Inside the new Perth Bears: Mal Meninga reveals plan to win first-year premiership
They can’t even name 17 players yet, but the Perth Bears have set an unprecedented target that no NRL expansion team has ever achieved – winning the competition in their first year.
Perth Bears coach Mal Meninga has made the bold declaration that the expansion side can be competitive enough to become the first team to win a title in their inaugural season.
With just one year left before the Bears make their anticipated return to the NRL, Meninga refuses to use history as a guide on how the club will fare in their first year.
Meninga, who will coach his first regular-season NRL game after 26 years, has even predicted that they could sellout every seat for every game at HBF Park.
“There’s that history that tells you that we’re going to struggle in the early years, but that’s not the way I look at it,” Meninga told this masthead.
“And it’s not the way the players are going to look at it.
“We could become the first team that could win a premiership in their first year.
“I truly believe we’re going to be competitive in year one.”
Bears have spent the past four months recruiting players from across both the NRL and Super League, but remain just short of being able to field a full 19 players.
And while many have criticised their inability to so far jag a marquee player, Meninga has made it clear that his strategy doesn’t revolve around already established stars.
Meninga explained the players he’s signing are “marquee” to fit both the club and state, with the move to Western Australia a major factor.
“I look at the quality of the person, the player obviously. What’s more important to me is where they are in their careers,” Meninga said.
“They’re all playing first grade, all integral members of a first grade team, plus the fact is there is a lot of upside to them.
“So when you talk about recognition, marquee or whatever, I think they’re on the way up, they’re not on the way down.
“And the guys we have brought from an experience point of view all have 2-3 years left.”
The club has recently signed premiership winners Scott Sorenson and Liam Henry from Penrith, as well as Storm veterans Nick Meaney and Tyran Wishart.
Former Bulldogs and Titans halfback Toby Sexton will be their first-choice halfback.
Alongside that experience, the club also picked up young guns Luke Laulilii (Tigers), Luke Smith (Bulldogs) and Chris Vea’ila (Sharks), who will all feature heavily a year from now.
Meninga also said depth will be key.
“We’ve got to build depth out,” Meninga said.
“I think the average number for clubs of players used in 2025 is 27. The rules say we need to have 24 by the 1st of November and then 28 by the start of the year, so we’re well on track.”
From a commercial and financial point of view, the Bears have already been a success before they’ve even taken the field.
While there have been doubts over whether they can win over the locals, Bears CEO Anthony De Ceglie says the club will put that to bed as soon as their first home game kicks off.
I think there is a misconception that people aren’t interested, I mean 60,000 people showed up to the State of Origin last year, it was an absolute sell out,” De Ceglie said.
“When Mal Meninga is in town, he can’t walk down the street without someone yelling out go Perth Bears. I have no doubt we will sell out every home game.”
The club also hasn’t forgotten the North Sydney side of their fanbase, with De Ceglie hopeful of an upgrade to the famous North Sydney Oval.
As it stands, North Sydney Oval has a capacity of only 10,000.
“We’ll definitely do captain’s runs and trial matches (there), but the NRL is the most watched sport in the country,” De Ceglie said.
“It’s not just for rugby league, it’s used for cricket, families, it’s just sitting there waiting for an upgrade.”
A hot topic around the Bears is the release of their merchandise, and this masthead can now reveal the rollout dates the club is working towards.
After launching a T-shirt that sold 6,000 with the new logo in record time, the Bears are aiming to release new merchandise and memberships in line with the NRL’s double-header on 11 April.
They’ll then work towards an inaugural jersey launch in time for the Melbourne Storm v Sea Eagles game in August.
The Bears will enter the NRL in round one next year, making it an 18-team competition before the Papua New Guinea Chiefs follow suit in 2028.
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