Latest news with #ARLCommission
West Australian
6 days ago
- Sport
- West Australian
Mal Meninga to lead Perth Bears, steps down as Kangaroos coach
Mal Meninga is set to be named the Perth Bears' foundation coach by Friday, a move that will see him resign as Kangaroos coach. The ARL Commission is preparing to announce the Bears' historic first coach after an extensive search that saw Brad Arthur and Sam Burgess eliminated from contention. This clears the way for Meninga, who will lead the NRL's 18th team as they enter the competition in 2027, according to The Daily Telegraph. The NRL, which owns the Perth licence, has finalised financial terms with Meninga, and his representatives have discussed relocation clauses, strong signs that the NRL Immortal is on the verge of taking the job. ARL Commission boss Peter V'landys is expected to confirm the appointment within 24 hours. If confirmed, the decision will require a new Test coach for Australia's Ashes campaign, as the ARLC will not allow Meninga to hold both roles. Meninga, who signed a new deal last year to stay with the Kangaroos through the 2026 World Cup, will step away after a nine-year reign to take on the Perth challenge. He could initially remain in Canberra to oversee player recruitment before the Bears are allowed to sign players from November 1. 'I am certainly interested in helping out in any way I can,' Meninga told The Daily Telegraph last week. 'It would be great to be part of an expansion team, whether that's Perth or PNG, as both regions have great potential if we get the pathways right.' NRL figures have praised the move, with North Sydney legend Billy Moore saying, 'I think Mal could be very important… Having Mal as your figurehead coach is a great thing because he is your brand. You know him. He has credibility. And he is also a good coach because of what he has done for Queensland and Australia.' Wayne Bennett added, 'Mal would be great for Perth. Mal is a legend of our game, he's an Immortal. He would be great from a promotional point of view, too, giving the game some profile over there.' The ARLC is now expected to move quickly to appoint a new Kangaroos coach ahead of this year's Ashes series. More to come.
Perth Now
6 days ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
Meninga set to be named Perth Bears first NRL coach
Mal Meninga is set to be named the Perth Bears' foundation coach by Friday, a move that will see him resign as Kangaroos coach. The ARL Commission is preparing to announce the Bears' historic first coach after an extensive search that saw Brad Arthur and Sam Burgess eliminated from contention. This clears the way for Meninga, who will lead the NRL's 18th team as they enter the competition in 2027, according to The Daily Telegraph. The NRL, which owns the Perth licence, has finalised financial terms with Meninga, and his representatives have discussed relocation clauses, strong signs that the NRL Immortal is on the verge of taking the job. ARL Commission boss Peter V'landys is expected to confirm the appointment within 24 hours. If confirmed, the decision will require a new Test coach for Australia's Ashes campaign, as the ARLC will not allow Meninga to hold both roles. Meninga, who signed a new deal last year to stay with the Kangaroos through the 2026 World Cup, will step away after a nine-year reign to take on the Perth challenge. He could initially remain in Canberra to oversee player recruitment before the Bears are allowed to sign players from November 1. 'I am certainly interested in helping out in any way I can,' Meninga told The Daily Telegraph last week. 'It would be great to be part of an expansion team, whether that's Perth or PNG, as both regions have great potential if we get the pathways right.' NRL figures have praised the move, with North Sydney legend Billy Moore saying, 'I think Mal could be very important… Having Mal as your figurehead coach is a great thing because he is your brand. You know him. He has credibility. And he is also a good coach because of what he has done for Queensland and Australia.' Wayne Bennett added, 'Mal would be great for Perth. Mal is a legend of our game, he's an Immortal. He would be great from a promotional point of view, too, giving the game some profile over there.' The ARLC is now expected to move quickly to appoint a new Kangaroos coach ahead of this year's Ashes series. More to come.
