Mal Meninga, the head coach of the Perth Bears, has opened up about the travel challenges the team will face as they prepare to enter the NRL in 2027.
Situated on Australia's west coast, the Bears find themselves somewhat disconnected from the other NRL teams.
Throughout the upcoming home and away season, the Bears are anticipated to make trips to the bustling east coast approximately once every two weeks for competition.
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The distance from Sydney is roughly a five-hour flight, prompting Meninga to address various logistical concerns to ensure the players perform at their peak.
"We've done the sums. It's not double, but it's close to most other clubs in the competition," Meninga stated.
"So we've got to address that. We're going across two time zones. So we've got to make sure that when we do play that we're at the best, and the welfare component of that is really important."
Meninga recognizes the impact that travel fatigue can have on an NRL team and emphasizes the significance of recovery amidst a demanding travel itinerary.
"When you travel, how you rest after travel is really important to recovery, and then you've obviously got to train, and then you've got to play," he noted.