming positive and the club accepts it is a move in the right direction.
If the Titans changed their colours, or brand more broadly, it’d be to appeal to a broader market, not to appease the people already onboard.

And sure, blue and gold represents something ‘real’ about the GC, but it also represents something real about almost every region in Australia which makes it extremely generic, especially considering how many blue and yellow teams came before the Titans.

Doing something bold and unique (in the Australian context) would favour the Titans in the long run.
 

flippikat

Bench
Messages
4,378
Not sure if you;ve read this ,

The NRL must consult its fans about radical expansion plan: Voss

Which fans?

Fans in Sydney? They'll say "Bring back the Bears"

Fans in Brisbane? They'll say "More Brisbane teams"

Fans in regional Qld? "What about Sunshine Coast or Central Queensland?"

Fans in Perth, Adelaide or New Zealand outside of Auckland? "Where do we stand in the pecking order for expansion?"

"The fans of rugby league" are not a homogenous group, and answers are gonna vary wildly, depending on how the survey sample is taken. A survey like this could easily be biased - intentionally or not.

Anyway, this whole "Ask the fans" concept is a cop-out, when it comes to deciding where new teams will be.

A sports competition with brains will do business cases and modeling & use that to choose the bids the add the most to the wealth & success of the game - not just fob the decision off onto fans.

The competition structure/draw is worth getting opinions about.. but the question of "where to expand to" isn't the sort of thing to reduce to a popularity competition.
 

Perth Red

Post Whore
Messages
65,420
League powerbrokers in Perth have called on the ARL Commission to consider granting them an 18th NRL licence, claiming it is “absurd” that Western Australia is not part of the expansion conversation.

The ARLC will make a decision in July on whether to add a Brisbane team, while also flagging during the week the prospect that another New Zealand-based club could be added at some stage in the future. Talk of expanding into New Zealand has come as a shock to officials in Perth, who believe they have a far more compelling case for a licence.
While there currently is not a single bidder prepared to set up a franchise across the Tasman, there are up to three interested parties in Perth who would consider joining forces if they felt they were a realistic chance of inclusion in the NRL.

Former Western Reds chairman Laurie Puddy said he was stunned that New Zealand was being discussed as an expansion option before Perth.


“The talk of anything other than taking a team to Perth is immoral,” Puddy said. “I don’t understand the logic. Obviously no one has looked at the numbers.

“When we finished with the Reds in Perth in 1997, the population in WA at the time was 1.3 million. Today it’s fast approaching 3 million.
“The Reds averaged 15,500 [fans] per game up until 1997 and they are talking about maybe another team out of New Zealand? It’s bizarre. I don’t know what they are thinking.

“There is so much interest in Perth, my phone is running hot.”
Puddy said there would be corporate support for a team in the west.

“There are any number of people prepared to put up $10 million,” he said. “For somebody to say today – with 3 million population and the financial position that Western Australia is in – that it’s not viable, it’s just absurd.

“There are people today who were involved in the first outing who would put their hand in their pocket to make it all happen again. There are lessons to be learnt from it, but it could happen, don’t worry about that.”

About a decade ago, Perth Glory owner Tony Sage was behind a separate push to establish an NRL franchise in Perth. The businessman had put together a consortium and even registered half-a-dozen potential names – including Perth Quokkas and Western Dolphins – in the hope of landing a licence.

He opted to shelve the idea after NRL administrators made it clear there was no appetite for a team in Western Australia, but would be prepared to revisit the concept if the game was serious about pushing into Perth.

“When they firmly make a decision and they ask for bids, I of course will put my hand up because the synergies with Perth Glory would be fantastic, especially around the stadium,” Sage said.
Everything coming out of the NRL is that it’s not on the radar right now – they’re talking about a Brisbane team, a New Zealand team – but I got back to my original premise that it’s not a National Rugby League until Perth and Adelaide are back in.

“That’s where the AFL and even A-League has got it over the NRL; they can’t truly call themselves a national competition.”
Sage had no doubt the $30 million required to make a Perth bid viable could be raised and there would be cost savings in having one administration overseeing football, league and potentially even a basketball team in Perth.
With the amount of money in Perth, with the mining boom, I don’t think it would be difficult to raise that $30 million,” he said.

The advantages of a Perth team in the NRL include a favourable time zone for matches to be beamed back to the eastern states in prime time, already established stadiums in HBF Park and Optus Stadium, and a state government prepared to invest in the game.

