West Coast Pirates Bid News

[clarency]

The bids are merging with Sage!

It's what you've always wanted!

Time to celebrate!

 

[Perth Red]

Haha, bloody hope not!

 

[applesauce]

Western Australia expected to win licenece in NRL by end of year

WESTERN Australia is expected to win a licence in an expanded NRL before the end of the year.

The WA Rugby League bid, which will unveil a new logo at a launch on Wednesday, is understood to be central to the new Australian Rugby League Commission plan to expand the competition from as early as 2015.

Mining entrepreneur Tony Sage, who owns Perth Glory in the A-League, has also expressed interest in running a Perth-based NRL franchise.

Expansion is linked to a new NRL TV rights deal, likely to be worth more than $1 billion, which was expected to be locked in by early next month.

But the formation of the new commission and the departure of long-time NRL boss David Gallop has meant that date has been pushed back till early September.

Other bid teams include Papua New Guinea, Central Queensland, Brisbane Bombers, Western Corridor, Central Coast, and a New Zealand Rugby League-backed Wellington or Christchurch.

WARL CEO John Sackson and bid chairman Richard Campbell had a phone hook-up with NRL interim chief Shane Mattiske and director of league integration and game development Andrew Hill on Thursday. While he remained tight-lipped on the WARL launch on Wednesday, Sackson said the meeting was "positive" and the NRL "identified WA as a priority development market".

It is understood 2015 is the earliest the NRL will consider expanding its competition.

Sackson has said any new franchise would need 18 months to two years to establish a playing list, culture and membership base before playing its first official game.

 

[docbrown]

Perth Red, if it's not the RED & OLD GOLD, I'll be pissed off! ;-)

 

[Perth Red]

I just hope they are changing the logo and not the name. Will be disappointed if we lose the Reds name after the hard work re establisihing it.

 

[applesauce]

Need to replicate the SF 49ers!

 

[Perth Red]

Jamie Lyon roars in favour of WA bid

MANLY premiership captain Jamie Lyon is the latest high-profile rugby league figure to back Perth's bid for an NRL franchise.
WA league fans have been spoilt following the NRL's decision to host the second instalment of the highly anticipated 2011 grand final rematch between the Sea Eagles and Warriors at Patersons Stadium on July 28.
The Perth league fixture, anchored by the WARL board, has the total backing of the NRL committee as it moves forward with plans for a WA franchise.
Lyon, who led the Sea Eagles to the 2011 NRL premiership, supports both the national and WARL boards for pencilling in a Perth league fixture, praising the idea of WA entering the national competition.
"We need to expand it and go national," Lyon said. "And I think it will definitely be done a lot better than it was last time with the Western Reds. The game definitely needs a team over in Perth I'd love to see that."

http://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/jamie-lyon-roars-in-favour-of-wa-bid/story-e6frg1wu-1226406502411

 

[Perth Red]

This is the reason WARL need to get the license not Sage!

Junior program helps NRL bid

The WA Rugby League will use the success of local players at National Rugby League clubs as a key element in the bid for a franchise in an expanded NRL competition.
The WARL believes its pathway for aspiring young players is showing results.
Eight youngsters have signed for NRL clubs' Toyota Cup development teams since the WARL set up the Reds under-18 SG Ball national competition side three years ago. A ninth was drafted from the WA under-18 squad.
Six players who started their careers in Perth have also gone on to become NRL players.
WARL chief executive John Sackson said junior development was a pillar of the expansion bid.
"One of the main jobs of the WARL is the development of the game at junior level," he said.
"That is the future of the game and we have the infrastructure in place.
"There is evidence that the structures, including our academy, are starting to deliver results.
"The Reds in particular have provided the stage on which young WA players have been able to showcase their skills, attract the attention of talent scouts, and consequently be recruited into the NRL club system."
Former Perth players now playing in the NRL are Corey Patterson at North Queensland, Jon Green (Cronulla), Bryson Goodwin (Canterbury) and his brother Bronx (St George Illawarra).
Daniel Green has been with the WA Reds under-18s for the past three years, the first two as assistant coach before taking charge, and is the State under-18s coach.
In that time, Joseph Napoletano, Justin Lemalu and Pat Murphy have gone into the Manly Sea Eagles' Toyota Cup squad, Jaline Graham and Dylan Rintoul to the Bulldogs, Curtis Rona is at the Roosters, while Halvor Harris is signed with North Queensland and Waqa Blake with Penrith.
Jake Busby, from North Beach juniors, made the WA under-18 and Combined Affiliated States teams and is now playing full-back in Manly's Toyota Cup side.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/sport/a/-/other/14011042/junior-program-helps-nrl-bid/

 

[Perth Red]

If all of our kids make it to NRL standard:

A "local" Perth line up (WARL jnrs, born in perth or have family in perth)

1.Jake Busby (Manly)
2. Bronx Goodwin (St's)
3.Dylan Rintoul (Bulldogs)
4.Waqa Blake (Tigers)
5.Bryson Goodwin (Bulldogs)
6.Daniel Holdsworth(Reds)
7.Jaline Graham (Bulldogs)
8. Sam McKendry (Panthers)
9.Pat Murphy (Manly)
10. Jarrad Saffy (Rebels, RU)
11. Jon Green (Sharks)
12. Curtis Rona (Roosters)
13.Cory Patterson (Cowboys)

14. Joseph NAPOLETANO (Manly)
15 Justin Lemalu (Manly)
16. Halvor Harris (Cowboys)
17. Justin Poore (Eels)

 

[RedVee]

I just hope they are changing the logo and not the name. Will be disappointed if we lose the Reds name after the hard work re establisihing it.

