The Perth Bears' recruitment drive hasn't gotten off to the fiery start many had hoped, but head coach Mal Meninga isn't worried.
Meninga confirmed the club is prioritising the spine as it builds toward its inaugural NRL season in 2027.
Speaking on SEN WA Breakfast, Meninga said securing quality players at hooker, halfback, five-eighth and fullback remains the Bears' main focus as they work toward assembling a 36-man squad.
“There's a tendency, obviously, with what we call our spine, so, that's a nine (hooker), a seven (halfback), six (five-eighth) and one (fullback), we just got to make sure we've got quality people and players in those positions,” he said.
The Bears have already signed six players, including Harry Newman, Toby Sexton, Liam Henry, Emarly Bitungane, Iszac Fa'asuamaleaui and Luke Smith, with Meninga also stressing the importance of building around a strong forward pack.
“They are really crucial to a rugby league team,” Meninga said.
“We believe that a prop like Liam Henry is really important for the team, and then we look at one, maybe two outside backs, plus one back-rower, a sort of 13 who's an 80-minute player.”
Meninga said the club is taking a targeted recruitment approach rather than a broad sweep of the market.
“So, we sort of target players positionally initially, and that's what we are doing at the moment, and I think we are doing really, really well in that space,” Meninga said.
He also acknowledged the challenge of relocating players and their families to Perth, describing it as a major part of the build.
“We need 30 recruits and six development players, so we need 36 players together and their families,” he said.
“Everyone forgets about the families.”
Despite hopes of early success, Meninga said the Bears' vision is long-term.
“It's about 20 years time that the Perth Bears are a team like the Melbourne Storm or the Brisbane Broncos, they are continually top of the ladder, and they are trying to win a grand final every year,” he said.
