NRL market watch: Knights sign SuperCoach star James Schiller from Raiders, three-way swap deal
Newcastle has signed talented winger James Schiller on a three-year deal, while the Cowboys, Bulldogs and Broncos completed a two-player swap deal. LATEST TRANSFER NEWS.
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Newcastle have continued their roster tug-of-war with Canberra by signing talented winger James Schiller to a three-year deal.
Off-contact at the end of this season, Schiller has proven a strong contributor for the Raiders so far this season, scoring five tries in four games.
The 22-year-old broke the news to his Raiders teammates on Wednesday.
It’s understood the lure to play centre at the Knights was a contributing factor behind Schiller’s decision to quit Canberra.
The Knights and Raiders have an increasing list recruitment trades with the likes of Joseph Tapine, Danny Levi, Tom Starling and Pasami Saulo all joining the Raiders from Newcastle.
The decision by the nephew of Raiders champion Brett Mullins prompts questions over the future of off-contract Knights centre and representative star Dane Gagai.
The Knights are likely to offer Gagai only a 12-month contract for 2025.
The short-term contract, coupled with the arrival of Schiller, could lead to Gagai testing the open market.
THREE CLUBS IN SWAP DEAL
North Queensland have signed Canterbury forward Harrison Edwards on an immediate long-term deal which is expected to allow Cowboys back-rower Jack Gosiewski to link up with the Broncos.
Edwards will sign with the Cowboys for the next three seasons while Gosiewski is set to have his hopes of a release to Brisbane granted.
It is understood Gosiewski will play two more matches for North Queensland before being free to join the Broncos in a bid to stiffen up Brisbane’s forward stocks.
Gosiewski has asked for multiple releases which had so far been denied. But now with a ready-made replacement they are now likely to grant Gosiewski his request to leave.
Edwards, who was off-contract at the end of the season, has played 17 games for the Bulldogs since making his debut in 2022.
He has played one game for the Bulldogs this year but was ruled out of their last start loss to Melbourne with a concussion.
CLEARY CONCEDES PANTHERS CANT MATCH RIVALS FOR TURUVA
—Fatima Kdouh
Ivan Cleary can’t bring himself to think about losing Sunia Turuva but the Penrith coach conceded “pressure” from rivals could see the boom flyer walk from the club.
Turuva is one of the hottest prospects on the open market and has already fielded interest from the likes of Newcastle and St George Illawarra for 2025.
While the Knights are yet to table a former offer, Turuva has met with Newcastle officials and even toured their facilities.
Dragons coach Shane Flanagan has added another $1.6 million to his war chest after Zac Lomax was released to join Parramatta in 2025, and the club is in a position to offer Turuva a significant upgrade on his current deal.
Turuva could fetch up to $500,000 per season on the open market. It’s the kind of money Cleary knows is too hard to knock back.
“We love Tito, we’d love nothing more than to keep him here but there is some pressure outside there. It’s not new for us or any of our players but we’ll work our way through it,” Cleary said.
“I don’t want to think about him going anywhere or playing for anyone but for us. At this point, he’s playing for us this week. We’ll see what we can do but it’s something we have to just deal with each and every year.”
Turuva’s management and the club were set for crunch talks on Tuesday but that crucial meeting is now likely to happen in the coming weeks.
“We are aware of where we are at in that sense but we haven’t sat down and spoken about that yet,” Cleary said.
“It will come in the next couple of weeks, we are just focusing on this week’s game.”
Privately, Turuva wants to remain at Penrith but the club’s salary cap squeeze could force him out of the club.
Cleary said it’s a similar predicament that other former star players like Stephen Crichton, Spencer Leniu and Api Koroisau faced during their own contract negotiations.
PARRAMATTA FACE FIGHT TO KEEP RISING STARS
-Brent Read
Canberra have wasted no time resurrecting their pursuit of boom Parramatta half Ethan Sanders as the Eels’ quest to retain not just one – but two – of their rising stars officially enters the danger zone.
Sanders was in talks with the Raiders last year before the NRL changed their rules, preventing players with limited experience in senior rugby league negotiating with rival clubs prior to the end of round six.
With round six now complete, Sanders and fellow Eels star Blaize Talagi have hit the open market with clubs queuing to speak to both players.
This masthead understands that the Raiders made contact with Sanders’ camp on Monday and remain clear frontrunners for the 19-year-old, having identified him last year as a long-term successor to Jamal Fogarty in the No. 7 jersey.
Talks were believed to be in motion before the rules changed but the Raiders’ interest never waned and while the Eels have indicated they want to keep Sanders, he is expected to move clubs at the end of the season given his path to first grade is blocked at Parramatta by Dylan Brown and Mitchell Moses.
Even the absence of Moses in recent weeks hasn’t been enough to convince coach Brad Arthur to hand him a first grade debut, a decision that is believed to have pushed him closer to the exit door.
Sanders also has some familiar faces at Canberra to lean on – he played in the NSW under 19 team with Ethan Strange and Chevy Stewart. Talagi, meanwhile, has been given a taste of first grade and has an option in his contract for next season, but is yet to inform Parramatta whether he intends to take up the clause.
It means he is now up for grabs and this masthead understands that a number of clubs are circling the 19-year-old, who has played three first grade games already this season.
Arthur handed Talagi his debut in the centres but then shifted him to five-eighth when Moses went down. After two weeks in the No. 6 jersey, he was dropped last weekend and now has a decision to make as he weighs up whether to stay at the Eels or explore the open market.
His future hangs in the balance as the Eels prepare to finalise a deal with St George Illawarra centre Zac Lomax. Parramatta will confirm Lomax’s signature this week on a deal believed to be worth $2.7 million from next season.
The Dragons are bracing for Parramatta to push for Lomax to gain an early release, although St George Illawarra have made it clear they won’t given that any consideration unless they are given a player of equal standard in return.
FA’AMANU BROWN JOINS DRAGONS
-Michael Carayannis
St George Illawarra are set to sign New Zealand hooker Fa’amanu Brown for at least the rest of the season.
Brown has returned to Australia after a short stint with Hull FC with his English club announcing his departure in recent days. It is understood he will link up with the Dragons immediately pending a passing of his medical.
St George Illawarra have been desperately looking to add another hooker/half to its squad with very little cover in their current top 30.
Dragons coach Shane Flanagan worked with Brown at Cronulla. Brown has since gone on to play for four NRL clubs having played two games for Newcastle last year.
He made his New Zealand debut last year playing in three matches including the Kiwis’ 30-0 win against Australia in the final of the Pacific Championships.
Brown could easily come into the Dragons top 17 and provide the club with a solid back-up option to regular rake Jacob Liddle.
So far this season the Dragons have used Connor Muhleisen and Jesse Marschke as cover for Liddle.
Brown will make up the final spot on the Dragons’ 30 man roster. He requested and was granted a release from his Hull FC contract to return to Australia for family reasons.
The 29-year-old has played 56 NRL games.
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Originally published as NRL market watch: Knights sign SuperCoach star James Schiller from Raiders, three-way swap deal
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