Australian NRL legend Mal Meninga confirmed as head coach of Perth Bears

The Perth Bears hope the presence of Mal Meninga will give the NRL’s 18th team immediate cut-through in an AFL-dominated city after unveiling the Immortal as the head coach of the start-up franchise.

At a press conference in Sydney on Friday, Meninga was locked in as the Bears’ inaugural coach on a three-year deal.

It is his first foray into club coaching in more than 25 years.

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The nine-time State of Origin series-winning coach beat South Sydney great Sam Burgess and former Parramatta boss Brad Arthur to the role, his first in charge of a club since 2001.

Meninga has renounced his role as coach of the Australian Test team ahead of an end-of-season Ashes tour.

The 64-year-old will now set about building a competitive roster for the Bears’ first NRL season in 2027.

Mal Meninga will step down from his role coaching Australia to join the new NRL franchise in Perth. Credit: AAP

“This is one of the most exciting challenges of my career,” Meninga said.

“To have the opportunity to take our great game back to Western Australia to start a new team and to bring with it a much-loved rugby league community and heritage brand in the Bears.

“It’s a great privilege and responsibility I’ve been given to be one of the leaders in the formation of the club.

“I’m looking forward getting to stuck into the work that needs to be done to deliver a team that represents WA and is competitive from day one.”

Meninga has built a terrific resume working as a representative coach with the Kangaroos, Queensland and Papua New Guinea, but hasn’t worked at club level since he left the Canberra Raiders in 2001.

The Bears’ return to the NRL comes 25 years after their Northern Eagles merger with Manly collapsed .... and a tough task looms for Meninga.

Some 14 expansion teams have joined the NRL and its predecessors since 1982, when the league first began to expand out of Sydney.

Only two of those teams, the Brisbane Broncos and Melbourne Storm, played finals in their first two seasons.

Even then, the Broncos only made it to a play-off game to reach the official post-season in 1989, losing that match to Cronulla.

Among the 12 remaining teams, only one - the Auckland Warriors of 1995 - had a winning record in either of their first two seasons, while three picked up the wooden spoon in the same time-frame.

EXPANSION TEAMS THAT PLAYED FINALS IN THEIR FIRST TWO SEASONS

Brisbane Broncos: 7th (1988), 6th^ (1989)

Melbourne Storm: 3rd^ (1998), 3rd^ (1999)

EXPANSION TEAMS THAT MISSED FINALS IN THEIR FIRST TWO SEASONS

Canberra Raiders: 14th* (1982), 10th (1983)

Illawarra Steelers: 13th (1982), 12th (1983)

Newcastle Knights: 14th (1988), 7th (1989)

Gold Coast/Tweed Heads Giants: 15th (1988), 13th (1989)

South Queensland Crushers: 16th (1995), 20th* (1996)

Western Reds: 11th (1995), 16th (1996)

North Queensland Cowboys: 20th* (1995), 17th (1996)

The Warriors: 10th (1995), 11th (1996)