NRL Market Watch special: Free agency frenzy as nearly 200 players hit open market
He is stuck behind Cameron Munster and Jahrome Hughes at the Storm, now the kid widely rated the best young playmaker yet to play NRL has confirmed his future.
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The NRL’s hottest teenage halfback is set to be taken off the market with young gun Jonah Pezet agreeing to stay at the Melbourne Storm.
It comes after the off contract Cooper Johns was recently let go, with Johns now being linked to Manly.
Pezet, 19, will take up a two-year extension keeping him at the Storm until at least the end of 2025.
The Storm have also secured former Bulldog Nick Meaney’s future also until the end of 2025 after he filled a valuable utility role this season.
Young backrower Trent Loiero is another who recently recommitted to the Storm until the end of 2025.
Pezet was the standout for NSW under 19s this year with four try assists in the big win over Queensland back in June.
He is widely rated the best young playmaker yet to play NRL emerging in the game.
Immortal Andrew Johns labelled Pezet’s performance for the junior Blues “sensational”.
Pezet would have attracted huge interest but has backed himself at the Storm, despite superstar New Zealander Jahrome Hughes being contracted until the end of 2026.
While he’s yet to debut in the top grade, the Storm were impressed with the way Pezet handled himself towards the backend of the season playing against the men in the Queensland Cup for Brisbane Easts.
FREE AGENCY FREE-FOR-ALL AS 40% OF NRL HITS MARKET
It’s the starting gun for the NRL’s biggest player trade sale.
As of Tuesday some 190-plus players - or almost 40 per cent of the game’s entire top-30 talent - will officially become free agents.
Here we have listed every player now allowed to sign with a rival club for 2024, while breaking down how it could potentially impact your team.
It stretches from some of the game’s biggest names to a stack of blue collar battlers trying to secure a rugby league lifeline.
Our club-by club breakdown also shows how many players each club has on the list.
What we also anticipate is that a pending signing frenzy could ignite some immediate movement, with several players expected to agitate for an early release as soon as long-term deals are agreed to.
HOW IT WORKS
It’s the most misunderstood rule in the game.
For years many fans and even some clubs have wrongly assumed off contract players can’t start negotiating with rivals beyond the final year of an existing contract until after November 1.
That is a complete fallacy.
The fact is rule 35 and 36 of the NRL’s player contract guidelines stipulate any player can negotiate at any time for the period they are not contracted.
It effectively means rival clubs can talk and even discuss ballpark figures and contract terms beyond existing deals, provided they do not enter into an agreement before November 1.
But from Tuesday they can officially lodge the contract with the NRL.
While it is important these negotiations do not try and entice a player to break an existing contract, this is where it often gets very murky.
A CLUB-BY-CLUB BREAKDOWN
The Rabbitohs and Roosters have 14 players unsigned.
They are followed by the Dragons and Eels (13), the Sharks, Knights, Bulldogs and Cowboys (12), ahead of the Panthers (11), the Tigers, Raiders, Broncos and Titans (10), Sea Eagles and Warriors (9) and Dolphins (5).
HEADLINE ACTS
The Rabbitohs seem very confident ‘the big three’ Latrell Mitchell, Cody Walker and Damien Cook will all stay. But the fact is as of Tuesday they are free agents and if Mitchell in particular has an interest to at least test his worth he would easily be the hottest property in the game still up for grabs.
Rival clubs are also lining up for a crack at Matt Burton, although most believe he will end up staying at the Dogs.
It is a similar story with Parramatta’s Mitchell Moses and Dylan Brown who are in big demand.
The Roosters have a host of names including enforcers Victor Radley and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, while young gun Joseph Suaalii has an option in his favour for 2024. Another who has rivals watching with interest is Sam Walker who still hasn’t signed despite negotiations that have dragged on for some time now. Crucially for the Roosters, it is understood Walker has not yet spoken to a rival club.
