'Cheaper over there': Why Darryl Brohman's backing Perth expansion to lure players
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Gentlemen, I made mention of this back page story of the Telegraph about the Bears making a return, the Western Bears, obviously waiting on to be rubber stamped by the ARL Commission and everything else. What are your thoughts, boys? We've got plenty of Bears supporters. James Bracey, our colleague from Channel 9, I think is still their number one ticket holder. What are your thoughts? Love it. I'm the same. Great. I was sad when they went, and I think it's great that they're coming back. I know it's not in the purest of Bears form, but I think you're right.

When you say, I think they need to really think about what they're going to call themselves. I think the Perth Bears has a good ring to it. You know, as you said, the Western Reds are still going to be part of it, I think, in some way, shape or form. So they'd obviously want to use the name Western. But I think Perth has got to... I just like it. I think if you're living in Perth or WA, you're going to, I think, you know...

go towards that name as opposed to the Western bit. But anyway, they'll work that out. I like it. That's my concern. Look, I'm glad they're back and I hope it works. I'm hopeful, but I'm sort of agree with what Big Man's trying to say there is that I think if you're going to have a team, they should be where their base from is where they should come from. So the Bears are obviously a Sydney-based side. They're going to have supporters here. I know they've already got a bit of a supporter base following them and everybody likes them, but

How much of the Perth people are going to jump on board, we'll have to wait and see. And as I said, I'm hopeful that it works. So fingers crossed. And it makes sense, Piggy, in the sense that the PNG thing is going to take a little while to set up. So if the commission is intent on expanding the competition, well, this is a ready-made organisation that will obviously get the foundations in place. We've already seen that there's an appetite for rugby league in the West. But with the people I've spoken to in Perth, people I know that love their rugby league,

The word ownership is what keeps being said to me. We want ownership of the team. The Western Bears doesn't really give us that ownership. They'd prefer it to be called the Perth Bears. Yeah, obviously that's one of the details they're going to have to work on, but I love it. We want to be known as a national game and I think we need to have a team over there. I think there is a supporter base there for it. There will be a lot of work to do, but one of the

things and one of the things we've spoken about on this program previously about PNG is the ability to try and attract players. Well, I don't think we're going to have as

difficult situation with Perth. They're going to be obviously based over there. I don't think it's going to be as difficult to get players to go there as what it may be going to PNG in a few more years' time. So I like it as long as they put the foundations in place and development systems. I think their feeder club is still going to be the North Sydney Bears and they're still going to be based here. So

Logistically, it's going to be interesting. Logistically, it would be a little bit tough, I think. But they already have, talking about pathways and junior development programs, already have that set up over there. That's a positive already. There it is. Who would have an issue with being called the Perth Bears? But where would the issue come from there, Marcus? They want Western for a bit of a tip of the hat to Western Reds. So they've got the Bears from North Sydney and they've got the Western. Yeah, I don't understand. I just don't understand why it can't be called the Perth.

I think they need to think about it. I think they need to work it out to get it right at the start. The Western Reds have had their time. They're gone, in my opinion. They've failed, so to speak. I'd be going to the Perth Bears every day of the week. I think the other thing, as a player...

If you've got an offer to go over there, and let's say you had a young family, for example, I mean, it'd be a bit cheaper to live over there too. It'd be something to consider, I reckon. I mean, if you're a young bloke, say 21, you go over there, sign a five-year deal or something, buy a place. It's a nice place to live over there. I'm just saying, it's a big move, but it's not that bad. I've worked with Carl Langdon over the last couple of weeks on our Olympic coverage. He goes good too. Well, he co-hosts the Breakfast Show on 6PR in Perth.

And some of the stories he's told about where he goes fishing and what you can do over there. It sounds like a beautiful place to live. Yeah, it is. It's a lovely place over there. They've got petrol and everything over there. And also it opens up time slots as well, doesn't it? There'll be a rugby league on TV.

Yeah, all the time. From 2 o'clock in the afternoon to 9.30 to 11.30 at night. Can I just ask how you remember it being such a really nice place, given that you were at MIA for 24 hours when we went there for Origin? That was one occasion in Perth. Do you know why he knows that? Because the great man, David Morrow, he used to go over there and call it for the ABC, didn't he? Yes, he did. Or Channel 10 or whoever it was. He told us a lot of stories. He'd get on the train. Get on the train. Just get off at a stop. He'd just stop, look at a river, and he'd go.

Come back on. Get some ants and look at them for about three days and just come home. And he'd get on the drink for the eight-hour flight. Mate, I've actually spent a little bit of time over there with our great mate, Sully. Ah, yeah. When Sully was living over there years ago when I first retired, we were doing a lot of stuff for the NRL over there. So I actually got an opportunity, not only in Perth, but I got a chance to go up north to the, what is it, the Pilbara?

Yeah, Pilbara. We'll go all the way up there and down south as well. I loved it. I thought it was beautiful. There's a lot of sharks there, though. I don't suggest swimming. What? In the Pilbara? Not in Perth itself, but in the... In the oceans. In the oceans. There's a lot of Noahs over there. Do you think there's more Noahs on that side of Australia than this side of Australia? Yeah. Why is that? Because it's easy pickings over there. You can't say that. It's a long way to swim over here.

Once you're over there and settled... Oh, we've got to investigate this. Once you're over there and settled, it's a long way to swim to get over here. We're underway. Circumnavigate. Hello. We'll circumnavigate. Yeah, well, you've got to get over this side. You can't get over on a car if you're a shark.

They've got to swim. Do they go? What way do they go? They go north way. No, they don't go down. They go south. They go south. No, it's warmer north. Nah, they worry about the crocs. Yeah, they want the cold water, mate. Yeah, it's north. There's no way they're going north. They've got to get past the crocs going north. How many crocs are there in the ocean? There's heaps. Everywhere. See, there's another reason not to go up there. What? Easy pickings. Geez, I don't think WA Tourism will be ringing big money anytime soon.