The Perth Bears will officially enter the NRL in 2027 after an agreement was finally reached between the Western Australian Government and the ARL Commission.
The landmark agreement will see the revival of North Sydney as a premier force in the game as part of the joint venture in the west.
The Perth-based franchise will follow hot on the heels of the Dolphins. But unlike the Queensland outfit, who relied on the trusty old hands of Wayne Bennett to usher them into the competition, the Bears face a far more uncertain inception.
Two men currently plying their trade in the Super League were vaulted to the front of initial discussions, yet several other contenders then emerged.
"The most important aspect now is to procure a coach - a well-known coach," Peter V'landys said upon the unveiling of the Perth Bears.
"This coach will attract the players and we're confident they'll attract enough players to be competitive. And that decision will be announced in the next two or three weeks."
The Sporting News provides the latest updates on who will be named Perth's first NRL head coach ahead of the club's introduction into the league.
Who will be named Perth Bears head coach?
Mal Meninga
Mal Meninga emerged as the leading contender for the position late in the piece with the Immortal declaring his interest in building the foundation club.
"I’d like to be back in clubland and be the main person," Meninga said on SENQ Breakfast when news first broke of his potential signing.
"If they do make the decision and (they feel) I’m the right man to do it under the right conditions, I’m going to get straight into it."
The 64-year-old hasn’t coached in the NRL in over two decades, but believes he could be the perfect man to front the expansion out on the west coast, given his vast experience.
Meninga was last seen in the NRL in 2001 when he was in charge of his beloved Canberra Raiders for the final time as he bowed out with a 53 per cent overall winning record.
Although he has since built up his coaching resume with a string of successful tenures in the representative arena.
Most famously, he guided Queensland during their era of dominance in State of Origin when they claimed a remarkable eight series wins in a row.
He then positioned himself at the head of the international game in his near-decade-long reign as the coach of Australia.
But Meninga admitted the opportunity to front the WA-based club and try to turn them into an NRL powerhouse could see him walk away from the Kangaroos.
There is no doubt his legendary stature will be an attractive proposition for V'landys and Co. to contemplate as they seek to persuade a host of players to uproot their families and head west in the expansion.
Brad Arthur
Brad Arthur was initially singled out as the frontrunner for the position as soon as rumblings of the Perth franchise being rubber-stamped came to light.
The former Parramatta mentor saw his long-term reign at the Eels come to a disappointing end last year midway through a rotten campaign.
However, he has since landed on his feet after being appointed as head coach of Leeds in the UK.
Arthur initially joined on a 14-week deal, which was then extended recently until the end of the Rhinos' 2026 campaign.
These short contracts have inevitably resulted in him being linked to an impending move to WA, especially with his wife having family ties in the state.
And Arthur hasn't been shy about his interest in the position either, noting how he had held preliminary talks and would be delighted to front the club in the future.
"I’ve had one meeting and that was with the Perth Government," Arthur admitted last July.
"That was just around helping them with some questions they had and some ideas on what they’re looking at - pathways and stuff like that."
Code Sports reported late last month that Arthur had been consulted about the job once again after an agreement was reached between WA Premier Roger Cook and the ARL Commission for the 18th franchise.
"Arthur has been sounded out by WA chiefs and is viewed as a frontline candidate to be the Bears’ inaugural coach," the site revealed.
Sam Burgess
Yet while Arthur appeared a near-certainty to grab the role as soon as the club was officially confirmed, there was another candidate looming in the background during the early running.
Sam Burgess has only been a head coach in the top leagues for 18 months, but the former South Sydney hero has already established himself as one of the best emerging rugby league coaches in the world.
After his abrupt exit from the Rabbitohs, where he served as an assistant to Jason Demetriou, he has managed to turn Warrington into a powerhouse in the Super League.
The Wolves had endured a dire time prior to his arrival, with Daryl Powell overseeing an 11th place finish in 2022 before being dumped out of the finals after limping to a sixth place finish in the table the following season.
Burgess' arrival has kick-started a promising era for the Wire as they reached the Challenge Cup final and finished in third place in the league.
The former England international looked like he was capable of steering the side to their first league triumph in 69 years. However, the Wire ultimately fell one game short of reaching the decider.
Following this heartbreak, Burgess has picked his side up off the canvas and has them firmly in the mix for the top honours once again.
"The Perth job has obvious appeal," Burgess told The Sydney Morning Herald while publicly throwing his hat into the ring.
"I’d love to be part of building a team from the ground up in a sports-rich state. The right people are aware of my interest, and until I hear from the people making the decision, I’ll be completely focused on my job here."
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Who else has been linked to the Bears' NRL head coaching position?
North Sydney Director Billy Moore set his sights high when he was quizzed on who would be the ideal appointment for the Bears ahead of their official unveiling.
"If I could take any coach, it would be Craig Bellamy," Moore told SEN.
"When you look at global sport, there has been no more successful coach in any code on the planet for the past two and a half decades.
"The ability to cycle through three generations of players and not miss a beat it defies logic. No one in any code has done that, so you might as well start there."
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Aside from the pipe-dream of Bellamy walking away from Melbourne to take up the opportunity to build a club from scratch again, another North Sydney old boy had a differing opinion on the ideal coach.
Jason Taylor, who is North Sydney's leading point-scorer with 1,274 points from 147 appearances in the 1990s, has been circled as an option.
"He's an experienced coach and now is doing a great job helping get the Canterbury Bulldogs to where they are," a former Bears star told Wide World of Sports.
"He would give this new Bears franchise a link to the old Bears and that would be a great fit."
Taylor has had brief stints as head coach with the Eels, South Sydney, Wests Tigers and the Dogs in the past, while mainly excelling as an assistant coach.
Meanwhile, Kevin Walters emerged as a strong candidate alongside Meninga towards the end of May with the former Queensland and Brisbane coach expressing his interest in the position if it was available.