NRL grants Perth Bears salary concessions
The NRL says the Perth Bears can leave some player wages outside its salary cap as it pursues a marquee signing.
The newest team in the National Rugby League, the Perth Bears, unveiled their debut playing jersey concurrently with receiving salary cap concessions to join the competition in 2027. The jersey reveal took place at the WACA Ground, where it was dropped from the light towers, featuring a black background with red hoops to honor the defunct North Sydney Bears.
Club CEO Anthony De Ceglie affirmed that the club aims to have 35,000 members by the start of the 2027 season. Australian Rugby League Commission chair Peter V'landys announced the Bears would be granted a 20% dispensation for signing marquee players. This means that if a player is worth $1.5 million, they can pay an additional 20% from a sponsor, without it being counted in the salary cap.
The Bears will also have first rights to any player under contract for 2027 who wants to leave their club. This concession is expected to help the Bears attract high-profile talent, which has been scarce in their previous signings. Bears inaugural coach Mal Meninga expressed his satisfaction with the team's development and downplayed the need for a marquee player, stating that they already have high-profile players and promising talent on the roster.
Veteran Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy praised the club, stating that the Bears are in good hands with Meninga at the helm, and highlighted the club's progress with the signing of two of their players, Nick Meaney and Tyran Wishart.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
