Mcb777 BetNRL 2025: Future Bears on show as introduction of Perth NRL team boosts rise in WA juniors

Author: Brad Walter NRL Senior Reporter
Timestamp: Sat 30 Aug 2025, 07:01 AM

Perth Bears chair Ben Morton and CEO Anthony De Ceglie will attend the WA junior grand finals on Sunday as the franchise steps up its focus on pathways for the state's players to the NRL.

Just three months after the confirmation that the Bears would become the NRL’s 18th team in 2027, the impact of the announcement can already be seen with growing participation numbers and more Perth schools playing rugby league.

NRL WA General Manager John Sackson said three schools had contacted him in the past month about introducing rugby league in 2026.

“These are schools where in the past we really haven’t been able to get a foot in the door in terms of introducing programs and they have now committed to adding rugby league to their curriculum next year,” Sackson said.

Perth Bears making waves during Origin

“Prior to that we had seven schools with a rugby league curriculum, but three more schools are now committing to that, and that is just the tip of the iceberg.

“If we expand our school network that augers well for those kids to feed into our junior systems and then into our pathways and possibly our representative programs.”

Sackson said Perth Bears coach Mal Meninga was keen for the new club to enter a team in the Under 17s NSWRL Harold Mathews Cup and eventually the SG Ball and Jersey Flegg competitions.

The NRL WA Junior Grand Final day at Webber Reserve, Willagee feature six matches headlined by the Under 17s Boys decider between Rockingham Sharks and Ellenbrook Rabbitohs.

The U15s Boys grand final is between the Alkimos Tigers and Willagee Bears, while the Kwinana Titans will take on the Ellenbrook Rabbitohs in the U14s Boye decider.

Willagee Bears are in the U13s Boys and U14s Girls grand finals, taking on the Rockingham Sharks and Kwinana Titans, while the day kicks off with the U13s girls League Tag decider between the Alkimos Tigers and South Perth Lions.

The Rockingham Sharks will play the Ellensbrook Rabbitohs in the WARL U17s grand final. ©NRL WA

“Over the years we have developed kids who have progressed to higher levels of rugby league, and I am very optimistic about this state’s ability to produce players for the Perth Bears,” Sackson said.

I do know that it is a huge priority for the Perth Bears to develop local kids who will one day wear the red and black of the Perth Bears.

“I believe that Mal Meninga and the Bears are looking at some point to have a Perth Bears team enter into the Harold Mathews Cup, and that would probably be a forerunner to the SG Ball and so on.

Kwinana Titans are in the WARL Girls U14s grand final. ©NRL WA

“The same will apply further down the track with the women’s teams.”

The announcement about the Perth Bears in May had an immediate impact with record State of Origin ratings and Sackson said junior participation numbers were up 13 per cent this season to 4600.

“Our numbers are the highest in terms of overall registrations since the days of the Western Reds (1995-97) and I think the Bears will trigger a lot more growth,” Sackson said.

“The NRL’s commitment to a franchise from 2027 has created so much excitement and anticipation, particularly with the parents of young kids, that moving forward they will be able to aspire to playing at the elite levels without necessarily having to leave their home state.

“With the Bears having that pathway, home grown talent will be able to see their heroes training and playing, and I think that is going to be very inspirational to them.”

While Meninga is unable to attend the WARL Junior Grand Finals due to media commitments in Sydney, Sackson said the Perth Bears would be strongly represented.

New Perth Bears coach Mal Meninga with NRL CEO Andrew Abdo and the WA-based franchise's CEO Anthony De Ceglie. ©Anthony Kourembanas/NRL Photos

“The chairman of the Perth Bears, Ben Morton, and the CEO, Anthony De Ceglie, will be at the junior grand finals and we will get them engaged in some capacity,” Sackson said.

“Then we have got our Ken Allen Medal awards night on Wednesday, which is our equivalent of the Dally Ms, and Anthony, Ben, and the WA-based members of the Perth Bears board will be in attendance, and next Saturday we have our senior grand finals so it is a big week for WA rugby league.”