‘Pretty f***ing happy’: How Bears’ NRL return was sealed — as icon reveals five dream recruits

As a Bears board member, Moore has been privy to the six months of intense negotiations between the NRL and the WA premier Roger Cook, which hit a stumbling block in early April.

But now with both parties budging on their initial proposals, the 211-game club icon can’t believe his dream has become a reality.

“There’s one per cent of me going, ‘Is this real?’. Because it has been a journey, forget about the 26 years we’ve been out, the last six months have been protracted,” Moore said.

“We’ve gone through emotion … the exact nuances aren’t crisp and solid yet but the most important thing that matters to me, my former teammates and the 220-odd thousand fans is that the Bears are back baby, the red and black is there.

“But the other thing we’ve got, is our family has grown. It takes on a WA flavour and when you look at what sport shows you, examples are the best way to see what can happen.

“Last year’s AFL grand final was played between Sydney and Brisbane, but it was South Melbourne plays Fitzroy. It shows the strength of a historical brand moving to a frontier area.

“That frontier area works when the people in it take on that team and buy in. They are taking on a historical brand who have passionate people who have picked themselves off the canvas for 26 years to take this opportunity.”

For fellow club legend David Fairleigh, who played a 193 games for the Bears between 1989 and 1999, their reintroduction is the “best of both worlds”.

“I’m excited in two ways, firstly it is just fantastic to be able to grow the game and to be able to put a team in Western Australia, which clearly they want a team in the west,” he told foxsports.com.au.

“Then to have an association and a connection with the Bears brand and keeping it alive, I think that’s going to make a lot of people very happy. We are getting the best of both worlds.

“It means a lot to see the Bear out there, you only have to look at the support the NSW Cup side have when they roll out.

“There’s a lot of young people who have never heard of the North Sydney Bears but there’s a lot of old people who have passed the legacy on and told their kids about the Bears.”

NRL powerbrokers rejected a bid from a private WA consortium before negotiations began with the WA government to deliver the Perth Bears.

Financial investment was the biggest sticking point in any deal being struck, with comprises being made on both sides regarding the funds injected into a centre of excellent and grassroots programs.

But beyond the financial details, Moore believes the new franchise will have no problems conjuring a new fan base on the west coast, having previously been home to the Western Reds.

“There’s symmetry there, it’s poignant. WA had their own team for three years before they were wrongfully dismissed in 1997,” Moore said.

“They’ve been out for even longer. You’ve got two areas that have waited for their rebirth and it is happening now, I’ll use the word juggernaut. Put that in capitals, that’s what this team will be.

“This opportunity, this brand, this team will be a juggernaut because you are marrying two histories into one future, two cities into one team. I’m excited.”

Fairleigh also pointed to AFL case studies, like the Brisbane Lions and Sydney Swans’ relocations as to why the Bears will work.

“There’s a number of case studies from the AFL that have proven teams can relocate,” he said.

“It’s proven you can leverage the history of the past and I think it’s great one part of that is the modern side of the Bears in a completely new franchise in a new state.

“Then we leverage the old side, the history and the supporter base on the east coast so I think there’s enough evidence to suggest it could work really well.”

HBF Park will be the Bears’ new base, but that doesn’t mean North Sydney Oval fades into oblivion, with Moore confirming the club’s spiritual home will still get used.

“North Sydney Oval will be used initially in a trial game, we have got to iron out 26 years of bug bears in that ground,” he explained.

“A trial game and one competition game in year one would be the status quo and from there we see how it grows.

“You will see the Bears brand, you will see the Bears colours, you will see games at North Sydney Oval. But we live, stay and play in Perth.”

And there’s also one thing that both Moore and Fairleigh are certain of — the Bears’ first clash against the Sea Eagles will be a historic moment.

Before the inception and quick exile of the Northern Eagles, Manly and North Sydney’s rivalry was one of the most bitter in rugby league.

Still to this day fans of the rivals have a disdain for each other, which could spark a staggering turnout that Moore and Fairleigh both believed would pack out Sydney’s biggest stadiums.

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