Currently in charge of the Australia national team, a role that he was contracted to fulfil through to the end of the 2026 Rugby League World Cup in Australia and Papua New Guinea, Meninga will relinquish national duty to take up the familiar role of having to bring together a new squad from scratch.
As part of his new commitment to the Perth Bears, Meninga will step down from his Australia role for the revival of rugby league's Ashes series against England later this year, describing it as "a full-time job" that involves much more than "just coaching the team at the end of the year".
"No, I won’t be the Australian coach," Meninga confirmed at a press conference on Friday morning.
“But from a transition point of view I know that I will be part of all that."
Meninga is no stranger to bringing individuals together and forming a cohesive side in a short space of time as coach not only of the Kangaroos but most notably the Queensland State of Origin team during their eight consecutive series wins throughout the 2000s and 2010s.
Speculation has understandably been running rampant about who Bears management will be headhunting and the proverbial ball began rolling on Thursday when Wests Tigers co-captain Api Koroisau, who began his professional career with North Sydney Bears in the NSW Cup, expressed a desire to wear the red and black once again.
“I don’t think we will have too many worries about talking to players and managers about the opportunity to come play in Perth," Meninga said.
“Getting them over there might be a bit more difficult, but we have got a story to tell and they need to understand what we are trying to achieve.
“That’s my job is to get the right people and resources around us for them to understand what that story is."
There's no doubt that playing under one of the sport's greatest ever 'supercoaches' will attract significant talent across to the west, which will come with the significant physical challenge of weekly cross-country travel.
ARLC chairman Peter V'Landys couldn't hide his delight at getting such a high profile name onboard for the league's 18th expansion side.
"Mal is the ideal man to lead the game to a new frontier in Western Australia," V'Landys stated.
"The esteem in which he is held in the sport, his experience and the success he has had at every level of the game as a player and coach will ensure the Perth Bears have exceptionally strong leadership to build their organisation."
64-year-old Meninga hinted his Perth Bears tenure, which begins immediately with an enormous amount of planning ahead of their entry into the 2027 NRL season, could be his final involvement in rugby league as a professional.
“I made a decision that I want to be part of the Perth Bears and be the inaugural coach. It is only a three year program for me, so we will see what happens after that.
“I think this is a great legacy piece for me to move away from the game eventually. I’ve got great enjoyment out of the game and it has given me a lot of success.
“The game has been great for me, so I feel this is something I can help the game with and move on."
Meninga also vowed during the press conference to bring as much of the North Sydney community along with him as possible, buying into the potential of one club having two passionate and connected supporter bases on opposite sides of the country.
"Personally, this is one of the most exciting challenges of my career, to have the opportunity to take our great game back to Western Australia to start a new team and to bring with it a much-loved rugby league community and heritage brand in the Bears.
“It’s a great privilege and responsibility I’ve been given to be one of the leaders in the formation of the club and I’m looking forward getting to stuck into the work that needs to be done to deliver a team that represents WA and is competitive from day one.
"It is fantastic that we have got a heritage foundation club like the North Sydney Bears and understanding who they are.
“I think we have got to build from those pillars."