At Penrith, Stephen Crichton, Liam Martin and Brian To’o head the list of players still up for grabs, with Crichton tipped to be offered “fullback money” that will make it desperately hard for the Panthers to keep him.
Martin is expected to be removed from the list soon after agreeing to terms on a one-year extension at the Panthers with the deal yet to be made official.
At the Cowboys’ teenage sensation Jeremiah Nanai could name his price if he decides to test the market, while Jack Wighton has an option in his favour at the Raiders.
The Sharks have a string of outside backs on the list including fullback Will Kennedy, centre Jesse Ramien and gun winger Sione Katoa.
At Manly Reuben Garrick is set to knock back Newcastle’s advances and re-sign within days, while youngster Kaeo Weekes (who can play fullback or in the halves) is another considered hot property.
Down at Melbourne, securing Nelson Asofa-Solomona would be at the top of the Storm’s to-do list.
BIGGEST CALLS
* Rabbitohs hooker Cook has stated publicly that he wants a three-year deal to play out his career at Souths. But it will be interesting to see how long the club is prepared to offer the 31-year-old given they couldn’t offer Adam Reynolds more than one-year before he headed to the Broncos.
* At the Tigers, Tim Sheens has made his intentions clear that come 2024 he’s shooting for the stars. And after missing out on Cameron Munster, Sheens has been courting John Bateman and Parramatta’s Moses over at the World Cup. So the next obvious question is what does that mean for the like of Luke Brooks, Adam Doueihi and Jackson Hastings?
Everyone knows the Newcastle Knights want Brooks immediately but Sheens has been steadfast he won’t be releasing his No.7.
Hypothetically, if Brooks signs a long-term deal with the Knights from 2024 and beyond, will the Tigers still want to keep him for 2023?
Doueihi’s situation is also intriguing given how both parties have held off negotiations until now, while the fact Sheens wanted to play Hastings at lock this season suggests he is not the long-term answer in the halves. Fullback Daine Laurie is also on the list.
* At the Broncos Herbie Farnworth is a player expected to attract plenty of attention. The talented Englishman has previously made it known he wants a crack at fullback. But you can’t see that happening while Reece Walsh and Selwyn Cobbo are at the club. There is also a sneaky whisper going around linking Farnworth to the Roosters. While he wouldn’t be going there to play fullback, he would certainly fix a problem at left centre.
* One man expected to cop a significant salary cut is Gold Coast’s David Fifita, although the blockbusting backrower is still in demand with the Raiders leading the chase for his services for 2024 and beyond. Fifita will get offers around the $800,000-a-season mark which makes him something of a bargain buy given the $1 million he is currently on. It’s worth remembering Fifita is still only 22.
CLUB-BY-CLUB: Players available to sign with rivals for 2024 from November 1
CO = Club Option
PO = Player Option
MO = Mutual Option
Brisbane Broncos 10
Jesse Arthars
Herbie Farnworth
Thomas Flegler
Corey Jensen
Tesi Niu
Corey Oates
Cory Paix
Keenan Palasia
