NRL market watch: Former North Sydney coach set to join Perth Bears, Reynolds to reject Tigers

The Bears are set to make two crucial appointments, including a former Bears and current Penrith assistant, while the Wests Tigers’ huge bid for Adam Reynolds falls flat. 

Perth Bears are on the verge of making two crucial appointments, including who is expected to be Mal Meninga’s long-term successor with a former North Sydney coach in the mix.

Samoan coach Ben Gardiner is expected to be Meninga’s right-hand man while Gold Coast Titans recruitment manager Ezra Howe is expected to reunite with Meninga at the Bears.

The impending appointment of Gardiner is a crucial one for the Bears given the likelihood that the senior assistant coach would replace Meninga once his time as Bears coach comes to an end.

Penrith assistant, and Samoa head coach, Ben Gardiner is set to be the successor to Mal Meninga at the Perth Bears. Credit: NRL Images.

Meninga has signed on until the end of 2028 which means he will lead the club off the field for the next 18 months before coaching in their first game in the 2027 season.

Gardiner will join him when his commitments with Penrith end this year before taking a hands-on role with the team. It is likely that he will takeover from Meninga in 2029.

Meninga confirmed he had met with Gardiner recently.

“He has been spoken to by the NRL and I’ve had a meeting with him,” Meninga said.

“We can’t do too much at the moment.

“I am going through some appointments with the NRL, they are keen to be part of that process for a little while until we have the board settled.

“I don’t start officially until July so there’s only two of us at the moment and the NRL are the principal owners.

“Things may heat up next week through Origin but we won’t make any rash decisions until we get through Origin.”

Gardiner has spent the past three seasons at the Panthers while he was also appointed Samoan coach in 2023. He coached the Maori All-Stars in the same year and has been part of the New Zealand staff.

Before that though he was coach of North Sydney’s NSW Cup team and has also had stints with the Roosters, South Sydney, Cronulla and Wests Tigers during a 20-year coaching career.

His link with Samoa also gives him an opportunity to target some of the biggest names in the game.

Howe worked with Meninga at the Titans with the pair playing a leading hand in enticing Tino Fa’asuamaleaui to the club.

It makes the potential pursuit of Fa’asuamaleaui to the Bears even more likely now given the multitude of options he has in his long-term deal which enables him to exit the club.

Sam Verrills, Beau Fermor, David Fifita and Jayden Campbell are other big name Titans free to talk with rival clubs on November 1.

“There’s a few crucial appointments, recruitment is one and then there’s the GM of footy,” Meninga said.

“I have spoken to the CEO Gareth Holmes from the North Sydney Bears and I will catch up with their chairman (Daniel Dickson) over in Perth.

“We need to look at how we can support them and how they support the Perth Bears.

“Once we have some sort of freedom to make some decisions, we will get into it and see who becomes a priority.

“I don’t fully understand the WA rugby league community, so I want to get over there and get to know the landscape better.”

The Bears are in the process of finalising their board which will include a Western Australian-based chairman.

Two North Sydney delegates will be appointed with Dickson and Nine Network sports presenter James Bracey and Dickson also expected to be an inaugural director.

There will be two other Western Australian appointments and two NRL independent appointments on the board.

*****

REYNOLDS SET TO REJECT $1 MILLION

– Peter Badel

Adam Reynolds is set to take the extraordinary step of giving up almost $1 million by knocking back a lucrative offer from the Wests Tigers and staying loyal to Brisbane.

D-Day has arrived for Reynolds, who is expected to make a definitive call on his future this week, possibly as early as Tuesday, to end months of speculation over his future at the Broncos.

Adam Reynolds is expected to stay in Brisbane. Picture NRL Photos

This masthead can reveal Reynolds will stay at Brisbane in 2026 – pending the Broncos clearing one final negotiating hurdle with his management.

Wests Tigers chiefs are aware of Brisbane’s position and are resigned to missing out on Reynolds.

But Reynolds’ loyalty would come at a cost, with the champion halfback ready to walk away from a seven-figure sum to finish his career at the Broncos in a remarkable show of commitment to the club.

Tigers bosses held a fresh round of talks with Reynolds in recent days, attempting to lure the former Rabbitohs schemer back to Sydney with a two-year package worth around $1.5 million.

The Broncos simply cannot compete with the Tigers’ offer due to salary-cap pressures and have made it clear they will not budge on a 12-month contract.

Despite the massive financial chasm, Tigers hierarchy are not confident of Reynolds quitting the Broncos to join forces with Jarome Luai, believing the 34-year-old wants to remain in Brisbane for family reasons.

The Broncos and Reynolds’ manager Steve Gillis are in the advanced stages of broking a deal that could include post-football opportunities for the premiership-winning playmaker.

The Tigers believe if that aspect of the deal is satisfied, Reynolds will stay a Bronco, but they remain in the fight in the event the Brisbane No. 7 has a change of heart.

One huge consideration for Reynolds is the family implications of joining the Tigers.

With Reynolds’ wife and four kids happily settled in Brisbane, he would have to relocate to Sydney alone to play for the Tigers, something the 300-game veteran is reluctant to do.

“Adam wants to finish his career at Brisbane,” Gillis said.

“His family is settled there, so that’s what we are working towards.”

Reynolds is also hellbent on finishing what he set out to achieve at Brisbane when he quit South Sydney in 2021 – steering the Broncos to a seventh title and breaking a 19-year premiership drought.

Kotoni Staggs is expected to . Picture: Nigel Hallett

The Broncos are poised to make a number of retention announcements.

Centre Kotoni Staggs is expected to formally ink an extension with the Broncos before next Sunday’s clash against Cronulla, while Brisbane boss Dave Donaghy remains hopeful Reynolds will reject the Tigers.

“I’d love nothing more than to see Adam finish his career at the Broncos,” Donaghy said.

“I’m sure when he first started, he probably would have thought he was going to be a one-club player at Souths.

“That didn’t eventuate, but we’d love him to finish a two-club player.

“Adam has been great for us.

“When we first signed him, people were saying we wouldn’t get two years out of him. It’s been four now and if he goes around with us next year, that’s five seasons.

“Adam has a role to play on the field, but he’s got a leadership role to play as well in terms of leading our young guys off the field.”

Tigers legend Benny Elias said it would be a risk for his club to offer Reynolds, who turns 35 next month, a two-year deal.

“Adam Reynolds is a bloody champion but to be honest I would like to see him finish his career at the Broncos,” Elias said.

“If the Tigers do sign him, the only thing I would say is I hope they do thorough due diligence on him.

“I think a two-year offer is a worry.

“Look at ‘DCE’ (36-year-old Manly halfback Daly Cherry-Evans) ... there is a stage where Father Time catches up with you and we would all love to play forever, but it’s simply not possible.

“Reynolds has been wonderful for Brisbane. He has been a great fit for that club and if he likes living in Brisbane with his kids, then go out respectfully and be a Broncos legend.

“He can have a long career at the Broncos post-football as a coach or an ambassador.”

Originally published as NRL market watch: Former North Sydney coach set to join Perth Bears, Reynolds to reject Tigers