Western Bears to pay homage to history on proposed NRL re-entry

Western Bears bosses insist they will integrate the North Sydney Bears’ 116-year history into the merger that is set to form the NRL’s 18th team from 2027.

On Wednesday, Bears members were sent the most significant update on the merger yet, a week after the joint venture between the Bears and a WA consortium formally lodged its proposal for inclusion in the NRL.

The Western Bears are now closer than ever to becoming Perth’s first top-level rugby league team since the Western Reds’ demise following the Super League War of 1997.

WA has long been regarded the next frontier for the NRL, with neutral games typically well-attended in Perth and grassroots participation rates higher than in Tasmania, the Northern Territory and South Australia.

In their letter, the Bears confirmed the majority of home games would be played at Perth’s state-owned HBF Park.

But North Sydney Bears chair Daniel Dickson and Western Bears chair Peter Cumins reiterated the bid had not lost sight of the foundation club behind the new merger.

“Should our bid be successful, we intend to make the Western Bears a club that Western Australians can proudly embrace and to bring together Bears fans from the East Coast to the West Coast,” said Cumins, a major financial investor in the joint venture.

The Bears will take one home game to Sydney in 2027, possibly against bitter rivals Manly, and are planning to hold a pre-season trial game there as well.

The club also aims to establish men’s and women’s pathways in both North Sydney and Western Australia, according to the Bears’ letter.

This will include using the NSW Cup’s North Sydney Bears as their primary feeder club, redirecting the side’s talent from current NRL affiliate Melbourne.

The merger’s new logo will feature the original red and black colours of the Bears, modified to “suit NRL competition requirements”, with the club also planning to offer membership packages that allow Sydney-based members to attend multiple away games.

“The Western Bears Club will make the NRL a truly national competition, returning top-flight rugby league to Perth and drawing on the heritage of the North Sydney Bears, which dates to 1908,” the Bears’ letter read.

The Bears’ return is set to come 25 years after the ill-fated Northern Eagles merger with Manly that preceded the team’s demise in 2002.

“The Western Bears will re-energise our passionate fan base and introduce a new market to our proud history and heritage. One club with a national footprint is great for the game,” Dickson said.

The Bears’ likely inclusion comes as part of the NRL’s bold plans to expand to 20 teams in the next decade, with teams from Papua New Guinea and either New Zealand or Queensland likely to follow in coming years.