I hope it is the WARL bid that gets up. But I wonder if that itself is an issue.
I dont think any other team/club/franchise is controlled by a State RL body, I wonder if the ARLC will 'suggest' a structural change putting a level of separation behind the game and the bid?

 

[Perth Red]

I would ultimately love to see a three way ownership model:
1 WARL 33%
2 Private ownership 33%
3 Community ownership 33%
(4 Me 1% and deciding vote!)

That would be ideal and give the best of all worlds imo.

Possible problems of just either a WARL owned team is lack of capital if times get tough and danger of a private ownership is all the focus is in on the NRL team with no investment or focus on grass roots and Jnr RL in WA (aka Storm)

I can see the license being owned by the WARL with the WA Reds board made up of a mixture of WARL people and private backers. I know the guy who owns Cash convertors is very keen to be a big backer again and on the bid team is some pretty wealthy business people and one would assume some would be on the new board.

 

[docbrown]

Need to replicate the SF 49ers!

That's exactly where I got the old gold idea from.

 

[Goddo]

I would ultimately love to see a three way ownership model:
1 WARL 33%
2 Private ownership 33%
3 Community ownership 33%
(4 Me 1% and deciding vote!)

That would be ideal and give the best of all worlds imo.

Possible problems of just either a WARL owned team is lack of capital if times get tough and danger of a private ownership is all the focus is in on the NRL team with no investment or focus on grass roots and Jnr RL in WA (aka Storm)

I can see the license being owned by the WARL with the WA Reds board made up of a mixture of WARL people and private backers. I know the guy who owns Cash convertors is very keen to be a big backer again and on the bid team is some pretty wealthy business people and one would assume some would be on the new board.

Glad to see you have come around on this. Its the one real issue I have with Perth - the ownership structure. I really don't want to see the WARL 100% owning the club, too much conflict of interest between a state body and an NRL club.

Part ownership by the WARL would be fine. Look for part ownership from a private backer in return for so many millions in start up investment, with the private element only sellable to the club membership or on board/membership aproval to a third party. A bit similar to WIN's involvment with the Illawarra half of the Dragons, or Crowe at Souths.

What you don't want is several private owners competing with each other like at Manly, or the clubs fate at the whim of a single investor.

 

[East Coast Tiger]

I think it would be good to have a state body run an NRL club. For once an NRL club might actually be forced to work closely with the grassroots level in their area (ie WA). If only this could be done with all clubs.

 

[Perth Red]

It would certainly be an opportunity to test the waters. in many ways though it is really no different to say the Panthers whose grass roots body actually owns the license and ensures a tie in between the NRL club an dthe grass roots work that Panthers Leagues (or Sth Sydney etc) does.

 

[East Coast Tiger]

I'd say its very different. The WARL will be far more interested in growing and supporting the grass roots in their area than a Leagues Club and a bunch of members in Sydney will. The WARL is very closely involved with development in WA. The Sydney senior clubs would have very little to do with it in Sydney, even when linked to their local districts.

 

[flippikat]

Perth Red, if it's not the RED & OLD GOLD, I'll be pissed off! ;-)

For sure!

Red, Black & Yellow would be handy for other locations... perhaps PNG team (although not sure if they want the same colours as their national side) or for a second NZ (Christchurch/Wellington) team, as red, black & yellow would combine Canterbury (NZ) & Wellington colours.

 

[Perth Red]

I'd say its very different. The WARL will be far more interested in growing and supporting the grass roots in their area than a Leagues Club and a bunch of members in Sydney will. The WARL is very closely involved with development in WA. The Sydney senior clubs would have very little to do with it in Sydney, even when linked to their local districts.

Disagree, Panthers Leagues club is there for the benefit of grass roots development fundamentally. They also own and run a NRl club as a pinnacle to that. No different to the WARL and the potential WA reds set up. Besides the whole point of having a susccesful NRL club in an expansion state is to grow the grass roots and jnr game. But that does not come in isolation, look at the Storm, massively succesful on the field yet Victoria remains behind WA in terms of grass roots and jnrs. The Storm is a classic example of what would happen in WA if Sage won the bid. At least with the WARL in charge we are guaranteed that the interface between the high profile NRl club and the grass roots promotion of the game is cemented into place and a key KPI for the running of the NRL club. to me this is a very good thing.

 

[East Coast Tiger]

Penrith Leagues is about making money from pokies. That's about it. And how much of that goes back to the Panthers and how much goes to grassroots? As a governing body in an expansion area I'd back the WARL to utilise an NRL club a lot better in growing and supporting the grassroots game there than a Leagues Club in Sydney would. Sydney clubs are the last examples of good admin that you would look at but they are also a good example of how not to do it.

 

[Perth Red]

Fair enough.