Master coach Wayne Bennett has thrown his support behind Perth joining forces with the Bears for the NRL's 18th licence, believing the partnership will set the club up for success.
Perth is the hot favourite to be announced as the NRL's next expansion club and it seems all but certain they will be joining forces with the North Sydney Bears.
If the Perth bid gets approved they are set to play their first game in 2027, with a team from Papua New Guinea likely to enter the competition in 2028 or 2029.
Bennett has been a huge advocate for Perth gaining an NRL licence over the years and spent more than 45 minutes with young rugby league fans during the Dolphins' open training session in Perth on Thursday.
The Dolphins will take on the Sydney Roosters at HBF Park on Friday night, with the match at the 20,000-capacity stadium already a sellout despite the AFL fixturing West Coast against Gold Coast at Optus Stadium on the same night.
Bennett said the sellout was further proof of the growing love for rugby league in Western Australia and is confident the new Perth franchise will be a success.
He said a marriage with the Bears, who exited the NRL in 1999 and now play in the NSW competition, would be a great fit for both parties.
"I can see some mileage in the Bears, it could work for both organisations," Bennett said on Thursday.
"I think that's what it's about - making it work and more importantly you've got to come up with a product that the fans believe is sincere and authentic.
"You can't try to hoodwink the fans because that doesn't work."
Bennett said bringing the Bears on board would bring numerous advantages.
"You'd have a base of fans already in Sydney," Bennett said.
"The Bears was a great name in the game until the Super League came along in the 90s.
"They've got strong facilities over there. They've got teams. So I think they could be very supportive of any team coming out of (Perth)."
The exact nature of the joint venture is yet to be fully revealed, but almost all of the home games would be played in Perth should it go ahead.
Although WA is an AFL-dominated territory, Bennett is confident there's more than enough hunger for rugby league.
He said the fact Friday's Dolphins-Roosters match is a sell-out was further proof of that.
"It's wonderful, particularly with the AFL game on as well," Bennett said.
"They (the fans) are obviously saying they want a team here and they're prepared to support it.
"We've played a lot of rugby league here in the last decade, different clubs have been here, State of Origins.
"I've been coming here since the mid 90s and each time I come I see the game's growing more and more and people recognise you more.
"I don't think we have to worry about the AFL, they don't have to worry about us too much."
