Cameron Munster arrives in Perth this weekend with his future undecided, but there won’t be any secret meetings with the Bears.
Munster has made a quicker-than-expected return from knee surgery after sustaining a cartilage injury and will line up for Melbourne against arch rivals Manly at HBF Park on Saturday. The Maroons and Kangaroos playmaker is contracted to the Storm until the end of next year, although the club has granted him permission to speak to the PNG Chiefs before November 1.
Some pundits have suggested the Bears should make a play for Munster, given he is currently in Perth ahead of the Sea Eagles clash. However, his presence in town – at a time when the Bears are putting the finishing touches on their inaugural roster – is merely coincidental.
NRL rules also preclude teams from approaching rival players until they are in the final 12 months of their contract, unless their current club grants permission to do so early.
“No one’s reached out to us, and we haven’t reached out to them, knowing that Cameron didn’t want to come over here [previously],” said Bears coach Mal Meninga.
While Munster isn’t currently on the Bears’ radar, that position could change should they still have cash to spend when he becomes a free agent. After signing Canberra’s English international Morgan Smithies on a three-year deal, Perth has turned their attention to Parramatta prop Junior Paulo.
“We had a really good meeting with Junior in Sydney,” said Bears general manager Gareth Holmes. “Junior still brings something on the field and he has a lot to offer off the field. That’s attractive to us. That’s still a live conversation for us at the moment.”
Smithies’ signature has taken the number of players the Bears have signed to 25. He will join Harry Newman, James McDonnell and Mikolaj Oledzki as England Test players who have committed to the club.
“The opportunity to make history and be a part of the Perth Bears was too good to refuse,” Smithies said. “It will be great to reconnect with a few of the lads from back home in Perth. Mal and his staff have assembled a very strong roster and it’s an honour to be a part of it.
“This is a new chapter for my family as well. We are committed to the Perth Bears and it’s an exciting opportunity to build our life in Western Australia.”
The Bears have been criticised for not landing a “marquee” signing, but Meninga is undeterred.
“There’s a really good thing in high performance: you control what you can control,” Meninga said.
“That’s what we’ve done. We’re in the market, we’re always talking about people. I think the right people are crucial. Availability is important. And the conditions that the Perth Bears entered into the competition – we understand all that, so it’s just whatever we can control, really.”
It’s a big weekend for the Bears, who will unveil their inaugural jersey in Perth on Friday. Dignitaries including ARL executive chair Peter V’landys and WA Premier Roger Cook will attend the function at the WACA. It will be a twin reveal, with the design to also be shown for the first time at a simultaneous event in North Sydney.
Adrian Proszenko travelled to Perth as a guest of the Perth Bears
