Speaking on
SENQ Breakfast, Meninga made it clear that his focus is on the team's identity and culture.
"I don’t start until the 1st of July, obviously there’s a lot of planning that goes into it all," he said.
"[I want to] make sure I’m really clear on what a Perth Bear person is."
The Bears can begin negotiating with players who are off-contract from November 1, but with clubs scrambling to lock up their key talent before that date, Meninga and his staff will have to go above-and-beyond to start inking deals.
"In the back of your mind, you would like to get everyone," he said.
"You would love to obviously be in a conversation with them and communicate with them and hopefully they see some value in going over to Perth.
"The thing about Perth is, what's our sell proposition?
"If I go talk to someone like Kalyn [Ponga] who was born over there, how do I convince him to uproot himself and his family and move over there and participate in the pioneering of the game?
"What do I sell? It’s a great place to live obviously, it’s sunshine, beaches, all those sorts of things.
"It’s a great family community over there but what is the value proposition?
"So, all those sorts of things will need to be sorted out first before we can actually start talking to players."
The Perth Bears project marks a significant challenge for the NRL, which will require them to hit the ground running when they join the competition in 2027.
Meninga's reputation and passion for the game make him a compelling figure to lead the charge on the west coast.
