Peter V’landys’ warning to AFL as NRL and Perth Bears prepare for turf war in Western Australia
Peter V’landys has insisted the NRL won’t be bullied as it enters AFL territory with the launch of the Perth Bears, relishing the battle for the hearts and minds of the great west.
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ARL Commission boss Peter V’landys has given the AFL an uppercut, warning the NRL is primed for a turf war in Western Australia following the official birth of the Perth Bears.
V’landys and NRL CEO Andrew Abdo touched down in Perth late on Wednesday, no doubt in a state of euphoria as they prepared to officially unveil the NRL’s newest franchise.
Then Thursday morning arrived and they woke to the front page of the West Australian newspaper slamming the WA government over the decision to add the Bears to the premiership in 2027.
It was a smack in the face for the NRL and a reminder of the turf – and media – war they will face in Western Australia in coming months as they begin the process of setting up the game’s 18th team.
But V’landys is relishing the battle for the hearts and minds of the great west. The ARLC chair doesn’t mind poking the bear and the Bears gave him the prime opportunity to do so as he warned the rival code that rugby league was coming.
Asked whether the NRL had consulted the AFL over their return to Western Australia, V’landys was dismissive.
“No, I don’t see McDonald’s checking with Kentucky Fried Chicken when they’re opening a new store,” he said.
“So we certainly have not consulted with the AFL. They don’t consult with us.
“Let’s be quite frank – they don’t want us to be here because they realise we’re going to be competitive and we’re going to take some of their lunch and we eat a lot.
“So we’ll be taking a fair bit of their lunch.”
He was just warming up.
V’landys knows Western Australia is AFL country. It is home to the Fremantle Dockers and West Coast Eagles, the latter anchored at the foot of the AFL ladder in 18th spot.
The local paper is owned by Kerry Stokes, a billionaire who also happens to be at the helm of Seven West, the company that owns the rights to televise AFL in the state.
They have already marked their turf with searing commentary about the bid to revive the Bears, doing their best to make it a hot topic of debate in the lead-up to last month’s state elections, where premier Roger Cook was returned in a landslide.
They almost scuppered the whole shebang but V’landys and Cook had the last laugh on Thursday, confirming an agreement that will see the famous Bears moniker back in the premiership in less than two years.
V’landys lobbed another grenade in the AFL’s western bunker, saying the NRL has been inundated with WA companies wanting to be part of rugby league’s shiny new toy.
“I think the media coverage has been a bit biased in the sense that the main newspaper here is owned by Seven West Media, that has the AFL rights,” V’landys said.
I’ve got to tell you, the sponsors certainly haven’t been worried about the AFL because we’ve been inundated with sponsorship requests.
“The sooner we can get started the better, because we’ve had some very big companies that want to sponsor the Perth Bears because they can see how exciting it is and they can see the potential of it.
“I’m sure we’ll announce some very big sponsors in the next month or two.”
The two parties insist the new franchise will more than cover itself, although there is a significant gulf between the projections of the WA government and the NRL in terms of economic return for the state.
Either way, WA will finish well in the black.
There is plenty of work to do and by the sounds of it, they won’t be getting a lot of help from the local media. V’landys and Cook were peppered with questions on Thursday over accusations of leaking, the economic return for the state and the financial sense of adding a team in a state where AFL rules.
V’landys was largely good-natured – he seems to relish butting heads with the AFL – but he bristled at suggestions he had leaked sensitive financial information about the bid.
“Well let me say this and let me make it very clear – we never leaked a single word,” he said.
“It certainly wasn’t by us at any stage and I can confidently say in my career, I haven’t leaked a single thing.
“So I didn’t start with this one.”
It was a shot across the bow of not just the AFL, but also Stokes’ media empire. Seven have been touted as potential bidders for the rugby league rights from 2028.
The past few weeks probably haven’t helped their cause, although V’landys and Abdo are realists. If Seven comes to them with more money, they will likely get down on bended knee.
Regardless, what Thursday showed was that V’landys and the NRL won’t be bullied as they prepare to take the AFL head on. Rugby league is coming and it isn’t coming to fail.
“It is a goldmine,” V’landys said.
