Sydney born n raised multi millionare Tony Sage to purchase the Reds ...
unlike the 2 new AFL clusterfuck teams ... that are an embarrasment to that game .. & only weakend the comp into the lop sided garbage it was last year .. will be again this year .. & at least a decade after that before it recovers
the Perth Reds will be a hit from day one
with a team to challenge for a finals spot from their first year back .... & every one of the 25 first graders they & the Brisbane Bombers take out of the playing pool ... being replaced by the 70 Ex NRL players in the UK ... & a wave of English players coming out all chasing better money here
( the UK ecnonomy is no longer paved in gold) in a stronger comp as our salary cap rises to 7 Million dollars a club... so the quality of our comp will not be compromised one iota
We'll show the AFL .... the A League & the S15 .. how expansion is done right .. & a little patience & planning is critical ...& this is exactly what the NRL is doing .. it is a sport that is not egotistical ... not arrogant .... not full of w@nkers ... like one I could name anyway
enjoy the article
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/ ... 6249841441
THE NRL has found its next Nathan Tinkler - a Perth business tycoon who wants to buy his own NRL team in the golden west.
Perth Glory owner and mining magnate Tony Sage plans to replicate Tinkler's business model in Newcastle of merging an A-League soccer team with an NRL side.
With a personal wealth of hundreds of millions, Sage has called in Balmain Tigers legend Benny Elias to drive the bid for NRL entry in 2015.
Elias, a former Wests Tigers board member, is preparing a proposal to go to NRL boss David Gallop and the new independent commission.
"As a born and bred Tigers man, I find it hard to align myself with any other club," Elias told The Daily Telegraph last night. "But I'm already on the board of Perth Glory and Tony has asked me to try to make this happen.
"He's another Nathan Tinkler and he's determined to get involved. Perth is crying out for a rugby league team and Tony is the guy who could make it happen."
The NRL plans to expand the competition from the current 16 teams over the next few seasons under the new independent commission.
Western Australia has always been a favourite of NRL boss David Gallop because of the booming economy and the opportunity for an extra television game.
Perth last had a rugby league team (Perth Reds) from 1995 to 1997 when they were sacrificed in the Super League war peace deal.
They had a number of high profile players including former wildman forward Mark Geyer, Rodney Howe, Robbie Kearns, Brad Mackay and Julian O'Neill.
"Perth's clearly one of the top contenders for expansion although I believe it's still a few years away," Gallop said.
"Western Australia provides an extra live timeslot opportunity for television and would increase our national profile in an area where the economy is booming.
"Our recent research in potential expansion areas showed there is a high level of rugby league interest.
"We were surprised by the number of people in Perth who said they were avid fans of our game.
"I'm certainly open for talks with any leading businessman who wants to talk about expanding rugby league when the time is right."
A number of current NRL players began their rugby league careers in Perth including Corey Patterson and the Goodwin brothers, Bryce and Bronx.
Sage, who went to school in the Shire and supports the Cronulla Sharks, told The Daily Telegraph last night that 2015 was his aim.
"It makes sense to run a joint operation with Perth Glory exactly the same as Nathan Tinkler has done with the Knights and the Jets," Sage said.
"Same marketing team, same medical team, same media team all working out of the same area.
"Perth is ready for a rugby league team and I've asked Benny Elias to drive it from here and be the initial chief executive. I needed someone based in Sydney with the right business credentials and the right connections.
"I know how closely he is still connected to the Tigers but he's keen because he wants to see rugby league become a national game."
The West Australia Rugby League has hosted a number of matches in recent years and has already had discussions with the NRL.
South Sydney Rabbitohs have a deal with Tourism West Australia to play one game each year in Perth.
Sage said he had spoken to the official body last year about their expansion prospects: "Originally I offered to be a sponsor and take a corporate suite but my interest has grown and I'd now like to get more involved myself," he said.
