It's impossible to be negative about the return of the Bears, right?
It was emotive to see the images of tearful club legend Greg Florimo celebrating in North Sydney with the rusted-on faithful as they watched a press conference in Perth where the WA Premier, Roger Cook, announced the long hibernation was over.
Jeff Goldblum said it in Jurassic Park, 'life finds a way', and so does rugby league.
A foundation club discarded as collateral damage in the Super League war is back two and a half decades later in partnership with another supporter base lost in that same chapter, the Western Reds.
The press conference was a Peter V'landys made-for-TV special. He lavished the WA Premier with praise for his negotiating skills. It was like watching a used car salesman explain to a customer that the deal was so good, that the punter was selling him!
He spoke about his disdain for the AFL, as he was asked if he'd consulted with the rival code.
'No, I don't see McDonald's checking with Kentucky Fried Chicken when they're opening a new store… so we certainly have not consulted with the AFL. They don't consult with us. Let's be quite frank; they don't want us to be here because they realise we're going to be competitive and we're going to take some of their lunch and we eat a lot.'
Nom nom nom.
There was Trumpian outlandishness as he suggested the Bears could share players with the Western Force. A kind of job share in reverse, where the organisations double dip on the player.
'Hey, Jahrome Hughes, come join the Bears. Mon/Tues/Fri we want you to focus on completion rates. Wed/Thurs you're on rucks and mauls.'
Ultimately, this franchise is an elegant way to try and maximise the next broadcast deal. Keep adding teams to grow content and grow the bottom line. Is that a sustainable business model? Probably not, but you have to marvel at the NRL's capacity to get its expansions funded by the government.
$600 million from the feds over ten years for PNG. $65 million over seven years for the Bears. Putting aside the significant discrepancy in price point (maybe Cook is a negotiation savant), it's quite a spend. In the same way that the AFL has convinced governments across the land to pay for stadia (Perth, Adelaide, Tassie), the NRL has got pollies paying for franchises.
What comes next will not be easy. Ex-Bear and NRL brain Ben Ikin laid it out on ABC SPORT Daily, but the (mostly) middle-aged men clad in red and black awash with tears on Thursday in Cammeray couldn't care less.
They will get another shot at watching their team at North Sydney Oval.
