They are a consortium behind the Perth NRL bid, but both Ben Elias and mining magnate Tony Sage have prepared a detailed proposal to put forward to the West Australian Government, that will convince them to consider making a play for State of Origin to be played in Perth.

The move would mean that the ARLC stands to make at least $5 million from the proposed clash, an amount that is double of what the Victorian Government is offering for Origin games.

With the NRL Commission deciding whether or not to take a game to the NRL heartlands, Melbourne are looking to keep at least one game at their disposal for the next 5 years – though the lure of a potential Perth game resulting in more money for the game, will be hard to refuse.

“Origin is the jewel in the crown for rugby league and the ideal way to promote the game,” Sage said.

“We believe our proposal to play a game in Perth next year will be well received.”

Sage, who is the owner of the Perth Glory A-League franchise, is behind the big push to have a team re-instated in WA, with the WA Reds the last team to play out of Perth, back in 1997.

“You talk about promoting the game and expanding it – the obvious choice is Perth,” Elias said.

“I’ve always believed that State of Origin should stay in NSW and Queensland. However, if the game is serious about expansion and making it national, we need to share our showpiece. I’m tired of NSW always giving up their home-ground advantage for the benefit of the game. It’s about time Queensland gave one up.”

With an Origin game in Perth possibly being played during the day, given the time difference, it would also allow the game to be shown in prime time.

“It would be huge,” Elias said.

“It would be the most sought-after ticket in Australian sport. There is so much excitement and so much money over there. It would be sold out in no time. This will show that there is a really solid commitment there for the game of rugby league.”

With the final details as to future Origin venues being ironed out, ARCL CEO David Gallop has said that nothing has been confirmed, as of yet.

“We’re continuing to have discussions with a number of interested states but nothing has been determined at this stage,” ARLC chief executive David Gallop said.

With any new development in Origin venues, the continued debate about how much the game can make out of the entire series in regards to revenue is prevalent – with Gallop saying that exact figures are difficult to determine.

“Outside of television, [Origin] generates somewhere between $15 million and $20 million,” Gallop explained.

“There’s no separate allocation of television money for Origin, so it’s purely speculative what number is attributed to it. It’s reasonable to put a value on Origin TV but difficult the way the current deal is structured.”

By ricky

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