Hope for Leeds Rhinos, Sam Burgess ‘snubbed’ and legend set for appointment at Perth Bears

The net is closing on who will be the first Perth Bears coach and Super League pair Sam Burgess and Brad Arthur have lost pace in the race.

Perth will enter the NRL for the 2027 season and become the competition’s 18th team and for a long time in their search for a head coach, Leeds Rhinos’ Brad Arthur appeared to be the favourite.

Having made no secret of his desire to return to the NRL, the Australian was among those who reportedly interviewed for the job but he’s insisted to the media that his focus remains with the Rhinos.

That now might be the case for the foreseeable future with The Daily Telegraph reporting Mal Meninga as being “days away” from landing the role, whilst they also claim that Arthur has not heard from the Australian Rugby League Commission, who are in charge of the hiring, for “several weeks”.

Whilst bad news for Arthur’s NRL ambitions, it could be great news for Leeds Rhinos who can set about tabling another contract extension for the Australian, whose deal is up at the end of the season.

Sam Burgess set to miss out on Perth job in boost for Warrington Wolves

Arthur isn’t the only Super League coach to have been overlooked as Sam Burgess is another with the Telegraph leading on the line that the Wire coach has been “snubbed”.

When talk of Meninga coming back to clubland first emerged, it was suggested that Sam Burgess would serve as a joint-coach before ultimately ascending to the main role at Perth but that now seems unlikely.

Per The Telegraph, Burgess is “keen to be an NRL head coach” and that’s seen him miss out in the race for the Perth job, which will delight Warrington fans.

Despite struggling form in Super League, partly due to their injury crisis, the Wolves head to Wembley next week to face Hull KR with Sam Burgess’ side aiming to land the silverware that they missed out on last year.

With talk of the Perth job, which Burgess had discussed and confirmed he had an ‘interest’ in, now in the rear-view mirror and the likes of George Williams approaching a return, could Burgess lead Wire to a second-half of the season turnaround as they bid to progress from ninth into the play-offs.

Despite Burgess being out of the running, there are stll suggestions that Meninga would have a co-coach who eventually succeeds him and former St Helens man Justin Holbrook, current Australia and Roosters assistant, is among those in the running.