Gardiner open to reuniting with Panther that 'any club would want'

With the Perth Bears continuing to flesh out their list for their inaugural season, assistant coach Ben Gardiner has spoken on the possibility of reuniting with one of his former players from the Panthers.

As their entry into the NRL nears, the speculation on who will feature in their side has grown.

Despite a slow start to signing players, their list has slowly gathered momentum in the new year, having signed Storm duo Nick Meaney and Tyran Wishart, alongside Bulldogs forward Josh Curran, amongst other names.

And while they missed out on signing Tino Fa'asuamaleaui, one name that could be on the verge of signing is Scott Sorensen.

The four-time premiership player, who comes off contract at the end of the season, has reportedly been offered a two-year contract to play under Mal Mengina and Gardiner.

The Samoa coach and second rower worked together at Penrith, which saw them win the 2023 and 2024 premierships.

When asked about the possibility of Sorensen joining the club, Gardiner was complimentary of his experiences, believing he would be an asset to any club.  

“I had a great relationship with him at Penrith,” Gardiner said on SEN’s Front Office with Vossy.

“I learnt a lot about him. He’s a great talker; he’s a great person to have around the club. A real leader for young guys. We used to call him the godfather of the left edge.

“He’s a guy that any club would want to have in and around (it).

“Hopefully, along the way, Perth are lucky enough to have a conversation with Scott to make that happen.”

The Bears currently have 13 players signed to their list. They’ll enter the competition in 2027.