The Perth Bears’ cross-code recruitment drive continues after the club secured one of Australian rugby union’s emerging talents with Cooper Watters signing a two-year deal with the Bears.
The 20-year-old, who hails from Bathurst in regional New South Wales, has enjoyed a rapid rise through the ranks of Australian rugby union, playing for the Australian Schoolboys and Australia’s Rugby Sevens sides.
Watters, who played rugby union at Saint Stanislaus’ College in Bathurst, spent two years in the under-20 Junior Wallabies team as well as featuring for the NSW Waratahs under-20s.
He was a standout performer in the 2025 under-20s World Rugby Championship, topping the line break and tackle count for the Junior Wallabies, highlighting his strengths on both sides of the ball.
Watters’ talent saw him fast-tracked into the Australian Men’s Sevens program, making his international debut for the squad in Singapore earlier this year, before backing that up on home soil in Perth the following week at HBF Park — giving him an early taste of the “Bear Pit.”
This year Watters played rugby with Eastern Suburbs in Sydney but has now started training with the North Sydney Bears NSW Cup squad before he heads to Perth this summer for pre-season training.
The Bears are confident Watters, who prides himself on his fitness and work ethic, has the temperament and skillset to make him an NRL success story on the wing or in the centres.
Bears Head Coach Mal Meninga said Watters was the type of talented young player the Bears were keen to develop into an NRL star.
“Cooper is a trailblazer – just like the Bears – in making this move from rugby union to rugby league. He’s dedicated to improving his game and has plenty of skill and plenty of speed,” he said.
“I love his commitment to the game and his confidence. He is being bold by joining the Bears, which is a core value of the club, as we look to build the foundations for a long and successful future.
“He comes from great Australian Schoolboys pedigree and his time with the North Sydney Bears will prepare him for the rigours of the Bears’ pre-season program in Perth.
“Cooper’s background in sevens has given him something you can’t really coach — the ability to read space, beat defenders one-on-one and finish under pressure at speed.”
Watters – who played rugby league as a boy – will now begin the process of transitioning to an elite rugby league environment as part of the Bears’ development squad.
The club believes his athletic pedigree gives him a strong foundation to build a new chapter of his career in the 13-man code.
“Growing up I was a massive rugby league fan, so I am very excited about getting to live out my dream of one day playing in the NRL,” Watters said.
“I’ve loved every bit of my union and sevens journey, but when I look honestly at where my future is best served, I think league is the right path for me. I feel like my skillset is built for it.
“Coming into a brand-new club is a bit daunting, but I think it’s the perfect place for me knowing the frameworks the Bears have in place and I look forward to growing my game under Mal Meninga and his team.
“I really believe the Bears are the right place to help me become the best version of myself as a footballer.”
General Manager of Football Gareth Holmes said the Bears were excited about Watters’ potential as an NRL player.
“We know there’s a genuine transition ahead of him, and we’re not pretending that’s not the case,” he said.
“But we’ve got a development program built specifically to help players like Cooper make that switch properly, and we’ve seen enough cross-code success stories in this game to know it can absolutely work when the raw talent is there. We’re going to give him every chance to make it.
“This is exactly the kind of signing that reflects our broader recruitment philosophy — we’re not limiting ourselves to conventional pathways.
“Cooper’s athletic profile and his rugby pedigree make him a fantastic addition to our development group, and it reinforces the depth and ambition of the talent pipeline we’re building as we head toward our first season.”
