- The Western Bears have been dealt a big blow
- ARLC bosses deemed their bids to be too low
The Western Bears’ bids to become the 18th NRL franchise were handed a huge blow on Tuesday.
Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) boss, Peter V’landys, has informed the Western Australian government that bids from a consortium made up of Perth and North Sydney backers had been rejected, according to reports from The Daily Telegraph.
V’landys confirmed on Tuesday that a bid tabled by the consortium of investors had failed to meet the financial requirements to successfully found the team, with V’landys stating that their bid had come up ‘too short’.
The private consortium, led by Cash Converters owner Peter Cumins, had lodged an application to become the 18th side in the NRL back in August.
Cumins had allegedly penned an open letter to Western Australian league bosses, stating that they needed to raise around $30million in order to operate the franchise.
But reports from in the Sydney Morning Herald today claim that NRL bosses were left ‘fuming’ after sources said they had been ‘low-balled’ by the consortium in its plans to fund the Bears.
It now appears that the ARLC are keen to work directly with the Western Australian government to found the 18th franchise, an arrangement that will reportedly not involve the Bears’ conglomerate.
ARLC boss Peter V’landys has stated that the NRL will reject a consortium’s bids to found a new NRL side in Western Australia
The consortium, made up of backers from Perth and North Sydney, had tabled a bid that was too low
‘The bid that the consortium has put in has been rejected,’ he said.
‘We will still deal with the Western Australian government to try and resuscitate the bid.
‘The bid that they put in was significantly short.
‘No bid team can take the expansion process for granted.
‘I have made this clear from day one.
‘We will only expand if there is a firm business case and at the moment Perth’s business case doesn’t stack up.
‘If we can’t stack it up I can’t take it to the members for consideration.
‘All I will say their bid is extremely short. I will have more talks with the WA government, but not necessarily the current consortium.”The bid that the consortium has put in has been rejected,’ he said.
It is anticipated if the NRL and WA officials can agree on a deal to establish the new franchise, the side could be operational from 2027.
Rugby league’s top-flight competition has not had a side based in WA since 1997. The Perth Reds had played in the Super League as inaugural members but were not invited to join the NRL, following the end of the Super League war in 1998.
Despite the setback for Cumins’ consortium, WA Premier Roger Cook has still insisted that it is important for the NRL to have a team in the western state.
V’landys stated that the NRL would continue to work with WA to found a new side in Perth
WA Premier Roger Cook stated that the government ‘have had a supporting role’ in the consortium’s private bid
‘Western Australia is the obvious choice for a new team, and the NRL knows WA is a great option for the league’s expansion,’ Cook said.
‘They know WA is a clear market for the NRL, we offer significant broadcasting opportunities that are unmatched by the other bids and a Perth team would be ready to go for the 2027 season.
‘The State Government isn’t involved in the consortium’s private bid. However, we have a supporting role and have expressed our willingness to work with the NRL on things like delivering top-tier grounds and high-performance facilities, an expansion of our successful nation-leading player development program in schools, and support to deliver pre-season fixtures in regional WA to help build a brand and get the community behind the club.’
