Mal Meninga, the inaugural coach of the Perth Bears, has expressed concerns that the Saudi-backed rugby competition, R360, could hinder the Bears' ability to recruit players.
Several high profile NRL stars have been linked to the proposed breakaway rugby union competition, including Ryan Papenhuyzen, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Nathan Cleary and Kalyn Ponga.
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With the Bears still yet to have signed their first player, the potential for key names to be taken off the market could be catastrophic for their development in Perth.
Speaking on SEN 1170 Afternoons, Meninga discussed the threat that R360 poses and the precarious position the Bears find themselves in from a roster building perspective.
"I know it's a real threat," he said.
"If it is real, and if they have got some traction and players are starting to move across into that area well, then, obviously, that has an adverse effect on us and our recruitment as well.
"It's another challenge. We get no concessions, we're part of that normal NRL operationally around our salary cap.
"We're just conditioned by all that, and then we've got other outside influences."
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The Bears can begin negotiating with players from November 1, leaving them just three months to create a strategy for how they will approach the roster building phase of their franchise.
They will now have to account for both rival NRL teams, and rival codes, who will be looking to scoop up the athletes that may have been on their radar.