North Sydney Bears boss Gareth Holmes has been tasked with invigorating Perth's inaugural NRL roster recruitment amid rumours of infighting.
Holmes was announced as the club's new general manager of football on Monday, after David Sharpe left the role in April.
Sharpe's style reportedly ruffled a few feathers with chief executive Anthony De Ceglie, but inaugural coach Mal Meninga - who was crucial in getting Sharpe to the Bears - was quick to dismiss the rumours.
Holmes' most pressing task will be building the expansion club's inaugural roster ahead of their 2027 entry into the NRL.
Perth have yet to find a marquee player and suffered a demoralising blow when they and Meninga were this month fined $40,000 for breaches of the league's anti-tampering rules.
The fines relate to media comments made by Meninga about the Bears' hopes of signing Penrith star Nathan Cleary and Canterbury duo Matt Burton and Jacob Preston.
Holmes reunites with Meninga after managing the NRL elite programs, which included the Kangaroos.
Serving as the North Sydney Bears' chief executive for five years, Holmes also has three decades of experience in senior management roles at Parramatta, Manly and Canterbury.
In a club statement, Holmes said the Perth Bears were "something genuinely special".
"This is an incredibly exciting opportunity, and one I haven't taken lightly given what North Sydney means to me and to rugby league history," he said.
"I am looking forward to working with Mal and the team to build elite pathways and a high-performance culture from the ground up."
The Bears' only signing with Origin experience is Siosifa Talakai, who played two games for NSW in 2022.
Their only premiership players so far are Penrith bench forwards Liam Henry and Scott Sorensen.
