Perth Bears Prepare to Join the NRL After Years in the Wilderness

Excitement over a new Perth NRL team is more than club stalwart Billy Moore can bear.

Jackson Topine of the Bulldogs is tackled by Will Penisini of the Eels during the round seven NRL match between Parramatta Eels and Canterbury Bulldogs at CommBank Stadium in Sydney, Australia on April 16, 2023. Matt King/Getty Images

Perth’s prospective new National Rugby League (NRL) team will need to get their claws stuck into training soon, with news they are expected to return to the league in 2027.

The team will revive the North Sydney Bears, one of the NRL’s foundation clubs formed in 1903, through a new partnership with Western Australia. The Bears lost their NRL licence in 1999 but have long campaigned for a return to the top level of the sport.