The Bears recently gained the signature of Bulldogs forward Josh Curran, extending their inaugural squad to eight, and a media release out of AAMI Park on Friday suggested Meaney and Wishart could soon join Curran in black and red.
Meaney and Wishart both made their NRL debuts together in the opening round of 2022 and have added 94 and 82 games respectively to their fledgling careers as regular members of the Storm backline over the four seasons since.
Storm CEO Justin Rodski hailed them as "fantastic contributors to our club over the past four seasons" before dropping a cryptic hint that a possible move to Perth in 2027 is already on the cards, explaining that the club "understands their decision given the opportunity in front of each of them".
It's expected that Meaney would be a regular starter at the Perth Bears and Wishart a flexible utility back off the bench under inaugural head coach Mal Meninga.
Meaney says he remains "100% committed to helping Storm achieve our ultimate goal in 2026".
"It is a true honour to wear the purple jersey, and it’s going to be incredibly tough to leave," he added.
“Coming to this club was the easiest decision I’ve ever made, but deciding to leave has been the hardest.
“My wife and I are forever grateful for everything this club has given us. We’ve met some of our closest friends and have raised our two boys here, who absolutely love everyone at the club."
Wishart told the media that he'll be "forever grateful to Storm for many things, but especially for giving me the opportunity to play first grade footy. The Club welcomed me in almost 5 years ago and I’ve learned so much in that time."
“The quality of people within the Club made it incredibly hard to make this decision and I know I’ll always look back on my time in Melbourne fondly."