Rugby league legend Mal Meninga will lead the NRL's newest side into the competition after being announced foundation coach of the Perth Bears.
Meninga was unveiled as the man in charge for the Bears' lead up and return season in the top competition at rugby league headquarters in Sydney on Friday morning.
The South Sea Island man and Raiders, Maroons and Kangaroos great will vacate as coach of the national side - a position he's held since 2016, to take up the new role.
The Bears will enter the NRL for the 2027 season, with a PNG-based outfit following in 2028.
"Personally, this is one of the most exciting challenges of my career, to have the opportunity to take our great game back to Western Australia to start a new team and to bring with it a much-loved rugby league community and heritage brand in the Bears," Meninga said.
"It's a great privilege and responsibility I've been given to be one of the leaders in the formation of the club and I'm looking forward to getting stuck into the work that needs to be done to deliver a team that represents WA and is competitive from day one."
Meninga and the Bears have the task of building a following away from rugby league heartland and the clubs' origins in North Sydney in an Australian Football-dominated WA market.
The state was last home to an elite rugby league set up between 1995-97 when the Western Reds competed in the ARL and Super League competitions.
The Bears have made multiple bids at re-entering the national competition after exiting as a standalone following the 1999 season after close to a century as a foundation club in the NRL's precursor, and then from the top level all together when the Northern Eagles merger with Manly ended in 2002.
"We're extremely honoured that Mal has signed on to become the inaugural coach of the Perth Bears," the expansion club's chief executive Anthony De Ceglie said.
"Mal is not just an Immortal of the NRL but an immortal of the Australian sporting landscape.
"He is an icon whose leadership qualities such as courage, honesty and hard work are rightly renowned across the country and make him the perfect coach to build a brand new team from the ground up.
"I'm sure NRL fans in Perth and in North Sydney will join me in welcoming him with open arms."
Meninga coached the Kangaroos to 26 wins from 29 games between 2016 and 2024 following 10 series in charge of the Queensland men's State of Origin side, resulting in nine shields lifted.
The three-time premiership captain at the Raiders coached the club between 1997-2001 for a winning percentage of 52.8 per cent.
"There are very few who have graced our game who can match Mal Meninga's record of success, and we are delighted to announce that Mal will be the inaugural coach of the Perth Bears for their entry into the NRL in 2027," ARL commissioner Peter V'landys said.
"Mal is the ideal man to lead the game to a new frontier in Western Australia. The esteem in which he is held in the sport, his experience and the success he has had at every level of the game as a player and coach will ensure the Perth Bears have exceptionally strong leadership to build their organisation.
"On behalf of the Commission, I congratulate Mal on his appointment and thank him for his wonderful contribution as Kangaroos Coach. Mal leaves the Kangaroos program in tremendous shape and now takes on a vital role for the progression of the sport domestically."
