The Perth Bears' recruitment machine shows no sign of slowing down, with the club's search for playmaking depth throwing up a surprise new target in Cronulla Sharks back-up Niwhai Puru.
At the moment, the Bears' priority has been trying to persuade Junior Paulo from the Parramatta Eels and Morgan Smithies from the Canberra Raiders to join the NRL's 18th team.
The Daily Telegraph reported on Saturday that Mal Meninga and the Bears have quietly begun their pursuit of the 24-year-old Sharks halfback to Western Australia for the Bears' first season in 2027.
Puru currently sits behind Braydon Trindall and Nicho Hynes on the depth chart in Cronulla.
In the three NRL games Puru has played this year, he has been undefeated when the Sharks needed Hynes to rest on the sidelines earlier this season.
The pursuit of Puru comes shortly after Jamie Humphreys let the Bears know he was not interested in joining the club, after he had got cold feet on a potential move to Perth.
The Sharks half is not the only half they have their sights on, with Penrith Panthers utility Jack Cole also understood to be closing in on a move to Perth on a three-year deal.
Cole failed to keep the five-eighth role after just a limited number of games for Penrith in 2025, losing the spot to Blaize Talagi and has struggled to make his way back into first grade.
Perth recently had a double signing announcement in Brisbane Broncos centre Gehamat Shibasaki, after Zero Tackle first reported the two-year deal and young Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs prospect Jope Raque.
Raque will join a young core of Mason Barber, Jasais Ah Kee and Apa Twidle as players the Bears hope to build around in their long-term plans.
Shibasaki and Raque become the 21st and 22nd players to sign with the Bears, and they have eight spots in their top 30 remaining.
Given the Bears signed Toby Sexton to be their halfback, it will be worth monitoring to see Puru transition into a five-eighth if he signs with the Bears, or whether he would be a backup halfback to the current Super League player.
Niwhai Puru has played 91 games in NSW Cup, with eight appearances this season and averages 312 kicking metres per game and has kicked 19 goals at 76% efficiency.