“We have to keep the dream alive,” NRL WA general manager John Sackson said. “Now that expansion is well and truly on the agenda again, for the sake of the game we need to be in the conversation.

“When it comes to consideration for New Zealand to be an 18th location, we believe Western Australia can table a proposal equal to or far more compelling than a New Zealand franchise.

“We know we will have strong government and corporate support here.

“Someone told me the other day that something like 52 per cent of ASX listed companies are listed here. There’s a lot of potential revenue that could be invested in rugby league, but it’s untapped at the moment.”

Asked about Perth’s desire to be considered as an expansion location, ARLC chairman Peter V’landys said: “We’d consider anything that could benefit the game.”

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/wa...7gz64LO4OH2QTpBlhrbNZ8_Qz9ELCYG3T4hycGkRpSDME
 
Messages
12,413
The business case for Perth stacks up, so bring them in. PVL said the numbers have to stack up, which they do.

The business case for Cronulla is such a failure it needed PVL to convince the ARLC to not ship them interstate. Relocate them to Adelaide and you've got a national 18 team competition, with the option of shipping the Bulldogs off to Christchurch to create NZ2.
 

Pippen94

First Grade
Messages
5,858
The business case for Perth stacks up, so bring them in. PVL said the numbers have to stack up, which they do.

The business case for Cronulla is such a failure it needed PVL to convince the ARLC to not ship them interstate. Relocate them to Adelaide and you've got a national 18 team competition, with the option of shipping the Bulldogs off to Christchurch to create NZ2.

Get rid of teams whose fans watch game & replace them with teams with no real fans. That's superleague
 

RedVee

First Grade
Messages
5,856
Should have kept the Reds in.

I don’t like the Pirates name, but it’s better than Quokkas - sounds like something Perth girls keep inside their undies
 

Perth Red

Post Whore
Messages
65,420
Western Australia rugby league bosses are adamant the state should remain in the conversation for NRL expansion amid the possibility of an 18th team.

Expansion is firmly back on the agenda, after it was revealed last week the NRL had mentioned a two-conference system to several clubs.

That system would be reliant on an extra two non-Sydney teams, with a second Brisbane side considered almost a formality as one of them.

Most talk about the second spot has revolved around the potential for another New Zealand side in the next decade.

But Perth have every right not to be forgotten in the debate.

They built their registered numbers up to 10,000 during the days of the Western Reds, before that team became a casualty of the Super League war.

Numbers fell drastically after that but the state's tally of 4000 registered players is similar to that of Victoria, despite Melbourne Storm's presence in the NRL for the past 24 seasons.

"The game has to keep the dream alive over here," NRL WA CEO John Sackson told AAP.

"Stakeholders want to know that the great game of Rugby League has an exciting and robust future in Western Australia.

"The interest coming from key government and corporate stakeholders is a desire to keep Perth in the conversation regarding a possible 18th franchise.

"I know that there are consortiums who are more than capable of constructing robust, sustainable and compelling franchise business models if provided the opportunity."

Sackson has no issue with the likely addition of a second Brisbane team, believing that is the right move for the league.

But he believes Perth can add significant corporate value for the NRL as an 18th franchise, as well as television advantages given their time zone.

He also points to the membership mindset of AFL fans in the state, while only COVID-19 has stopped West Coast Pirates playing in the NSWRL's under-18s SG Ball.

The city also sold out State of Origin at the 60,000-seat Optus Stadium in 2019, with a game to return there in 2022.

"For the game to successfully compete and grow in WA, it needs a silver bullet," Sackson said.

"It's wonderful for the game to have elite events regularly coming to Perth.

"But the game needs a lasting legacy and the existence of a successful and sustainable franchise could provide that"

"Players need access to aspirational pathways, and ideally one day, to be able to do that without leaving the state.

"And we need to be able to compete with the other codes as much as possible on a level playing field."


https://thewest.com.au/sport/rugby-league/dont-forget-us-for-18th-nrl-team-says-wa-c-2737993
 

Perth Red

Post Whore
Messages
65,420
The announcement of the Perth hosting the second Origin game in 2022 is an hopeful indication that the NRL has them in the expansion plans. The 2019 Origin at Optus Stadium briefly held the ground attendance record, even surpassing WA’s beloved West Coast Eagles. While a second Brisbane/fourth Queensland team is a must-have for the self-proclaimed “heartland” of rugby league, Perth should be right behind them, even though ARLC Chairman Peter Beattie said, ‘Western Australia is years away from having its own team‘. Then again, this is the same guy who can’t tell the difference between FC Barcelona and the Newcastle Knights, so insert grain of salt here.