Sydney Morning Herald
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘We've got his back': Daley stands behind ‘Blues grub' Leniu
'Will Spencer Leniu be a target? I think so, just not in the way he expects. But then again, I'm not the coach.' ARL Commission chairman Peter V'landys said he loved the Origin build-up, and was all for the interstate barbs, as long as they were in good taste. 'The Queenslanders are like Clark Kent because they put that Maroons jumper on and turn into Superman – they just love their state,' V'landys said. 'I enjoy the headlines and media coverage, and as long as none of it impacts a player's self-esteem or mental state, it's all part of the rivalry, and you have to take it in that vein.' Several former Queensland Origin greats gathered for lunch in the Queensland capital on Tuesday, and said if Leniu was labelled a 'grub', it was a show of respect from the locals. 'I wore that tag with pride,' Josh McGuire said. 'If Spencer keeps doing what he's doing, he'll play Origin every year for NSW. We don't like you, you don't like us – if we don't like him, he must be doing something right. Loading 'The game is losing characters, and Spencer is one of the last intimidating players in the game. He was under Jared Waerea-Hargreaves at the Roosters, and learned some really good lessons off some really tough guys.' Queensland legend Trevor Gillmeister said of the rivalry: 'They used to boo Wally Lewis, and one year in Sydney, when the crowd started chanting, 'Wally's a wanker', 'Fatty' [Paul Vautin] and the other boys started to join in, as if to make light of it.
The Age
27-05-2025
- Sport
- The Age
‘We've got his back': Daley stands behind ‘Blues grub' Leniu
'Will Spencer Leniu be a target? I think so, just not in the way he expects. But then again, I'm not the coach.' ARL Commission chairman Peter V'landys said he loved the Origin build-up, and was all for the interstate barbs, as long as they were in good taste. 'The Queenslanders are like Clark Kent because they put that Maroons jumper on and turn into Superman – they just love their state,' V'landys said. 'I enjoy the headlines and media coverage, and as long as none of it impacts a player's self-esteem or mental state, it's all part of the rivalry, and you have to take it in that vein.' Several former Queensland Origin greats gathered for lunch in the Queensland capital on Tuesday, and said if Leniu was labelled a 'grub', it was a show of respect from the locals. 'I wore that tag with pride,' Josh McGuire said. 'If Spencer keeps doing what he's doing, he'll play Origin every year for NSW. We don't like you, you don't like us – if we don't like him, he must be doing something right. Loading 'The game is losing characters, and Spencer is one of the last intimidating players in the game. He was under Jared Waerea-Hargreaves at the Roosters, and learned some really good lessons off some really tough guys.' Queensland legend Trevor Gillmeister said of the rivalry: 'They used to boo Wally Lewis, and one year in Sydney, when the crowd started chanting, 'Wally's a wanker', 'Fatty' [Paul Vautin] and the other boys started to join in, as if to make light of it.
ABC News
15-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Perth Bears hire former West Australian editor Anthony De Ceglie as inaugural CEO
The NRL has launched a bid to win over Perth's media, appointing a former editor-in-chief of The West Australian newspaper as the new Bears chief executive. Head office confirmed on Thursday that Anthony De Ceglie would be the inaugural Perth CEO, appointing him to the role before a board is even in place. De Ceglie will therefore be charged with helping put the club together, with one of the most pressing jobs being to appoint a new coach for their 2027 entry. The CEO appointment is notable, given the NRL conceded last week that they could face a tough run in the media in AFL-mad Perth. De Ceglie was most recently the director of news and current affairs at Seven West Media, having been promoted after overseeing Western Australia's flagship newspaper. Channel 7 holds the rights to the AFL, while rival Channel 9 has the rights to the NRL. "To succeed in Perth, you need a well connected local who knows how to get things done and has a can do attitude," ARL Commission chairman Peter V'landy said. "Anthony is a brilliant operator with a proven track record and is a genuine Western Australian. "I am excited about what he can do for us as we grow rugby league in the WA market." V'landys had last week claimed perceived bias in Perth, after a local headline of "Bad News Bears" labelled the club as a "dud second-division team" from Sydney. AAP also understands that V'landys and NRL CEO Andrew Abdo met with Seven West Media chairman Kerry Stokes on the eve of the expansion announcement. "I think the media coverage has been a bit biased, in the sense the main newspaper here is owned by Seven West Media that has the AFL rights," V'landys said at last week's expansion announcement. "Let's be quite frank: They don't want us to be here. "They realise we will be quite competitive and we'll be taking some of their lunch. And we eat a lot, so we will be eating a fair bit of their lunch." The NRL has previously indicated there will be at least three local directors on the Perth Bears board, including the chair. Brad Arthur, Mal Meninga and Sam Burgess remain the three main candidates for the coaching role. The Bears have five-and-a-half months before they can hit the open market for players, with anyone off contract next year considered a free agent on November 1. AAP
