Johns: The leaf NRL should take from the AFL to fix Perth

Matty Johns has called on the NRL to look at the AFL’s use of salary cap dispensation for their expansion sides to see how they can assist the Perth Bears.  

While fellow expansion PNG Chiefs have been afforded concessions for their entry in 2028, such as tax-free exemption on salaries, the NRL’s 18th side has not been given similar concessions.

This has seen the Bears struggle to bring in any big-name recruits, while the Chiefs, with those salary cap concessions, have been able to sign Wests Tigers superstar Jarome Luai.

The use of salary cap exemptions for expansion sides has been one of many measures used by the AFL for GWS and Gold Coast. Both sides, in their first season, were given an increased salary cap of $1 million, which was slowly reduced over time.

While for the incoming Tasmania Devils, the league has provided a $5 million sign-on bonus fund outside of the salary cap for its first two years to help recruit players to the Apple Isle.

With the need for the Bears to have success early on to help achieve cut through within the AFL-dominated market of Western Australia, the 1997 Premiership player believes the NRL should look at providing similar concessions.

“I think as far as the game (is concerned), we do need to take a leaf out of the AFL's book here,” Johns said on SEN’s Morning Glory with Matty Johns.

“I know all the clubs are gonna blow up about it. If we wanted to bring Perth in, we had to do a salary cap dispensation to help them out.

“With PNG coming in and getting tax-free dollars, and you're getting double the money, there had to be something.

“A good start for the Perth Bears is just so essential.

“When you go into a market that is not a pure rugby league market where there's so much competition, you need success to get them going.

“If you go back to the first year of the Western Reds in 1995, in game one, they beat St George at the WACA, 28-16 in front of 25,000 people.

“That first season they won 12 games from 24.

“It was a great season, but the final home crowd that year was 12,000. The second season in ‘96, they didn't perform as well and the crowd dwindled to 5-6,000.

“It just shows you the emphasis going into a new market. You gotta have success to get the crowds in.”

Johns also believes the Bears should look to bring in former South Sydney and Wests Tigers CEO Shane Flanagan to help assist the club.

“Fletch (Bryan Fletcher) said to me (and he) was dead right, he said, ‘you know who would suit the Perth Bears right down to the ground, is Gus going over there and just going right over this we've gotta do’,” he added.

“If there's no Gus, I'll throw another one at you who would be good to go over there.

“Shane Richardson. Richo would be perfect for what they need right now.”

The Perth Bears will enter the NRL in 2027.