The chairman of the new NRL team in Western Australia will be based in the state and the government will not pay a licensing fee, under a deal that locks in the league’s 18th club after months of tumultuous negotiations.
Premier Roger Cook posted on social media on Wednesday that WA will have its first rugby league team in almost 30 years as early as 2027, pre-empting plans for an official announcement in Perth on Thursday.
Zoe Samios covers wagering and the business of sport from the AFR's Sydney newsroom. She was previously the media and telecommunications reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, and covered media at The Australian. Connect with Zoe on Twitter. Email Zoe at zoe.samios@afr.com
