Cameron Munster is shaping as the first marquee signing for the Perth Bears expansion team, with Munster reportedly “open” to a west coast switch once the eighteenth team joins the competition.
The Bears’ inaugural coach, Mal Meninga, has been hard at work trying to figure out his Bears roster for 2027, and three names have emerged: Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, Blayke Brailey, and Munster.
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Munster is signed with Melbourne through to the end of 2027. Still, The Sporting Base understands the southern organisation is open to letting him leave a season early to take up a leading role at the 18th team — a courtesy they’d only give to the Bears, as they understand how hard it can be to break into AFL heartland with a rugby league venture.
The 30-year-old is reportedly open to the move too, according to veteran journo Paul Kent on YouTube. The Queensland captain is interested in a new challenge before calling it in; the big pay packet late on in his career wouldn’t hurt either.
“Here’s one for you, they’ve already made approaches to Cameron Munster,” Kent said about Perth on his podcast.
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“Now obviously he’s a big name at Melbourne, and look, it’s very, very early days, let me stress. But Cameron Munster is more than open to moving to Perth. The club, I’m led to believe, the Storm have spoken to him about that.
“They’ve settled on the position that they will release him, but only to join Perth.”
This Base reporter has heard Perth has around $1.5 million squared away for their marquee signings, with the expansion club willing to back-load that to as much as $2 million to assure Meninga goes into the 2027 season and the late 2020s with star-power across the park.
With the NRL broadcast deal hiking as the competition goes to 18, then eventually 19 and 20 teams, marquee men like halfbacks and five-eighths stand to earn huge cash at NRL teams that need to lure them in. Munster would likely be relying on that to build a late-on kitty that would stand him in good stead beyond his playing career.
Munster has plenty of time to decide yet, and is still contracted with the Storm in 2027 either way.
