Mal Meninga named inaugural Perth Bears coach

Mal Meninga has been crowned the inaugural head coach of the Perth Bears, with the NRL expansion team confirming the Kangaroos boss will be leading their first campaign in rugby league’s top-flight competition.

Meninga, 64, was unveiled by Perth brass and the NRL on Thursday morning, with club officials declaring the appointment a “statement signing” for the new-slash-revived franchise.

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The Australian coach will stay in his international coaching gig through to the end of the year before moving back to clubland in 2026. Meninga, who is the first formal football-focused hire for the expansion club, will be responsible for recruitment and other staffing hires through the next 12 months as the Bears prepare to join comp play in 2027.

“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity,” Meninga said in the expansion club’s release shared to the media on Thursday. “The Bears brand has a proud history and now a fresh future. I’m honoured to lead that next chapter in Perth.”

The 64-year-old has long been linked to an NRL return but regularly suggested it had to be the “right opportunity.” He has been leading the Kangaroos since 2016. Before that, he coached Queensland for a decade, winning nine of ten Origin series.

Should he stay in the role to ’27, it will be Meninga’s first time coaching at NRL level since 2001.

The hope on the west coast, The Sporting Base understands, is that Meninga’s gravitas in rugby league will give the Bears a leg-up in player negotiations. As it stands, the club will have basically zero players to field and has to make as many as 30 signings in just 18 months.

Player tracker website Zero Tackle lists stars like Jahrome Hughes, Sandon Smith, Luke Metcalf, Jayden Campbell, James Tedesco, Tom and Jake Trbojevic, Dane Gagai, Kurt Mann, Payne Haas, Junior Paulo, Angus Crichton, Keaon Koloamatangi, Alofiana Khan-Pereira, and Mark Nawaqanitawase as available for 2027 (for now) — a ready-made target list for Mal.

The Bears will get early access to the 2026 player market, like the Dolphins in 2022.