“It’s going to have a massive return to the government here. I heard the figure of $28 million return. I think it was actually a $50 million return to the government.
“The beauty about this particular team is you’re going to have 200,000 members coming from New South Wales called the Bears.
“And the Bears are a very tribal club, they love the club and they will travel. What the Premier has done is he’s done a magnificent deal for the economy of Western Australia, but at the same time rugby league will benefit.”
While the media in the west was debating the merits of the new side, long-suffering Bears supporters in Sydney were celebrating. Many of them congregated at the Percy’s restaurant at the North Sydney Hotel as they celebrated a day they thought would never come.
They couldn’t care less about the media and turf wars. The only turf they cared about was across the road – North Sydney Oval.
The grand old ground hasn’t hosted a Bears premiership game since 1998. V’landys revealed on Thursday that the dream is to have one game back at the ground each year.
It was music to their ears.
BEARS-FORCE’S SHOCK PLAYER DEAL
ARL Commission chair Peter V’landys has confirmed that the Perth Bears will have a coach in place within weeks and revealed the new franchise could explore the radical prospect of sharing players with Twiggy Forrest’s Western Force as they look to form a competitive squad for their maiden season in 2027.
V’landys, NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo and West Australian premier Roger Cook fronted a feisty media conference at HIB Stadium on Thursday where they hailed the return of the Bears, having reached a deal that in recent times looked on the rocks.
A bullish V’landys insisted the new side would be a success but conceded the clock is ticking as they look to form a board, appoint a chair and chief executive, and land on a coach in preparation for the 2027 season.
The new club also needs to piece together a competitive squad and that’s where things could get interesting. The Perth Bears are expected to share a Centre of Excellence with the Western Force but they could also swap players if V’landys has his way.
“Look we’ve had talks with Twiggy Forest with regards to the Western Force and there’s an opportunity here that might never been done anywhere in the world where the two teams could be combined to a certain degree and can use each other’s players in specific matches,” V’landys said.
“So we’re going to look at that. It’s a novel idea. And who’s to argue with Twiggy Forrest, who’s a self-made man.
“Look, as anyone that knows me, we look at the things outside the square and that’s outside the square, and we’ll look at it. If it can help both games in Western Australia, why wouldn’t we do it?
“As I said, we’re only looking at it and naturally we’ll be consulting our member clubs back in New South Wales. But there’s some other availabilities for our clubs in the eastern states, and we’ll look at those as well.”
It seems hard to see how the two codes could share players given their seasons crossover and they are locked in a war for the hearts and minds of sports fans in WA.
Yet it would be folly to write off V’landys given his record of success since becoming ARL Commission chair, his tenure marked by an explosion in revenue and the expansion of the premiership to Papua New Guinea and now Perth.
While the PNG bid was largely driven by money, the move to return to Perth is more about growing the game’s footprint and enhancing its value ahead of broadcast negotiations.
Sections of the WA media have been critical of the move but Forrest – one of the wealthiest men in the country – has seen enough to open the lines of communication with the NRL.
The immediate priority for V’landys and Abdo is to land a coach and secure players capable of making the side competitive from the outset.
“The most important aspect for us is now to procure a coach, a well known coach that will attract the players, and we’re confident that’ll attract enough players to be competitive,” V’landys said.
“Those announcements will be made in the next two to three weeks.”
Former Parramatta coach Brad Arthur has been the preferred candidate for the role but South Sydney legend Sam Burgess, now coaching Warrington in the Super League, also has support and covets the position.
Whoever gets the role will have access to the talent emerging through Bears pathways, as well as a fan base that has yearned for this day since the club was shunted out of the premiership in 1999.
They were rejoicing on Thursday, particularly after V’landys confirmed plans to play at least one home game in Sydney, potentially at their spiritual home of North Sydney Oval.
“The deal with the Bears is that there would be at least one game played in Sydney,” V’landys said.
“We’re keen on keeping the North Sydney Bears colours – the red and black – because that’s important. They are a foundation club and we’d like to honour the tradition as much as we can of that foundation club.
“They’ve got to get something out of this joint venture and using their jumper I think isn’t a big”
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