The name of Anthony De Ceglie has evidently made a sound impact not only in the Australian media fraternity but also the professional sporting circuit in the world. A journalistic achiever with a reputation of editorial ambition and absolute leadership style, De Ceglie subsequently achieved regional success in the newspaper industry before in 2025 scoring a rather unexpected gig when he was appointed first Chief Executive Officer of the Perth Bears, the NRL expansion team that will join the league in 2027.
This is an interesting account of how one might transfer media, communication, and leadership skills to completely different fields.
Rapid Rise in Australian Journalism
Anthony De Ceglie started his career in Western Australia and subsequently took up senior editorial positions at some of the biggest names like The Sunday Times, PerthNow, and The Daily Telegraph. He earned a reputation of edged headlines and editorial judgment, scooping three glamour awards of Walkleys, in 2020 winning Walkley Runner-up, in 2020, best headline writing.
A year later (in 2019) he was nominated to work as Editor-in-Chief of The West Australian as one of the most popular newspapers in the country and, as well as one of the oldest newspapers in the country. The West became more blatantly aggressive on the front page, and more political, and more insistent on local identity, under his leadership. He also came into the management of The Sunday Times, PerthNow and the Kalgoorlie Miner consolidating his influence within the media of Western Australia.
His editorial policies were controversial, but he was capable of influencing people and defining the talking points, which would make him a force to reckon with in the media.
Seven West Media and Digital News Innovation
In 2024, De Ceglie was appointed as the Director of News and Current Affairs of Seven West Media, a giant and top influential media network in Australia. Here, he managed the TV and online heavy-hitting brands such as 7NEWS, Sunrise, The Morning Show and Spotlight.
He advocated a number of inventions
- The inception of The Nightly, a national evening digital only publication
- Centralizing the production of news on Seven national news feeds
- Embedding a digital first culture through to good broadcast journalism
Another issue that de Ceglie was vocal about was workplace culture, especially championing the no dickheads policy in newsrooms that would help curb toxic norms and make newsrooms a more open place to work.
A Surprising Pivot: CEO of the Perth Bears
In May 2025, De Ceglie stunned the media world when he left Seven West Media to become the CEO of a team which had just been granted an NRL license, the Perth Bears, which will not begin competing in the league until 2027.
The appointment was welcomed by Peter V , the Chairman of the Australian Rugby League Commission as he stated that De Ceglie is a brilliant operator with strong connections within political and media circles in Western Australia.
This decision augers well with the overall goal of the NRL to increase its footprint in non-traditional markets such as that of Western Australia. In the position of CEO, De Ceglie is to play the following role:
- Developing the executive setting of the club
- Getting businesses sponsors/sponsors
- Development of fan attraction strategies within a traditional AFL stronghold At this particular point, there is a need to develop fan attraction strategies in an AFL stronghold area.
- Training the team to be ready to face competition on the field in less than two years
Controversies and Criticism
De Ceglie’s career has not gone without controversy despite his success at his work. Business and sports leaders in Perth have been among those who have voiced criticisms of his track record of antagonistic editorial campaigns, especially of such influential business magnates as Andrew Forrest and other local elites.
Other media figures within the industry also claimed that De Ceglie took at least part of his last few months at Seven to further his own passion with rugby league including pursuing more NRL coverage across 7NEWS- despite the fact that Seven has exclusive broadcast rights to the AFL. Others also doubted his judgment of featuring non-traditional contents, such as psychic and comic contents on news bulletins.
Though his editorial traits earned him focus and brashness some stakeholders are concerned that the same combatants approach can succeed in the world of high collaboration and sensitivities of the commercial sports management world.
Strengths and Strategic Outlook
Proponents of De Ceglie believe that he is the only one who can coach the Perth Bears based on his:
- Deep understanding of media, marketing, and public relations
- Attachments with high profile personalities such as the WA Premier Roger Cook
- Experienced capacity to organize interaction and introduce a new project
- Investments to revamping old systems and being ready to take big risks
He goes into this new stage with a lot of attention and pressure. An effective attempt will help to turn the Perth Bears into a potent example of a convergence of sports and media in the contemporary entertainment industry.
A Broader Trend: Media Figures Entering Sport
De Ceglie is not the first media person to enter sports administration, and he is not the last either. As sport and entertainment are becoming more synonymous, as well as more intertwined with media, those who are well versed in branding, digital interactivity, and knowing how to read the pulse of the people have a leg up when it comes to sports administration in this day and age.
That is why De Ceglie is not just a shocking appointment: it is a rather visionary one.
Final Thoughts
The change of the face of leadership in Australia is mirrored in the career of Anthony De Ceglie. Whether it is the newsroom or the boardroom, he has exhibited the capacity to be bold, creative and not be afraid of kicking against the odds. Whether his sports scientific approach will be able to cross over into the area of professional rugby league is still up in the air, but it is clear that he is not one to go the conservative route.
When the Perth Bears run out onto the field in 2027, the entire watchful eyes of the state (of WA), will be on De Ceglie to determine whether he will deliver not only a team but a legacy.
