The North Sydney Bears might be heading west, but they’ve been met with a sobering dose of honesty from one of their own.
Ben Ikin, the former Bears and Queensland Origin star, has urged caution as the NRL’s new Perth-based franchise prepares to enter the competition in 2027.
Speaking on Triple M Brisbane, Ikin clarified that passion and nostalgia alone won’t be enough to carry the club through its early years.
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“Do not underestimate the size of the challenge”
“This thing is gonna be new from the board down, and it’s across the other side of the country,” Ikin said. “So there’s a whole lot of things that need to happen between now and that first game for this franchise to be everything that it can be.”
The new club, set to revive the North Sydney Bears brand with a modern twist, will play a game yearly at North Sydney Oval and feature the historic badge and colours. But its home will be in Western Australia, far removed from rugby league’s heartland.
It will be structured as a membership-based not-for-profit, with three West Australians on the board, including the chair. The ARLC will fund the club’s early operations and guarantee its financial viability for five years.
Ikin referenced the recent struggles of the Dolphins, a club that had solid infrastructure yet still faced significant hurdles in joining the NRL. “If you talk to anyone at the Dolphins about how difficult it was to get them ready for the NRL… do not underestimate the size of the challenge they’ve got in front of them.”
Despite the difficulties ahead, Ikin acknowledged the perseverance of Bears stalwarts like Greg Florimo, who worked tirelessly to keep the dream alive.
“The Bears never died. They were on life support for a while… and this has been a marriage that has been formed over, I think, a couple of years now,” he said. “It’s official and the Bears will be back… I think it’ll be a special moment when that side comes across from Perth and plays their first away game in Sydney.”