Two of Australian rugby league’s most influential figures believe WA has a future in the National Rugby League.
Two of Australian rugby league’s most influential figures believe WA has a future in the National Rugby League.
Hours before Friday night’s clash between the Dolphins and Sydney Roosters at HBF Park, Dolphins coach – and Queensland rugby league coaching immortal – Wayne Bennett spent time discussing the merits of a WA-based club returning to rugby league’s national table.
Alongside Mr Bennett was Australian Rugby League Commission representative Peter Beattie, WA premier Roger Cook and NRL WA chief executive officer John Sackson.
Mr Bennett is no stranger to Perth, having guided the Brisbane Broncos during multiple clashes against both the Western and Perth Reds during the mid-1990s.
The Reds, which competed in both the Australian Rugby League and Super League between 1995 and 1997, were wound up prior to the creation of the NRL in 1998, with a debt close to $10 million.
This was primarily due to an unworkable long-term financial model, in which the Reds were required to pay for the opposing side’s first and reserve grade teams to fly over and stay in Perth, on top of their additional away expenses.
But as Mr Beattie and Mr Bennett pointed out, lack of support for rugby league in WA wasn’t an issue in relation to the Reds’ demise.
"You've got to remember, the reason why there were problems in the past had nothing to do with the support in WA and nothing to do with the team either," Mr Beattie said.
"You know there was a bit of internal politics in the NRL - let's call it out for what it was and it was a bad decision. The fundamentals here were right then and they are right now."
“I’m a long-term advocate of Western Australia,” Mr Bennett added.
“I’m a long-term advocate for expansion. I was originally coach of the Brisbane Broncos, which was an expansion club and I know how it works, I know what it means to cities and I know what it means to the state.
“It’s only obvious to me that Western Australia should be included in the National Rugby League.”
Mr Beattie, who grew up in Far North Queensland and served as Queensland premier between 1996 and 2007, said the deadline for expansion bids for an 18th and 19th NRL licence would close on August 14.
“This is a really important opportunity for Western Australia and obviously the NRL,” he said.
“So we are really looking forward to it.
“Obviously we have to assess the bid – but everything the premier has said about the enthusiasm here… the opportunity is absolutely spot on.”
Mr Beattie added he was confident Western Australians would get behind a new NRL side, even if their primary sport of choice was Australian Rules Football.
“As a mad rugby league supporter forever… when the Lions were doing ok (during the early 2000s) in Brisbane, what we found was that people would support rugby league overwhelmingly – especially when Wayne was Broncos coach – but they’d also support the Lions,” he said.
“So what you’ll find in Western Australia is people who’ll support the local AFL teams but also support the WA (rugby league) team.
“You can have some dual loyalty and that’s what we’ll be fighting for.”
WA's bid, which has been backed by Peter Cumins, is expected to be a 'marriage of sorts' with the North Sydney Bears - a former New South Wales Rugby League foundation club, which last played NRL first grade as a standalone entity in 1999. It has participated in the second tier of rugby league ever since, aside from its brief venture as the Northern Eagles with the Manly Sea Eagles between 2000-2002.
Tonight’s match at HBF Park between the Dolphins and Roosters has been officially declared as a sold-out event.
