The Perth Bears enter the NRL in under a year. Rivals are hardly shaking in their boots

April 10, 2026 — 1:30pm

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“Welcoming our biggest signing to date”, the Perth Bears posted last week on social media. “Our official mascot Kodi joins the team.”

While the tone of the announcement was tongue in cheek, there was also a grain of truth to it.

The NRL’s incoming 18th franchise don’t exactly have the rest of the competition shaking in their boots with the 16 players they have unveiled so far.

There is still nearly half a top-30 roster to fill and a lot of space remaining in their $12.1 million salary cap for 2027, when they will be joining the league.

But as the attention of the NRL turns to Perth on Saturday for a double-header at Optus Stadium, the steep challenge confronting the start-up has become clear.

Perth are the first NRL team to be launched in a developing rugby league state since Melbourne Storm in 1998, but have received no salary cap concessions to help them attract top players.

Unlike the PNG Chiefs, who will follow the Bears into the NRL in 2028 bankrolled by a $600 million Australian government package, they also don’t have a war chest of tax-free cash to lure would-be recruits.

“We had to follow the same precedent we did with the Dolphins and we didn’t give the Dolphins any such salary cap dispensation,” ARL Commission chair Peter V’landys said. “We haven’t really given PNG any salary cap dispensation. All we’ve asked the [PNG] government for is to give tax relief.

“The salary cap hasn’t changed. We’ve done that because the clubs have always indicated it would be unfair if we did anything other than have the same salary cap for everyone.”

V’landys believes Perth have done a good job so far with recruitment and “are probably doing better than what the Dolphins were in attracting players” at the same stage before they entered the NRL in 2023. The........

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