The ultimate game of fantasy football: Bears roster build begins

The Perth Bears have their sights on a mix of future stars and experienced talent as they begin the process of building a roster that can be competitive in their first year in the NRL. 

The task of assembling the inaugural Bears squad officially starts on Saturday, when the club can commence negotiations with players coming off contract at the end of 2026. 

The Bears are determined to be competitive in 2027, their first year in the NRL, and recruitment boss Dane Campbell is confident they can bring together a group of players that will challenge for the premiership. 

"We want to try and find players that want to be here to win games of football and be pioneers," Campbell told NRL.com. "We want powerful individuals that want to have success. If we can attract those types of people, we'll be off to a good start. 

"Roster balance is important and making sure we spend the money in the right spots while making sure we have an understanding of what it takes to be successful straight away. 

"We're going to hit the ground running and be competitive. To do that, you've got to have a good squad. We're making sure we've got depth in each position and that's through a mixture of guys who have done a job for a number of years and some elite younger players that are coming through."

Campbell will have 12 months to build a Top 30 squad plus development players, before the Bears' first pre-season begins in November next year.

While the process can sometimes resemble a real-life game of fantasy football, there are far more factors that must be considered when assembling a team. 

Campbell has a base salary cap of $11.7 million in 2027 and every financial decision has a flow-on effect on the squad as a whole. 

Players must suit coach Mal Meninga's playing style, while they should also complement each other both on the field and in the clubhouse. Multiple experienced leaders will be needed to guide a playing group through a historic debut season.

The Bears are determined to avoid overpaying to lure stars to Perth, with Campbell confident the lifestyle in the city will appeal to both big names and emerging talent. 

"I've just come here and it's an incredible city," he said. "It's easy to get around, there are some terrific beaches and restaurants. It's a sports-mad city so I don't think we're going to have any dramas from a lifestyle perspective.

"Then there's the anonymity, it's something you see at the Melbourne Storm in a non-traditional market that's seen as a positive by some players."

While Campbell has extensive experience working in recruitment at the Storm, Cowboys and Broncos, assembling a roster from scratch is a totally different beast. 

The Bears are the first expansion team since the Dolphins entered the competition in 2023. 

The Redcliffe club enjoyed immediate success, falling agonisingly short of a top-eight finish in each of the past two seasons. 

The Dolphins built their roster around emerging halfback Isaiya Katoa, with the youngster developing into a star during his time with the team.

The playmaker was a highly-touted junior who progressed through the Panthers development pathway. He eventually reached a roadblock in the form of Nathan Cleary and the Dolphins provided an opportunity to play regular first grade. 

The Bears have looked closely at the Dolphins experience and Campbell is confident he can unearth a similar talent desperate for an opportunity. 

"There's going to be a number of young players that may be roadblocked at their current clubs," Campbell said. "The good clubs do a great job in the development space and there's naturally going to be an excess of players that need a fresh lens or an opportunity. 

"We'll certainly be looking at those elite young players to build around."

While Warriors half Luke Metcalf and Manly star Tom Trbojevic recently signed extensions that took them off the market, there are a host of stars off-contract at the end of next season. 

Payne Haas, Viliame Kikau, Selwyn Cobbo and Jye Gray are among the players the Bears can chat to from Saturday, while former Bulldogs playmaker Toby Sexton is well and truly in the mix.

While there is plenty of focus on November 1, Campbell warned fans not to expect a flurry of announcements this weekend.

With 12 months to build a roster, the Bears are remaining patient as they assemble a squad capable of challenging for an NRL premiership. 

Campbell hopes to have 10 players signed by Christmas but the former Broncos recruitment boss has been around the sport long enough to know how quickly a player's contract situation can change. 

"We don't have 12 days to put a roster together, we have 12 months to sign 36 full-time players when you include development players," Campbell said. 

"We want to make sure we're getting the right people and players are coming here for the right reasons. Whether it takes five days or two months, we've got to make sure we're patient and getting the right people. 

"Personally I think 10 players by Christmas is a realistic target to work towards. It gives us a bit of clarity and can set us up going into next year and seeing what happens during the course of the year. 

"You always have risers, you have fallers, you have guys who have become disgruntled at their current club or run into a roadblock. We need to make sure we have a bit of flexibility. We don't need to fill a roster of 30 players by December, it's a year-long process."

The Bears are looking well beyond current NRL playing ranks in their build to fill out their roster.

The establishment of rugby league pathways in Perth is a priority for the club and officials have already begun scouring the local competition for potential players. 

Campbell, Meninga and a host of senior officials attended last weekend's NRL WA Harmony Cup Nines tournament, where they cast their eye over a number of emerging players. 

The Bears have been impressed by what they saw and Campbell hopes it's not too long before Perth juniors progress to the NRL. 

"There's a real passion for the game over here in the west," Campbell said. "We want to see young Western Australian talent have the opportunity to realise their dream of playing in the NRL. 

"For the guys that are 16, 17, 18 right now, it's a great time for them to be playing the game and for us to do some good development work with those types of players. Hopefully they get to remain in their home state and eventually become an NRL player."