Market Watch: Roosters, Dragons and Rabbitohs in player switch, Raiders sign Jayden Brailey
Forgotten Dragons Mikaele Ravalawa and Francis Molo are being circled by rival clubs, opening the door for disgruntled Wests Tiger David Klemmer at the Red V. Elsewhere, Knights hooker Jayden Brailey has secured his future at the Raiders.
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South Sydney are making a play for forgotten Dragons winger Mikaele Ravalawa in a move which could fast-track David Klemmer’s arrival to St George Illawarra.
The Rabbitohs are considering signing Ravalawa with the Fijian winger due to undergo a medical at South Sydney this week. The Dragons and South Sydney will play against each other on Saturday.
The Rabbitohs backline has been hammered by injuries with young flyer Tyrone Munro missing at least the next six weeks because of another broken collarbone. They are also without Latrell Mitchell, Euan Aitken and Alex Johnston while Jack Wighton is suspended for their game against St George Illawarra.
If South Sydney sign off on the contract it would open up the roster spot the Dragons desperately need to secure Klemmer immediately.
Ravalawa is contracted until the end of 2026 with the 27-year-old having scored 67 tries from 98 games since making his debut in 2019.
Ravalawa was overlooked for first grade in round one and did not play NSW Cup for the Dragons.
He lost his place on the wing and was dumped to NSW Cup during the midpoint of the season.
Ravalawa played just 12 first grade games – the least he has featured in a season since his first season. The Dragons have a stack of backline players in NSW Cup with the likes of Tyrell Sloan, Corey Allan and Sione Finau – who scored four tries in the Charity Shield – all available.
Rugby convert Nathan Lawson and the returning Cody Ramsey completed the outside backs during the opening reserve grade game of the season.
While their backline is filled with talent, their forward depth has taken a further battering after Ryan Couchman’s season was ended after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament.
Couchman lasted just minutes coming off the interchange bench for the Dragons during their loss to Canterbury. Klemmer withdrew from the Tigers NSW Cup clash last week but was on hand to watch the NRL side play against Newcastle on Friday night.
The Dragons remain in a stalemate with Francis Molo as they struggle to come to a resolution with the prop. They have stopped paying Molo given his sick leave has now expired.
Meanwhile, the Dragons have re-signed boom youngster Jacob Halangahu until the end of 2027. The NSW under-19 back-rower was part of St George’s premiership winning SG Ball team last year and played NSW Cup last Saturday. He has been earmarked as a long-term first-grader.
Roosters circle disgruntled Dragons prop
-Phil Rothfield
The Sydney Roosters are showing interest in signing former Queensland Origin prop Francis Molo from St George Illawarra as his contract standoff with the Dragons continues.
The embattled Roosters, flogged by the Broncos last week, are desperate to explore the availability of Molo in a bid to shore up their middle.
The Roosters have a substantial amount of spare cash in the salary cap which was originally kept aside for Joseph Manu at the back end of the year but he’s signed with French rugby.
They are also discussing a potential approach to old war horse Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, who is currently playing for Hull KR in the UK Super League, about buying out his contract and bringing him back to the Roosters immediately.
Another flogging against bogey side Penrith on Friday night would put enormous pressure on coach Trent Robinson and his recruitment team to look outside his current top-30 roster for extra clout and forward grunt.
The Dragons are reluctantly on the verge of releasing Molo to make way for Wests Tigers’ David Klemmer.
But not before Molo repays a significant amount of money that was advanced to him last year.
Raiders secure Knights hooker Jayden Brailey
-David Riccio, Brent Read
Jayden Brailey is a Raider.
The experienced hooker has agreed to terms on a two-year deal to move from Newcastle to Canberra in 2026.
As first revealed by News Corp, Brailey had been in negotiations with the Raiders for several weeks, with North Queensland and Manly, also showing interest in the 28-year-old.
However, after meeting with Raiders coach Ricky Stuart and passing the club’s medical assessment, Brailey has secured his future with a two-year deal.
Highly-regarded for his work-ethic, character and leadership qualities, the former Knights captain will join the Green Machine on the premise of adding much needed experience to their young spine.
The arrival of Brailey will also have a domino effect on the futures of current Raiders dummy-halves Tom Starling and Danny Levi, both of which are without a contract for 2026.
Brailey’s decision to leave the Knights emerged after the 131-game player was told by Newcastle management that they were not in position to make him an offer for next season.
The Raiders pounced on the skillful hooker - keen on using his experience to aid the development of rising star Owen Pattie.
Brailey played off the interchange bench in round one against the Wests Tigers, before coming into the game to replace Phoenix Crossland at hooker, where the latter then moved to a lock-forward role.
Originally published as Market Watch: Roosters, Dragons and Rabbitohs in player switch, Raiders sign Jayden Brailey
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