The West Australian Rugby League fears grass roots football in WA will suffer if mining entrepreneur Tony Sage is successful in his bid to win a Perth-based NRL franchise.

Sage, who owns A-league club Perth Glory, met with NRL chief executive David Gallop on Tuesday to express interest in adding a rugby league side to his stable.

The model Sage would adopt is similar to the one used by businessman Nathan Tinkler, who combined some of the resources of NRL side Newcastle Knights and A-League outfit Newcastle Jets after buying them out.

Sage, reportedly worth in excess of $700 million, believes he could easily get a number of WA mining companies on board to sponsor a Perth-based NRL team if the league expands in 2015.

But WARL chief executive John Sackson claims his team of people would be just as savvy in attracting sponsorship support, plus would take better care of the game at a grass roots level.

“We are very confident in our ability to raise the necessary funds and build a business model that is sustainable,” Sackson said in Perth on Tuesday.

“We know it’s an expensive proposition. We know we need $15-20 million dollars to run a franchise. But we back ourselves to achieve that.

“A case of picking up a team and plonking it here with no real connection or concern or care for the grass roots of the game – that’s not our view.

“We consider ourselves to be in a strong position because our business model for an NRL franchise is strongly linked back to grass roots, community rugby league.

“We have to create pathways for the kids that are playing rugby league here to aspire to greater representative honours, to NRL aspirations and forming that pathway.

“It’s not just about coming in and buying a team. It goes much deeper than that.”

Former Test and Balmain hooker Ben Elias, who has joined forces with Sage, has reportedly already held talks with Ricky Stuart about becoming the inaugural coach of a Perth-based side.

The WARL claim they have also had contact with potential coaches, but Sackson said it was far too premature to drop any names just yet given expansion was at least three years away.

And with Sage having lost around $10 million in Perth Glory over the past few years, Sackson questioned just how savvy Sage was in attracting major sponsors.

“He has a sporting team at the moment and I don’t see too many new sponsors involved in that,” Sackson said.

With the NRL’s independent commission in place, a decision on expansion is expected to be made before the end of the year.

Last Saturday’s trial match between North Queensland and St George Illawarra in Perth attracted a crowd of 8588.

Perth’s rugby league fans will get another taste of action when South Sydney hosts the Brisbane Broncos at nib Stadium on March 23.