West Coast Pirates Bid News

[Paullyboy]

All summer Perth was the only city in Australia with perfect weather, yet the one night we come to town It's crap weather?!? So frustrating

 

[ParraEelsNRL]

Holy hell, get a look at the water on the pitch :shock:

 

[Panfas]

Wow, the water on the surface is absolutely horrendous!

 

[docbrown]

Dry land is not a myth! I have seen it!

 

[ParraEelsNRL]

Quicker to do the backstroke up the pitch, fair dinkum :lol:

 

[Eion]

That ground is '80s like in it's drainage. Appalling

 

[Perth Red]

That ground is '80s like in it's drainage. Appalling

Mate you have no idea how much water fell on it from 6pm. The fact they could play two games on it and the turf stayed pretty good is a credit to the groundsman. We have a sand base remember so drainige is always going to be an issue.

 

[BDGS]

How good was that? Good game, horrible conditions, it was water rugby league but still got 15,300-odd fans into the game! Great effort by the Perth public. They certainly showed that they deserve a team, 15k in dry conditions would have been amazing but in those conditions it was nothing short of brilliant.

 

[BunniesMan]

David Gallop should get on the next plane to Perth and personally tell the boss of the WA reds that they're in.

The pros/cons of Brisbane2 v CCBears will be debated for some time, but that debate will only be about the right to join WA in the next expansion cycle.

Having 15k crowds in those conditions was just fantastic, they're in without a doubt.

 

[Perth Red]

In other major positive news tonight our WA State rep team beat the BARLA British Lions in the warm up game. That is the best of the British amateur game. Great effort lads and a great result for RL in WA. On top of our affiliated State championship title it shows how strong the game is growing here at grass roots level.

 

[MsStorm]

Amazing effort by the fans to turn up in those atrocious conditions and send a message to the nrl that they want a rugby league team based in Perth.

 

[dimitri]

In other major positive news tonight our WA State rep team beat the BARLA British Lions in the warm up game. That is the best of the British amateur game. Great effort lads and a great result for RL in WA. On top of our affiliated State championship title it shows how strong the game is growing here at grass roots level.

thats great news!!!

 

[adamkungl]

Bring em back Gallp. Do it.

 

[BDGS]

like Gallop has the power to do it by himself :roll:

 

[Paullyboy]

I can't imagine there could be any genuine rugby league fan who doesn't see the benefit in their return.

As was pointed out earlier, the question is no longer which two teams, it has become who will join Perth as the 2nd new team.

 

[aarondoyle]

The NRL site at the moment has a poll who you think the 17th team should be. I hope this isn't an indication they want to expand 1 team at a time.

 

[BunniesMan]

The NRL site at the moment has a poll who you think the 17th team should be. I hope this isn't an indication they want to expand 1 team at a time.

Maybe it means they're looking at team #17 in say 2014 for example and team #18 in 2015 or 2016.

 

[Smiley]

http://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/nr...oss-david-gallop/story-fn7shzfu-1226081962165

WA's tick of approval for NRL side from league boss David Gallop

NRL chief David Gallop has given the strongest indication yet that the WA Rugby League will be granted one of two new licences in an expanded 18-team competition.

But Perth rugby league fans may have to wait until 2014 or 2015 to see regular games, with the NRL expected to delay expansion.

Perth underlined its strength when tickets were sold out and 15,371 showed up at nib Stadium, despite shocking conditions, for Friday night's clash between South Sydney and Brisbane.

The game had strong TV ratings in Queensland and NSW, probably the most important piece of the bid jigsaw.

Gallop said new franchises in Queensland and WA would snare a greater television audience for the NRL and, in turn, financially boost the code due to their location.

"Perth could give us the opportunity to play games in an attractive timeslot. For example, a 7.30 kickoff here will be a 9.30 kickoff in the eastern states," Gallop said.

"You look at Perth in terms of two new teams. We're looking for live slots and putting that ninth game into a live slot, you can see the attraction of Perth over a team in the same time slots we've already got.

"Having said that, the flip-flop arrangement of our Friday night games is a big attraction towards another team in Brisbane. We could almost be guaranteed a game out of Brisbane on a Friday night if we had a fourth team there."

Gallop said placing a team in Perth would put the NRL on par with the other major football codes.

"We certainly look at some envy at the national profile of the AFL, and having a team in Perth would complete that," he said.

"Perth's got national teams in all the other codes and we're not there. I think the WA population is two million people. There are a lot of people who have gone to work over east and they're rugby league fans. I've no doubt the Reds could be successful."

The Central Coast Bears are expected to be overlooked for an NRL licence, with the code expected to expand the competition to Perth and Ipswich.

If patience and hard work counts for anything, WA will be granted a franchise when the NRL expands.

The Western Reds folded at the end of the 1997 season, but league people in Perth and surrounds, the Goldfields and Pilbara have never given up on a return to the big time.

 

[supera]

'twas a great turn out last nite in horrid conditions.

I was sold already, but even moreso now.

 

[Perth Red]

Great to hear Gallop recognising all that we bring to the table. Still some work to do for the WARL on securing some big $ backers but all signs remain good that we will be in at some point.

The WARL put a call out for the people of Perth to show they wanted an NRL team, they responded by selling out the ground, now it is up to the NRL and the IC.