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The strengths of the Central Coast bid have been enunciated clearly over the past year and last week the Bears were promised $3.5 million for offices and training facilities by Premier-in-waiting, Barry O’Farrell.
The Bears hold their season-launch this Friday at Terrigal and have every right to be quietly optimistic with regard their chances of inclusion into the competition.
It is a fact that the Central Coast Bears have secured 6,100 financial members – 4,200 of them from the Central Coast – with a staff of just four and a band of about 15 volunteers (cricket legend and Central Coast resident Arthur Morris was the 6,000th member).
The NRL asked the Bears to provide members to prove support – they have delivered in spades. In recent months the tally is growing by an average of 119 per week.
If the NRL want to “fish where the fishes are”, they are on the Coast.
Another angle that must be considered is the effect that not bringing a team in on the Central Coast would have.
I would contend that no bidding franchise would be as critically damaged by rejection for expansion in 2013 (or 2014) than the Central Coast.
This crucial element entitles the Bears, as the bookies agree, to favouritism for inclusion, provided the NRL and its IC regard the Central Coast Bears bid as being of worthwhile strategic value. Simply put, unlike the other bid locations, it’s now or never.
Some Sydney teams will object to a Central Coast entry based on self-interest – a perceived reduction of corporate opportunities (as will the Broncos and Titans towards any SEQ bid).
The ownership model proposed by Ken Sayer of Mortgage House eliminates most of the arguments.
With sponsor support from loyal Bear organisations such as Norths Leagues and JJ Lawsons, the other clubs aren’t missing out on what they would never have got. It’s the story of being involved with possibly Australia’s greatest team sporting comeback that is inspiring corporate support, along with access to one of NSW’s youngest and fastest growing demographic.
While there are pluses and minuses for all bids, the Bears can say their bid has no question marks. And decision-makers love clarity.
As the bid is so advanced, if the IC are confident that the Central Coast is of strategic value, the Bears will be added at the first opportunity to increase the TV deal currently in the initial stages of negotiation.
This is one reason the Bears stick by their deadline of March 31 (even though the NRL may indeed tell them to wait a month till the IC is fully established) by being proactive over the past two years regarding expansion. The Bears are driving the agenda and forcing themselves into the TV dialogue.
A decision to delay expansion would be a signal to the Bears that the Central Coast is not a priority and almost the same as a rejected bid.
Rejection for the Central Coast means the administrators of the game will likely never admit a team from the region, as no bid will ever be presented as comprehensive and mature as that proposed by the Bears.
Any delay reduces the effectiveness of reconnecting with old Bears fans and countering the GWS Giants in the Hornsby Shire.
In other words, to gain maximum benefit from the Central Coast Bears, they need to be added now.
As a Bears fan, I have confidence in the outcome, as the NRL continue to encourage the bid team, urging them to increase their membership base, approving of their merchandise sales and clothing range at Best and Less.
The Bears have been on standby twice now for teams in difficulty, which tends to signal the Central Coast Bears are perceived to be of strategic value.
Besides, the NRL would know fully well, the ramifications of rejecting a franchise which will have, by decision time, around 8,000 financial members.
One interesting spin-off of the increasing media focus on Bears’ bid and manly attempts to secure support in the northern suburbs is a large spike in junior player registrations this year in northern Sydney.
It is perhaps a sign that the Bears-Sea Eagle rivalry will in fact assist both teams through increased interest in the game in northern Sydney.
It is a fact that further reinforces the bid team’s message.
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