Mal Meninga named the Perth Bears’ foundation coach, will resign as Kangaroos coach

Mal Meninga has been officially unveiled as the Perth Bears’ inaugural coach, charged with overseeing the entry of the NRL”s newest team. READ ALL THE DETAILS.

Mal Meninga is back as an NRL coach.

The rugby league Immortal was on Friday unveiled as the inaugural coach of the Perth Bears, revealing he was fully aware of the gravity of being the man charged with leading the NRL’s 18th team in 2027.

Meninga has agreed to take the reins for at least the 2027 and 2028 seasons, but with the more immediate focus of building the club, and the roster, from the ground up.

“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 getting to stuck into the work that needs to be done to deliver a team that represents WA and is competitive from day one.”

The NRL, which owns the Perth licence, held several months of interviews with a four-man candidacy that included Sam Burgess, Brad Arthur and Kevin Walters.

But Meninga has prevailed in a landmark moment for the code, with the Queensland legend to preside over rugby league’s bold expansion drive to Western Australia.

“Mal is the ideal man to lead the game to a new frontier in Western Australia,” ARL Commission chair Peter V’landys said.

“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.”

His return to NRL coaching after a 25-year hiatus will have repercussions for the national team, with the ARLC to appoint a new Test coach for Australia’s Ashes campaign against England in October and November.

Meninga last year signed a three-year contract to stay on for another term at the helm of Australia with a view to defending the Kangaroos’ title at the 2026 World Cup.

But the 64-year-old must walk away from the Kangaroos after a nine-year reign to step into the Perth Bears hot seat.

“Mal leaves the Kangaroos program in tremendous shape and now takes on a vital role for the progression of the sport domestically,” V’landys said.

Meninga will begin planning immediately. The ARLC will now move quickly to appoint a head of football to construct the Perth Bears program with Meninga.

Mal Meninga is set to become coach of the Perth Bears. Picture: Joe Allison/Getty Images

Currently living in Canberra, Meninga could initially remain in the nation’s capital to oversee the recruitment of eastern-seaboard NRL stars when the Perth Bears are formally permitted to enter the market from November 1.

Meninga hasn’t coached in the big league since his five-year tenure at Canberra ended in 2001 and the Raiders icon once said he had no plans to return to the NRL, but the league icon has had a change of heart.

The ARLC has spent the past month interviewing a number of targets, drawing up a four-man shortlist that included Meninga, Burgess, ex-Eels grand final coach Arthur and former Broncos mentor Walters.

Arthur was initially slated as the preferred candidate upon the Bears’ unveiling as the NRL’s 18th team last month.

It is understood the NRL offered Arthur the opportunity to be an assistant with a view to one day succeeding Meninga as Perth’s second coach, but the 51-year-old rejected that plan.

That prompted NRL bosses to reach out to Burgess, but the British legend also baulked at the proposal, telling an interviewing panel he was only interested in being the Bears’ head coach.

The ARLC is keen for the Perth Bears’ maiden coach to have a recognisable name and ambassadorial qualities and Meninga ticks those boxes as an NRL Immortal with a decorated rugby league resume.

“I am certainly interested in helping out in any way I can,” Meninga told this masthead last week.

“My time coaching at Canberra was a long time ago but I’ve stayed in touch with Queensland and Australian teams and I know the current players.

“It would be great to be part of an expansion team, whether that’s Perth or PNG, as both regions have great potential if we get the pathways right.”

Mal Meninga will resign as Kangaroos coach. Picture: NRL Photos

North Sydney legend Billy Moore said Meninga would give the Bears a powerful poster boy in the new WA market.

“I think Mal could be very important, I can see him being to us what Leigh Matthews was to the Brisbane Lions and Ron Barassi was to the Swans,” Moore said.

“He is heading into frontier territory in a state in which rugby league is not the top code.

“Having Mal as your figurehead coach is a great thing because he is your brand. You know him. He has credibility. And he is also a good coach because of what he has done for Queensland and Australia.

“I can see it being very successful.”

NRL super coach Wayne Bennett, who once went head-to-head with Meninga for the Australian job, believes ‘Big Mal’ is the standout choice to promote the code in AFL heartland.

“Mal would be great for Perth,” he said.

“Mal is a legend of our game, he’s an Immortal. He would be great from a promotional point of view, too, giving the game some profile over there.”

Originally published as Mal Meninga named the Perth Bears’ foundation coach, will resign as Kangaroos coach