The NRL Nines at HBF Park in early 2020 was a decent success, though much smaller in scale than Origin.

While the AFL is king in WA, there is room for “Rugby”. The Western Force returned when the Super Rugby competition split into Australia and New Zealand versions due to COVID-19, and they’ve done pretty well; they’ve won four games out of eight in Super Rugby AU 2021 and will meet the ACT Brumbies in the preliminary final this weekend. Many feel the Force shouldn’t have been axed in the first place, so it feels like justice has been served. Likewise the Western Reds, who were one of the better ARL expansion teams 20-odd years ago: we all remember that famous opening round win over St George in front of nearly 25,000 at the WACA.

Though, before we bring back a Perth team to rugby league, let’s forget about converting hard-wired AFL fans. While the Melbourne Storm have only missed the finals three times since 1998, won four “official” premierships, provided the nucleus of Queensland’s eight-straight Origin wins, and survived a salary cap crisis that would’ve killed weaker clubs, the majority of Victorians don’t care. Not even the high-profile support of everyone’s favourite music guru Molly Meldrum can help them. While surpassing Australian Rules in Victoria and WA is a pipe dream, “Rugby” can still co-exist there (though don’t expect much coverage from the AFL-obsessed mainstream media).

The NRL have laid the groundwork for Perth with the West Coast Pirates playing in the S.G. Ball Cup. While the Pirates have collected six wooden spoons in a decade, the point is they’re in there. For argument’s sake, let’s say Perth keep the Pirates moniker for their NRL entry.

If nothing else, a Perth team is a dream for broadcasters, as live home games will create a natural double header due to the time difference. Let’s say Perth has an 8pm Friday night game: that will air in the eastern states at 10pm, straight after the main Friday night game in NSW/QLD/VIC/ACT (you can dream of prime-time Friday Night Footy, Raiders fans). This potentially means less of the awkward 6pm Friday timeslot, which only works if the Warriors are playing. It also allows an even bigger Super Saturday (a Super Duper Saturday?), with up to four Saturday games if the Pirates play at 8pm at home, or even a Sunday afternoon/evening triple header.

While the Western Reds did ok in their three seasons in the ARL/Super League, their downfall was cost: they finished with a $10 million debt from to paying the visiting teams’ airfares.

There is one possible way around this, and it’s borrowed from Super Rugby: let the Pirates play their home and away games in blocks. For example, the Pirates would play three straight homes games, and then would have a “mini-tour” for three weeks, where they could play the Broncos, Titans and Cowboys (or even the Bombers one day) on a Queensland tour, or play three Sydney clubs. This has been used by clubs in the old Australia/New Zealand South Africa Super Rugby, where – for example – the Brumbies would play in South Africa or New Zealand for three weeks.

As you can see, a Perth NRL team can work; it’s just a matter of how long it’ll take (regardless of what Mr Beattie says). Watch this space.

https://nothingbutleague.com/2021/04/26/perth-needs-to-return-to-the-nrl/
 

ALX25

Juniors
Messages
2,493
As part of the ongoing development of the NRL National Pathways we are excited to announce that we will be sending 10 players and 2 Coaches to Melbourne to assemble as part of an under 18s 20 player squad from Northern Territory, Western Australia and South Australia, to take part in a five-day Combined Affiliated States Academy Camp culminating in a curtain raiser match at the iconic MCG prior to the Ampol State of Origin 1 on Wednesday June 5th.

Players
Bailey Millar – North Beach Sea Eagles
Nick Riggs – Fremantle Roosters
Hayden Wood – Rockingham Sharks
Maui Vettori-Lum – South Perth Lions
Luke-David Wells Talamaivao – South Perth Lions
Toby Sullivan – South Perth Lions
Kobi Aiesi – North Beach Sea Eagles
Gethin Thomas – Rockingham Sharks
Regan Howley – South Perth Lions
Jonathan Mato – Rockingham Sharks

Coaches
Carl Boffey – NRL WA State under 18 Head Coach
Travis Haney – NRL WA State under 18 Strength & Conditioning Coach

See: https://nrlwa.com.au/under-18-boys-cas-origin-1-curtain-raiser/
 
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