Perth Bears Near Salary Cap Concession as Tensions Rise Over Coach Mal Meninga

The Perth Bears are close to receiving a significant salary cap concession from the NRL that would help the expansion club attract quality players to Perth. A meeting on Monday between Bears board members James Bracey and Daniel Dickson and NRL chief Peter V’landys addressed the issue after the Rugby League Players’ Association called for assistance.

The RLPA is led by Clint Newton. Bracey met with V’landys last Friday after the PNG Chiefs received positive publicity for signing Jarome Luai. V’landys agreed that action was needed to tap into Perth’s business community to support player recruitment.

Greater concern for the club centers on reported tensions between head coach Mal Meninga and assistant coach Ben Gardiner. He arranged media appearances independently to raise awareness and sponsorship for Samoa while on the Bears’ payroll. Bears officials told Gardiner they did not want him to conduct the media work.

He did not wear a Bears polo shirt during the interviews. Sources within the club indicated the decision stemmed from an instruction to limit Gardiner’s media exposure because he is an assistant coach. Meninga is contracted to the Bears at $1 million per season but continues to live in Canberra.

The NRL has questioned his level of visibility at the club in recent months. Meninga has not coached in the NRL for two decades, and Gardiner has been named to succeed him in 2029. The situation has contributed to reports that Meninga is becoming isolated.

He recently lost the club’s general manager, David Sharpe, who resigned. The NRL, which approved Meninga’s contract, is also reported to have withdrawn its support.

Watson has also held talks with the PNG Chiefs franchise set to enter the competition in 2028. Cook signed with English club Castleford after contract negotiations at the Dragons were halted due to uncertainty over the head coaching position. The Melbourne Storm thanked journalists who reported carefully on coach Craig Bellamy’s diagnosis of a neurodegenerative disorder.

The club expressed displeasure with the Seven Network for staking out the team and following Bellamy with a camera. The Storm revealed the 66-year-old’s condition in a statement two weeks ago. The PNG Chiefs generated extensive positive coverage after signing Jarome Luai.

Club executives arranged a media tour of Port Moresby that Nine sports reporter Zac Bailey joined independently. Chiefs chief executive Lorna McPherson and general manager Michael Chammas hosted the tour, which included selected rugby league podcasters.

Cam’s mother Laura described the diagnosis as devastating and said the family’s focus has shifted to making memories. >"DIPG is a devastating diagnosis.