Arthur shapes as first Western Bears coach as expansion follows Bennett blueprint

Brad Arthur is the lead contender to helm the Western Bears when they join the NRL in 2027 as the next expansion team, with the club eager to look in a proven commander and the recently ousted Parramatta Eels coach keen to take the gig.

Arthur is coaching the seventh-placed Leeds Rhinos in the English Super League right now but should be free to eventually return to Australia by the end of 2026, if not sooner.

Download Our FREE NRL App Here

The Sporting Base has heard things are already progressing behind the scenes. Not only are the early Bears powerbrokers already trying to sort things out, but rugby league bosses like Peter V’Landys and Andrew Abdo are also lending a heavy hand in recruitment. They similarly helped the Dolphins as that Brisbane club prepared for its inaugural campaign.

There have been some suggestions from Fox Sports that the Western club may try to poach legendary Melbourne helmsman Craig Bellamy over Arthur, but The Sporting Base hasn’t heard anything on that front; it would be a shock for Bellamy to leave the Storm.

Instead, it seems like Arthur will be slotted in in 24 months to begin the building.

This follows the same blueprint Redcliffe just followed: Pick up a tenured NRL coach, hand them the reigns, and then have the whole football department work together to construct a competitive roster—as well as a plan for the future. The Dolphins, who ran out the exact same strategy with Wayne Bennett, are currently running eighth.

Enter Our Weekly $250 NRL Tipping Comp Here

The Bears’ return will mark the first time the famed rugby league brand competed in the top flight since their doomed 1999 run. At the time, Arthurs was captain-coaching the Cairns Brothers.