Final test of rugby league's western advance as newspaper's stubborn crusade falls flat amid Origin ratings bonanza
The turnout at Perth's HBF Park for Saturday afternoon's NRL game between the Dolphins and Knights will be an interesting watch for those on both sides of the Western Australia code war.
Let's be clear - the war is not being pushed by the AFL or by either of its two WA-based clubs.
We're certain the Dockers and Eagles aren't afraid of having their fanbases pillaged by the Perth Bears any time soon - they can all happily coexist, as happens in every other Australian capital city.
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Rather rugby league finds itself in a battle to win over the AFL-aligned Perth newspaper which is doing its best to stymie interest in the NRL's push into the west.
The West Australian - which was torn to shreds last year for its treatment of sacked West Coast coach Adam Simpson - is all but refusing to recognise the 13-player code even exists despite rugby league's growing footprint in the city.
State of Origin II drew a crowd of about 57,000 to Optus Stadium - of which capacity is officially 62,000 - on a Wednesday night in the pouring rain.
Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow scores a try at Perth's Optus Stadium. Getty
Some of those fans flew in from interstate, but figures showed about 47,000 were Perth locals.
At the same venue on Thursday night, only 37,570 showed up to watch Fremantle beat Essendon. On Sunday there were 43,803 fans at the venue to watch West Coast play Carlton.
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In Thursday's West Australian newspaper, the Origin epic warranted only one small wire-written match report, which was stuck at the end of the sports section and immediately next to ads for sex workers.
On the same day, the paper had a two-page spread previewing the Dockers' fixture against the Bombers.
And in the lead-up to Origin the newspaper essentially refused to promote the rugby league game at all.
In fact it poked fun at it - an ad ran in the paper on Origin game day reading "State of Origin's back... WA's Dockers v Victoria's Bombers, Thursday night at Optus Stadium".
Across Monday and Tuesday the newspaper ran one small preview story about the game. On Channel Seven's news bulletin on Tuesday night it was not mentioned at all.
Broadcast figures prove interest in rugby league is high in WA.
The game, which was broadcast exclusively live on Nine, attracted 190,000 Perth TV viewers. Across the country an audience of 3.751 million people watched the game on Nine - which is a 17.5 per cent increase on last year's game two viewership. It was the most watched Origin II since the 2015 series.
Sports fans made a mockery of the newspaper's refusal to promote State of Origin in Perth. Nine
Despite the proof to the contrary, West Australian editor Chris Dore is adamant no one in the city cares about rugby league.
"Mate, the obsession with how The West covers league is ludicrous," Dore told The Sydney Morning Herald.
"No one outside of rugby league writers in Sydney cares. The point is rugby league is simply not a mainstream sport in this town.
"Just the facts. Good on them for having a crack here. We have nothing against the game despite the carry-on from [Peter] V'landys' acolytes in the Sydney media about our coverage. It's just not remotely main game and never will be.
"I'm a Queenslander... If we had a league readership here, we would be covering it. Do you think a game of rugby league between two interstate teams is more relevant to WA readers than what we placed in the valuable space available in our sport section?"
Origin aside, the NRL is bringing a team to Perth in the form of the Bears.
Spectators arrive ahead of game two of State of Origin in Perth. Getty
On the day the new franchise was announced the front page of the West Australian ran a headline, "Bad News Bears", criticising the league's push into the city.
It was in stark contrast to when Perth hosted Origin games in 2022 and in 2019, at which times the local newspaper pumped the game up and even declared, "Why the time is right for rugby league to plant a flag and start a new NRL team in Perth".
The paper's crusade against rugby league may be the result of a feud between Kerry Stokes - the billionaire Seven West Media boss - and ARL Commission chairman Peter V'landys. It's more likely Seven is trying to protect its own product - the AFL.
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V'landys poached Anthony de Ceglie to be the inaugural CEO of the Perth Bears - de Ceglie was previously news boss at Channel Seven and was also editor of the West Australian.
Hiring the former longtime Seven news man may have angered Stokes.
De Ceglie is confident he can lead the Bears to success and break through his former newspaper's stubborn denials.
Perth Bears coach Mal Meninga poses with a Blues fan before Origin game two. Getty
"The Perth Bears are looking forward to earning the respect of WA sports lovers and earning our right to be in the sports pages of The West Australian alongside the AFL teams," he said on Wednesday.
"If we're winning on the park and off the park, if fans are turning up to our games and we've created a club that stands for strong values then the newspaper hopefully has to cover us.
"If we're doing these things and they're still not covering us, then the only people missing out will be the readers.
"It's not that Perth is an AFL state. Perth is a sports state. West Australians love sport. They love Aussie rules, tennis, basketball and NRL. They show up to all sports and are passionate about all sports. There's no rule that says you can't barrack for an AFL team and an NRL team."
The sentiment that Perth fans show up to sporting events rings true with proud WA product Mitchell Johnson.
The retired Australian cricket star believes rugby league can gain a serious foothold in the state.
"It definitely has a place here," Johnson told Wide World of Sports' Freddy and the Eighth this week.
"We do have a lot of NSW and Queenslanders and New Zealanders here too, so they love their footy, they want to see it.
"I came here in 2019 to watch (Origin) and everyone turned up, everyone wants to see it, so to have the Perth Bears here will be amazing, I think it needs it.
"Everything is about AFL here, every paper you open it's all about the AFL... I think it would be great for Perth (to have NRL). We need it here."
Even without having a club based in Perth yet, the NRL is attracting serious attention there.
For a double header earlier this season that featured the Sharks, Sea Eagles, Rabbitohs, and Cowboys, a crowd of 31,347 people showed up at Optus Stadium.
That's better than most NRL game attendances in Sydney.
The Dolphins and Knights turn out at HBF Park on Saturday - the venue that will become the Bears' first home.
The ground holds a capacity of about 20,000 fans and if it is heaving for a game between those two clubs on a Saturday afternoon in Perth, it will only reinforce the game's popularity in the WA capital.
The West Australian may not like it but rugby league is moving in.
