Mal Meninga: De Ceglie says Bears have 18 players announced
mal meninga, Perth Bears CEO Anthony De Ceglie has pushed back on criticism of the club’s recruitment, saying the expansion side is active in the market despite still chasing a marquee name. He said Perth have 18 players officially announced and more signings are coming soon.
De Ceglie backs Perth plan
De Ceglie went on NRL360 on Monday night and cut against the talk around inequity, arguing the Bears cannot be pulled off course by outside pressure. “We can't let the external noise distract us from our external KPIs,” he said.
He also framed the recruitment race as one Perth must manage on its own terms. “I understand the comparisons, but I keep reminding everyone that PNG aren't playing next year. We have 17 other teams to worry about next season.”
That line matters because Perth are still building from scratch for their entry into the competition next year, and the roster they assemble now will shape how quickly they can be competitive from Round 1. De Ceglie said the club is sticking to its mantra to sign the right players for the right reasons.
Twidle and Laulilii arrive
The latest additions were young Eels half Apa Twidle and Tigers forward Kit Laulilii, both announced in the last week. Those signings add to the count, but De Ceglie made clear the club is not treating volume as the main target.
“We’re happy where we’re going. We’re really confident in the squad we're putting together, and we genuinely feel we'll be competitive come Round 1 next year,” he said. “Just as importantly, we're putting together a team for generational success.”
He then put a number on the work still ahead. “We have 18 players officially announced, a few more we're keeping up our sleeve, and we're active in the market, so you'll see some players announced very soon as well.”
Sharpe exit still lingers
The recruitment debate has not emerged in a vacuum. Perth’s General Manager of Football, David Sharpe APM OAM, resigned in April after conflicts with De Ceglie over alignment, communication and the overall direction of the club, a split that has hovered over the Bears’ build-out.
De Ceglie also drew a line between Perth’s situation and the PNG side, saying the comparison is not straightforward. He pointed to PNG’s ten-year agreement with the governments, which includes tax-free salaries, while also noting the Chiefs have access to the transfer market twice before they join the competition in 2028.
For Perth, the immediate task is simpler to state than to finish: keep adding the right players before Round 1 next year, and prove that 18 announced signings is the start of a competitive roster rather than a placeholder.
