Could the Bears’ name finally be back in the NRL?
It is reportedly getting closer.
Media reports, initially by the Sydney Morning Herald, have said there is an in-principle agreement between the Australian Rugby League Commission and the Western Australia government for a Perth-based team to be launched.
That Perth team would be linked with the North Sydney Bears, who have not featured in the NRL since 1999.
No official deal has been announced at this stage.
North Sydney Bears legend, currently board member, and ABC Sport caller Billy Moore told the ABC Sport Daily Podcast that he believed a Perth-based Bears team would be a “juggernaut” in the league.
“I think all parties realise this is a great opportunity for all involved in rugby league,” Moore said on the podcast.
“To have a team based in WA, with the heritage and history of the North Sydney Bears … combine to form what I think will be a juggernaut club in the NRL very quickly.”
Moore pointed to the success of the AFL in keeping historical teams alive in new locations.
Last year’s AFL grand final pitted the Brisbane Lions, a combination of the old Fitzroy Lions and Brisbane Bears, and the Sydney Swans, who were once South Melbourne.
“That is what the inception of this WA team will do,” Moore said.
It will marry up the North Sydney Bears’ history, with a very powerful growth opportunity in Western Australia, where they love their sport.”
