The NRL is set to hand the Perth Bears tremendous benefits after a meeting with two Bears board members.
This comes after the PNG Chiefs were able to lure Jarome Luai and Alex Johnston to join the club from the 2028 season.
Under the agreement with the Australian government and the NRL, the club has the ability to offer tax-free salaries to attract players to Papua New Guinea.
James Bracey and Daniel Dickson, who are Perth Bears board members, had a meeting with Peter V’landys, and they could be in a better position to sign players.
The Sydney Morning Herald revealed there are serious discussions led by the Rugby League Players’ Association to help the expansion side attract players.
There are serious conversations about potentially getting salary cap concessions.
The meeting took place on Monday afternoon, before Paul Gallen’s “done nothing” comment on Nine’s 100% Footy that night, suggesting the Bears are struggling to promote the franchise.
The idea that the board members and V’landys floated around with was to tap into the dollars of Perth’s business community.
This would allow the Bears a legitimate opportunity to sign a marquee player.
The suggestion of struggle to promote the Bears from Gallen has some legitimacy, given that Bears assistant coach Ben Gardiner, who is set to become the head coach of the club from the 2029 season, wore a Samoan national team polo on live TV and filmed interviews.
Gardiner, as the head coach of the Samoan side, organised media interviews to raise awareness and sponsorship for Samoa.
The Bears officials have told him they didn’t want him involved in the media.
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