Perth Bears CEO Anthony De Ceglie steps down on eve of first pre-season

Perth Bears chief executive Anthony De Ceglie has stepped down on the eve of the club's first pre-season, after it was reported earlier in the week that he had lost the support of the board. General manager of football Gareth Holmes will step in as interim CEO while the club finalises its plans. De Ceglie thanked coach Mal Meninga, assistant Ben Gardiner and the club's fans, while chair Ben Morton credited him with securing record commercial partnerships, more than 20,000 foundation members and a competitive inaugural squad. De Ceglie is the second senior figure to leave the Bears this year after head of football David Sharpe, amid reports of tension within the coaching staff and the club's failure to land a marquee signing.

By Brent Read, Michael Carayannis, CODE Sports — read the full story