The dream of a rugby league team in Perth is still alive, with the Western Australian premier now involved in the push for an expansion franchise.
The Perth Bears bid - which saw a Perth-based consortium team up with the North Sydney Bears - seemed all but dead in the water over failed financial guarantees to get the team up and running.
But The Sydney Morning Herald is now reporting that Western Australian Premier Roger Cook and Australian Rugby League Commission Chairman Peter V'Landys have now met face to face in Sydney.
At that meeting, it's understood the Western Australian government committed to up to $500 million worth of funding and infrastructure investment into a rugby league team getting off the ground.
The funding would also help fund pathways, community and development while also expanding HBF Stadium in Perth from 22,500 seats to 27,000. The ground would be the new home of the Perth-based side.
The stadium is also used by soccer and rugby union, and so makes plenty of sense for the state government, while a rent-free period is also set to be offered to the NRL as the franchise gets off the ground.
It's understood the NRL and ARLC had actually only asked the state government for a $12 million per year commitment over ten years but that the deal ultimately was larger than that when presented at the meeting.
It came after the ARLC is understood to have rejected a $20 million licence fee from the privately owned consortium who have controlling interest in the would-be Perth Bears.
What is unclear is whether the government-funded team would still be called the Perth Bears or head for a new home.
The operating model, however, has become clear, with the report suggesting the NRL would control the team in its early years before handing it over to local members and elected directors. It's the same model used by a majority of NRL clubs currently.
The groundbreaking deal with the Western Australian government comes with the NRL desperate to announce their future expansion plans.
Just two full seasons after the Dolphins played their first competitive match, the NRL want to lock things down for expansion in the coming years to ensure a ninth game per week when they lock in their next contract.
They have been in negotiations with several bids for months, and while some reports had suggested the 18th and potentially 19th team could have been announced around the end of the season, it hasn't yet happened.
A Papua New Guinea based team is widely expected to be the other outfit added to the competition over the coming years, with final details still being fleshed out between the Australian and Papua New Guinean federal governments.
