V’landys grins and Bears questions but likes joint venture idea

V’landys is often pulled up in the street and asked about the old North Sydney Bears.

“Wherever I go every third person asks me when are you bringing back the Bears,” V’landys said on Sunday when contacted in regard to a bold joint venture proposal between Western Australia and the Bears as the 18th team in the NRL.

While the two parties have a long way to go to reach any agreement,

V’landys likes the idea of an allegiance between one of the game’s most famous old clubs and Perth, where there is huge government and corporate support.

“One thing I’ve learned in rugby league is that the Bears have an extremely popular brand,” he said.

“However there’s already enough Sydney teams so doing it with an area like Perth makes sense.

“You’re getting the best of both. A great brand and a new supporter base.”

V’landys insists it’s early days and the NRL’s focus right now is on the Dolphins entering the competition next year as the 17th team.

However an 18th side would provide nine games each weekend and significantly increase broadcast revenue. It also opens up a new timeslot from Western Australia.

The fact the Warriors have struggled to make any real impact should rule out having a second team in New Zealand in the immediate future.

It would be worse having another struggling Kiwi team alongside the ordinary one we already have.

A WA-Bears joint venture will be judged on its business model rather than the emotion around the Bears.

“We went with the Dolphins for the 17th because they had a strong business case,” V’landys said.

“They were financially strong and we wouldn’t have to subsidise them.

“It’s about bringing in fans that aren’t currently engaged in rugby league because you don’t want a new team taking supporters from the current clubs. The Dolphins proved to us they weren’t going to take anything away from the Titans or Broncos.

“They did a significant analysis that showed they could bring 200,000 new fans to rugby league.

“We used that to generate more money from the broadcasters.

“Whoever gets the 18th team has to do the same. They have to engage new people to the sport.”

Rugby league lost tens of thousands of fans when the Bears folded in the late 1990s.