EXCLUSIVE: Bears great Gary Larson concedes Perth at huge 'disadvantage' as PNG Chiefs turn heads

Amid the fanfare involving Jahrome Luai's signing with the PNG Chiefs this week, the Perth Bears officially unveiled their first ever merchandise collection, in collaboration with New Balance.

Most league fans would be forgiven for having no clue about the latest developments with the NRL's 18th team as they work judiciously behind the scenes to build a successful club from the ground up.

However, with the Chiefs entering the competition just a year after the Bears, the Perth-based team's ability to attract marquee stars has come under the microscope after Luai's signing.

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With just six months until their first pre-season, the Bears have 18 players signed but missed out on the likes of Jayden Campbell, Cameron Munster and Tino Fa'asuamaleaui and are still without a marquee signing. In fact, concerningly, the Bears have so far signed just one player who regularly starts for his current NRL club - their likely fullback for 2027, Nick Meaney.

Others like Tyan Wishart and Siosifa Talakai are high quality players but currently play roles off the bench most weeks.

Perth has not been afforded the right to offer the same tax-free salaries and third party deals the Chiefs can, sparking concern about the WA team's viability to field a competitive team.

Additionally, travelling to PNG's capital Port Moresby is four hours by plane from Sydney and three hours, 15 minutes from Brisbane, while the trip to Perth from those two eastern capitals is more than five hours, adding another layer of complexity to negotiations.

"They are at a disadvantage because the Australian government has helped the Papua New Guinea Chiefs, but you know that's the way it is," Bears and Maroons great Gary Larson told Wide World of Sports.

"The government's throwing $600 million at them. It's politics, that's difficult to compete with.

"I think [the Bears are] doing alright to be honest and the hierarchy of the Perth Bears know that it's a tough job to try and attract players to Perth. You've got to relocate families.

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"You've got wives that are coming from other parts of the country. Everyone has a comfort zone.

"If you do one for one team (incentives), then every new team that comes in, should get the same.

"Obviously the NRL has just said 'thank you very much, Mr Albanese, for helping us out'."

Furthermore, the PR war is being won by the Chiefs, with Luai's signing making plenty of noise, while the Bears operate almost anonymously. Former The Sydney Morning Herald senior journalist Michael Chammas is milking his contacts and his media savvy superbly to ensure the Chiefs are an almost constant talking point in his new role as the club's head of football, while the Bears are struggling for relevance.

The only time Bears CEO Anthony De Ceglie, himself a former journalist and media executive, has spoken to the media is when there have been announcements around sponsorship.

And the Bears have done well in attracting money to the club, with their jersey plastered with sponsorship reportedly worth $5-6 million.

"I think they're travelling along pretty good when it comes to backing, they've got some great sponsors," Larson added.

"A player might not know it now, but if they had half a brain, they'd be setting themselves up for life after footy in the mining resources area.

"Western Australia has many booming businesses and players need to know that."

Larson, who now works in the coal indsutry in Gladstone, Queensland and isn't far off retirement, told WWOS the key issue to making big signings is reaching the players' families.

"Family dictated where I was going to be. That's the tough one. That's the clincher if the Perth Bears can set families up over in Perth and do the right thing by them, that's the first step," he said.

The Bears have also endured internal turmoil this year, with head of football David Sharpe quitting the club last week amid reports of boardroom conflicts.

In his column for The Sydney Morning Herald on Sunday, Danny Weidler reported that coach Mal Meninga had also lost some of his sheen in the eyes of NRL bosses.

Larson said Meninga is the ultimate tone-setter and culture builder and the club can't worry about the PR battle, rather the product on the field with just months before the side needs to be fully put together.

"It's all about performance on the field and creating that team culture to make the players play well and Mal knows how to do that," he concluded.