The NRL has confirmed the competition will venture to Perth in 2027 after striking an agreement with the Western Australian government.
The newly formed joint venture will see the revival of the North Sydney Bears after a period of prolonged negotiations, spearheaded by ARL Commission supremo Peter V’landys and WA Premier Roger Cook, finally concluded.
The competition’s 18th team will be called the Perth Bears.
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Perth Bears officially unveiled as the NRL’s 18th club
The rebirth of the Bears will see the league expand at a rapid rate, with the introduction of a Papua New Guinean outfit also on the horizon.
The rubber-stamping of this rapid expansion has arrived on the eve of V’landys and NRL CEO Andrew Abdo getting ready to negotiate the next cycle of broadcast rights.
The Port Moresby-based team was a relatively straightforward inclusion due to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s commitment and involvement in negotiations.
"We know we have a bit of competitive tension in the region and engagement, if you like, in soft diplomacy, showing the relationship between Australia and our neighbours, that is so important," Albanese detailed last year.
The newly re-elected leader pledged a vast chunk of funds across a 10-year agreement to support the expansion into the Pacific nation, with the project green-lit in December last year.
However, WA’s inclusion has been much more fraught.
Cash Converters executive chairman Peter Cumins led the charge for a Perth NRL club. However, his consortium's bid spectacularly crumbled late in the piece due to financial reasons.
This failure left the future of expansion into the west hanging by a thread.
Yet Cook emerged in the picture as the WA Labor leader started to take centre stage in fresh discussions with the ARL Commission.
"The Western Australian situation is still progressing," V'landys said last December as he unveiled the historic PNG-based outfit alongside the PM.
These discussions were put on the back burner though earlier this year as Cook sought to lead Labor to its third consecutive term in his home state.
Before winning the vote and in the weeks after the May 8 landslide, Cook voiced his displeasure with the NRL’s attitudes towards WA.
"We made an offer to support a potential NRL licence in WA," Cook said in April.
"It was based upon support for grassroots development of the game, while protecting the interests of WA taxpayers.
"Given our location on the Indian Ocean rim and in the same time zone as 60 per cent of the world’s population, the strategic value of a Western Australian side should be self-evident to the NRL.
"Unfortunately, like some people from the east, the NRL only appears to see WA as a potential cash cow."
The slam caused many to wonder whether the move would once again come to a standstill.
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But just one month later, it was revealed that the ARLC had agreed to the government’s proposal.
What this entails is a $60 million commitment across a seven-year period, which will be spent on grassroots and the construction of a Centre of Excellence. An additional $5.6 million will be spent on match day support and marketing.
The Bears will call HBF Park home upon their inception, with the venue used as the base to officially unveil the agreement.
"Today we can announce that the Perth Bears are about to be a part of the NRL competition," WA Premier Cook said.
"The new club will compete for the first time in 2027, and as we’ve insisted, it will deliver a significant return for the WA taxpayers.
"Every dollar of WA government support will be spent in Western Australia to develop the game."
V'landys added: "Rugby League is the biggest sport in Australia and the Pacific, so a team in the economic powerhouse of Western Australia is a natural fit. Why should West Australian fans miss out on the greatest game for all?"
"Western Australians love sport and now they have the opportunity to get behind a Perth-based Rugby League Club that will capture the hearts and minds of fans across the country."
The permanent arrival into Perth will be the first time WA has had its own premier rugby league team in nearly three decades after the demise of the Western Reds in 1997.
Meanwhile, it will also see North Sydney emerge from the wilderness.
The joint venture will not only provide the NRL with a loyal fanbase right from the outset but also a national footprint to rival the AFL as the comp seeks to strengthen its claim as the number one sport in the country.