Ahead of their first season in the NRL next year, the Perth Bears have gained a couple of unlikely allies in the Western Force and Rugby WA.
While the code wars rage on Australiaโs east coast, there is a strong belief among the rugby union community in the west that not only can the 15-man game co-exist with the NRL, but also that they can help each other grow in a state dominated by Australian rules football.
Rugby WA chair John Welborn played in the Western Forceโs first Super Rugby game 20 years ago, running out in front of over 37,000 fans at Subiaco Oval for the fixture against the Brumbies. The Forceโs highest home attendance this season is just 6,659. Welborn strongly believes rugby cannot afford to be territorial in West Australia.
โI think WA loves supporting a team against the rest,โ Welborn said. โWeโre an isolated town [in Perth]. I really hope that in rugby union, we can get behind that momentum of the Bears.
โI reckon most of the people who are rugby people, certainly in WA, who [will] go and watch the Perth Bears, itโs much, much more likely that their rugby participation is at a local rugby union club.
โSo weโre not trying to change a [Fremantle] Dockers supporter or an [West Coast] Eagles supporter to be a Bears supporter or a Western Force supporter. What we are going to be able to do is bring along the Irish, Scotsman, South African rugby union zealots, and get them to come and have a look at a rugby league game โ and vice versa.โ
Force chief executive Niamh OโConnor believes an alliance with the Bears can help both codes in working with the Western Australian government to build infrastructure in a state dominated by ovals, not rectangular football fields.
Last year, the Andrew Forrest-owned Tattarang company, which owns the Western Force, said it was keen to embrace the new Perth Bears and look for ways to partner with the NRL side, potentially investing in shared facilities and a new ground. OโConnor confirmed the teams are already working closely together.
โWeโve been quite supportive of the Bears coming into market … because it allows us to look at infrastructure in the west and advocate from state government for a lot more rectangular and community infrastructure,โ she said.
โWeโre working with the state government on an infrastructure piece that supports both elite teams together and the community in the same way, with a lot more rectangular fields. Thatโs in its infancy at the moment, but the state government has been hugely supportive of it.โ
In February, the Western Force announced it would move towards a not-for-profit structure, a transition expected in the second half of this year. Andrew and Nicola Forrest have invested more than $90 million in the club through Tattarang since 2017. OโConnor remains confident the Forrests are not walking away from the Force.
โThey will still remain very involved, and they absolutely adore Western Australia and the Western Force,โ OโConnor said.
โThis is about creating an ability to diversify some investment and allow state government to step in and help. So thatโs been really powerful, and theyโve been very supportive of this process the whole way through.โ
The Force play the Waratahs in a Sydney blockbuster on Friday night which will showcase the battle between former NRL stars Zac Lomax and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii. OโConnor is open to discussing partnering with the Bears on fixturing next year to help maximise crowds for both teams.
โAt the moment, itโs sharing facilities because thatโs probably the most pressing, but as we start looking at the fixturing for 2027, when [the Bears] come in, weโll start looking at opportunities there,โ OโConnor said.
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