{"id":407514,"date":"2026-01-12T03:46:28","date_gmt":"2026-01-12T03:46:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/407514\/"},"modified":"2026-01-12T03:46:28","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T03:46:28","slug":"bears-add-two-more-signings-to-2027-roster-nrl-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/407514\/","title":{"rendered":"Bears add two more signings to 2027 roster – NRL News"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Perth Bears<\/a> have continued to shape their inaugural 2027 roster, securing two pivotal signings on Monday morning.<\/p>\n

Super League<\/a> standout James McDonnell<\/a> and emerging outside-back Chris Vea’ila<\/a> have both joined the Bears on multi-year deals, the club has confirmed.<\/p>\n

McDonnell will arrive in Western Australia<\/a> on a two-year contract after emerging as one of the most consistent forwards in the English game.<\/p>\n

The Irish international has played 87 Super League<\/a> matches since debuting in 2020, with stints at Wigan, York and Leigh before joining the Leeds Rhinos<\/a> in 2023.<\/p>\n

He enjoyed a breakout 2025 campaign, earning widespread praise for his work rate, toughness and edge presence.<\/p>\n

The second-rower said playing in the NRL<\/a> had long been a personal goal, describing the opportunity with the Bears as a chance to test himself \u201cagainst the best of the best\u201d while being part of a historic new chapter.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s been an ambition of mine to play in the NRL<\/a> and I’m absolutely delighted to be given that chance with the Perth Bears<\/a>,\u201d McDonnell said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe NRL<\/a> is the toughest competition in the world, and I can’t wait to get over to Western Australia<\/a> and test myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vea’ila, meanwhile, adds youth and upside to Perth’s backline plans.<\/p>\n

\"2025SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – FEBRUARY 07: Jacob Laban of the Warriors is tackled by Chris Vea’ila of the Sharks during the NRL pre-season match between Cronulla Sharks and New Zealand Warriors at Sharks Stadium on February 07, 2025 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

The 22-year-old New Zealander made his NRL<\/a> debut with the Cronulla Sharks<\/a> last season, scoring a try in his first appearance, and will also join the Bears on a two-year deal from 2027.<\/p>\n

The club views him as a long-term development prospect capable of growing into a regular first-grade option.<\/p>\n

Head coach Mal Meninga<\/a> said both signings aligned with the Bears’ vision of blending proven performers with emerging talent.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’ve kept an eye on McDonnell for a few years now and I thought he really went to another level in 2025,\u201d Meninga said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m confident he will develop more this season and I’m excited to see what he can bring to the Bears.<\/p>\n

\u201cChris Vea’ila<\/a> had an exceptional junior career with the Knights and was given his chance with the Sharks last season.\u201d<\/p>\n

With recruitment already well underway, the Bears are continuing to lay the foundations for their return to the competition, with McDonnell and Vea’ila shaping as important pieces in Perth’s long-term build.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Perth Bears have continued to shape their inaugural 2027 roster, securing two pivotal signings on Monday morning.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":407515,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[64,63,761,762,158,85],"class_list":["post-407514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nrl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-national-rugby-league","tag-nationalrugbyleague","tag-nrl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/407514","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=407514"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/407514\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/407515"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=407514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=407514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=407514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}