The Perth Bears have managed 13 signatures to date, but with none for more than a month, anxiety is building around who may be next, and what they will need in 2027 to be competitive.
Mal Meninga has made it clear the expansion outfit will not rush the process of bringing players to the club, but by the same token, more faces will only help their push to recruit.
Their misses - having chased Tino Fa'asuamaleaui and Cameron Munster - will be felt in a big way.
There has been speculation in recent times around Siosifa Talakai and Billy Burns relocating from the Sharks, and while the duo would help, there are plenty of other names the Bears are surely locked in discussions with.
Here are the five players they must look to sign next.
» Players off-contract at the end of 2026
» Perth Bears signing tracker
1. Trai Fuller
The comments this week from Dolphins coach Kristian Woolf confirming Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow will have the first crack at fullback in 2026 should all but sign the exit papers of Trai Fuller at the end of the year.
The star fullback has impressed enormously when handed opportunities in the top grade at the end of both 2024 and 2025, and was believed to be well in the mix to start this season in number one.
The bottom line is that was likely the only way the Dolphins were going to fend off a poaching raid for Fuller.
It's not clear he should be heading for the exit gates at the end of the season, and while the commonly held view was that the Bears should have chased William Kennedy as their inaugural fullback, his form at the back-end of 2025 was a worry.
Not only that, but Fuller, whether Kennedy is in form or not, brings a whole lot more X-Factor. When you look at the 13 players signed to date, that is something the Bears are lacking a little bit of.
Fuller must be priority number 1.