Jordan Pereira
Ethan Quai-Ward
Canberra Raiders 10
Jarrod Croker PO (2024)
Matt Frawley
Emre Guler
Albert Hopoate
Peter Hola MO (2024)
Jordan Rapana
Brad Schneider
Harley Smith-Shields
Tom Starling PO (2024)
Jack Wighton PO (2024)
Canterbury Bulldogs 12
Paul Alamoti
Corey Allan
Jake Averillo
Bailey Biondi-Odo
Braidon Burns
Matt Burton PO (2024)
Kyle Flanagan
Jayden Okunbor
Chris Patolo
Ava Seumanufagai
Luke Thompson
Corey Waddell
Cronulla Sharks 12
Jayden Berrell
Wade Graham
Mawene Hiroti
Royce Hunt
Matt Ikuvalu
Sione Katoa
William Kennedy
Lachlan Miller
Jesse Ramien
Siosifa Talakai
Braydon Trindall
Teig Wilton
Gold Coast Titans 10
Jacob Alick CO (2024)
David Fifita
Sosefo Fifita
Patrick Herbert
Brian Kelly
Alofi’ana Khan-Pereira
Greg Marzhew
Sam McIntyre
Paul Turner
Joseph Vuna
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 9
Ethan Bullemor
Lachlan Croker
Reuben Garrick
Morgan Harper
Brad Parker
Toafofoa Sipley
Ben Trbojevic
Alec Tu’itavake
Kaeo Weekes
Melbourne Storm 12
Grant Anderson
Nelson Asofa-Solomona
Jordan Grant
Dean Ieremia
George Jennings
Tui Kamikamica
Josh King
Tepai Moeroa
Jayden Nikorima
Tariq Sims
Will Warbrick
Tyran Wishart
Newcastle Knights 12
Adam Clune
Lachlan Fitzgibbon
Tyson Frizell
Bailey Hodgson
Hymel Hunt
Jack Johns
Brodie Jones
David Klemmer
Kurt Mann
Chris Randall
Enari Tuala
Dominic Young
North Queensland Cowboys 12
Mitchell Dunn
Brendan Elliot
Jack Gosiewski
Jake Granville
Ben Hampton
Peta Hiku
Laitia Moceidreke
Jeremiah Nanai
Reece Robson
Taniela Sadrugu
James Tamou
Jamayne Taunoa-Brown
Parramatta Eels 13
Waqa Blake
Dylan Brown
Nathan Brown
Bryce Cartwright
Wiremu Greig
Josh Hodgson CO (2024)
Shaun Lane
Mitchell Moses PO (2024)
Ofahiki Ogden CO (2024)
Will Penisini
Mitch Rein
Bailey Simonsson PO (2024)
Maika Sivo
Penrith Panthers 11
Eddie Blacker
Jack Cogger
Stephen Crichton
Thomas Jenkins
Spencer Leniu
Soni Luke
Liam Martin*
Tyrone Peachey
Chris Smith
Scott Sorensen
Brian To’o
* Has agreed to a one-year extension, yet to be made official
St George Illawarra Dragons 13
Billy Burns
Jack de Belin PO (2024)
Tyrell Fuimaono
Josh Kerr
Blake Lawrie
Jacob Liddle
Nick Lui-Toso
Moses Mbye
Andrew McCullough
Tautau Moga
Michael Molo MO (2024)
Mikaele Ravalawa PO (2024)
Aaron Woods
South Sydney Rabbitohs 14
Zane Bijorac CO (2024)
Thomas Burgess
Jed Cartwright
Michael Chee Kam
Damien Cook
Siliva Havili
Dean Hawkins
Jacob Host
Terrell Kalo Kalo
Liam Knight
Latrell Mitchell
Hame Sele
Blake Taaffe
Cody Walker
Sydney Roosters 14
Renouf Atoni
Fletcher Baker
Egan Butcher
Drew Hutchison
Adam Keighran
Terrell May
Victor Radley
Billy Smith
Joseph Suaalii PO (2024)
Daniel Tupou
Jake Turpin
Jared Waerea-Hargreaves
Sam Walker
Connor Watson
New Zealand Warriors 9
Bunty Afoa
Tom Ale
Shaun Johnson
Edward Kosi
Marcelo Montoya
Ben Murdoch-Masila
Adam Pompey
Bayley Sironen
Jazz Tevaga
Wests Tigers 10
Luke Brooks
Adam Doueihi
Jackson Hastings
Daine Laurie
Jacob Liddle
Ken Maumalo MO (2024)
Alex Seyfarth
Tuki Simpkins
Charlie Staines
Tommy Talau
Dolphins 5
Oliver Gildart
JJ Collins
Herman Ese’ese
Poasa Faamausili
Mason Teague
Originally published as NRL Market Watch special: Free agency frenzy as nearly 200 players hit open market
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