As one of the teams aiming to become one of the two new teams in the NRL in a few years, the Western Reds are pushing hard to be one of those teams. Now, they have one influential backer in the corner who wants to see them in the NRL.
That backer is former Panther and Reds star, Mark Geyer, as he urges that the Western Reds be re-instated as he stated that they were clearly going places before they lost their spot due to the Superleague War that divided League.
In 1995, the Reds were one of four teams to join the expansionary league, before the Superleague War began and the Reds defected to the Superleague. They are however poised to re-enter the contest in 2013.
”We have to give Perth another go,” said Geyer, who was one of the team’s big-name recruits.Â
”I’m going to be accused of being biased because I played there, but I know the potential the place offers.
”We only dipped our toe in the water over there. When I was there 15 years ago the junior competition was good. While there were only five teams in the competition there was a lot of quality there, and from what I understand that is still the case.”
Geyer has also said that the distance from Perth for most teams was not a sufficient enough excuse to deny the Reds a team in the NRL.
”If two AFL teams can thrive there so far away from Melbourne and the [Super rugby team] the Western Force is based there along with the Perth Wildcats NBL team and the WA cricket team, I can’t see why league can’t have a WA team in the national competition.
”The 4½-hour flight from Sydney to there is nothing. It is a great market, a growing population and rich in potential.”
Geyer, who is also a strong supporter of the Central Coast Bears bid, as he looks forward to the day when 20 teams are in the NRL.