V’landys throws weight behind Bears coach Meninga after CEO’s sudden exit

October 10, 2026 — 4:28pmPeter V’landys has played down suggestions of more trouble at the controversy-plagued Perth Bears involving head coach Mal Meninga and his assistant Ben Gardiner, saying he is confident they will work well together when the expansion team begins their inaugural pre-season next month.The NRL-owned Bears are without a chief executive following the sudden exit on Friday night of Anthony De Ceglie, who resigned after losing the support of the club’s board.Bears assistant coach Ben Gardiner (left) and head coach Mal Meninga.Paul Kane.The departure of the former newspaper editor and Seven Network news director was just the latest chapter in a tumultuous foundation period for Perth, who will become the competition’s 18th side in 2027.David Sharpe, the Bears’ first general manager of football and a close ally of Meninga, quit in April after a fallout with De Ceglie, and the board was moved to bring in an expert to improve the organisation’s culture nearly a year before the club was due to play its first game.The Bears have also struggled to assemble a top-shelf playing squad and there has been continuing speculation of friction between Meninga and Gardiner, who is coaching Samoa at the World Cup and appears regularly on Sydney radio.V’landys, the Australian Rugby Commission executive chairman, said he had discussed the issue with both of them and was not concerned.Peter V”landys will leave the appointment of a new CEO at the Bears to the Perth board.Getty Images“I’ve spoken to both the coach and assistant coach, and they think it’s really been blown out of proportion and they get along fine. They are both very professional people,” he said at the launch of the World Cup at Moore Park on Saturday.“Mal Meninga is an Immortal, he’s been the Australian coach, he’s been the Queensland coach. Ben Gardiner is an up-and-coming emerging coach who has done [work] with various clubs, most recent being Penrith. I think when they all get going they’ll be a great team.”De Ceglie, formerly a lieutenant of media mogul Kerry Stokes, was hired by V’landys and the Commission in May 2025, a month before the club’s board was appointed.He lasted less than 18 months, with the announcement that he was leaving coming three days after a meeting of Perth directors.De Ceglie’s responsibilities will be taken over in the immediate future by general manager of football Gareth Holmes, once a team manager of the Australian team under Meninga.V’landys said the CEO’s permanent replacement would not be determined by him and the Commission.“Realistically … that’s a decision for the board. We are going to let the board decide all those positions. We [appointed] the first one. After that, it’s really the role of the board,” V’landys said.“That’s what proper corporate governance is. We’re not going to interfere into what the board wants. They’ve got to select their CEO moving forward now and their staff because they are going to be treated autonomous just like any other club.”The Perth board is chaired by former Australian government minister Ben Morton and includes ex-federal treasurer Joe Hockey, North Sydney Bears chairman Daniel Dickson, Nine sports presenter and North Sydney director James Bracey and former Western Australia Cricket Association CEO Christina Matthews.Others on it are Jacqueline Johnstone, a former detective and racing investigator now working at the NRL, and Harness Racing Australia chairman John Dumesny.V’landys said he was sorry to lose De Ceglie, calling him a “brilliant guy” who has “done his job”. He believes the building blocks for success have been put in place at the Bears and that their playing strength is underestimated.“When you build a rugby league club the first thing you’ve got to build is culture. The two clubs that have the best culture in my view are Melbourne Storm and Penrith,” V’landys said.“If you look at the [Bears] roster there is a great representation from both the Melbourne Storm and Penrith which will build a great culture in the Perth Bears from the beginning.“I think that Mal Meninga is going surprise a lot of people on his early success. He is an Immortal. He knows what he’s doing. He was a legendary State of Origin coach. I don’t have any concerns.”Sports news, results and expert commentary. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.Chris Barrett is a senior sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former South-East Asia correspondent for the Herald and The Age.Connect via X or email.From our partners