NRL free agency wrap: Every club’s off-season signings, rosters rated
It’s been a hot off-season on the NRL player market, with some big names crossing enemy lines for the 2025 season. We rate every club and analyse how the new faces – and the leavers – will impact their team.
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It’s been a hot off-season on the NRL player market, with some big names crossing enemy lines for the 2025 season. We rate every club and analyse how the new faces – and the leavers – will impact their team.
BRISBANE BRONCOS
– Peter Badel
The Broncos have produced the buy of the off-season with former Dragons skipper Ben Hunt returning home to Red Hill. The Roosters and Dolphins went hard for Hunt but Brisbane’s acquisition makes them serious title contenders.
Hunt comes to the Broncos at a cost of around $550,000 a season and that’s sensational value for a Queensland Origin and Test matchwinner. His versatility gives Brisbane coverage at hooker, halfback and five-eighth.
They have also added former Bulldogs utility back Hayze Perham as potential back-up for superstar fullback Reece Walsh following the departure of Tristan Sailor to St Helens. The Broncos have also lost veteran wingers Corey Oates and Jordan Pereira to retirement but Brisbane have sufficient depth in the backline.
RATING: A
CANTERBURY BULLDOGS
– Pamela Whaley
Canterbury are entering a period of stability with the stars in their roster, with all their major players locked down for the coming seasons including Stephen Crichton, Reed Mahoney, Viliame Kikau and Matt Burton. After much renovation, they’ve now assembled a squad that can push for success, which is what they’re heading towards over the next few years.
The addition of international prop Leo Thompson from 2026 has cemented them into a force.
In 2024 they broke a finals drought, finishing in the top eight for the first time since 2016.
It was a remarkable turnaround for the club, who are still without a first-choice halfback and fullback. A handful of versatile players switched between positions in the spine throughout the year, and it’s a problem they will want to solve heading into 2025 and beyond.
RATING: A
NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS
– Travis Meyn
The Cowboys were quiet in the player market until the signing of John Bateman from Wests Tigers.
They have farewelled some high profile players in Valentine Holmes, Chad Townsend and Kyle Feldt, but have mostly opted to promote from within and invest in their current talent.
They’ve snared improving Manly utility Karl Lawton and have been impressed with Super League import Kai O’Donnell. But it hasn’t been a big year on the open market for the Cowboys.
RATING: C
DOLPHINS
– Travis Meyn
The Dolphins have had another solid year of recruiting, beefing up their squad with solid signings in Daniel Saifiti (Knights) and Kulikefu Finefeuiaki (Cowboys) while Junior Tupou (Tigers) is a promising prospect.
The cashed-up expansion club has been patiently adding to its foundation squad and will be hoping for more luck with Broncos recruits Tom Flegler and Herbie Farnworth on the injury front.
The roster is well balanced, but they did miss out on Ben Hunt who would have taken their spine to another level.
RATING: B
ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
– Michael Carayannis
A strong turnover of high-end players going both ways. Have recruited almost everything that they need, including some much-needed experience.
They have been super active and would have liked to add a world-class prop to their roster but, overall, one of the best periods of recruiting for the club in recent years.
It is an area they still want to strengthen long-term.
They have also signed Shane Flanagan-style of players, in terms of veterans who train hard and know how to get the job done. It was the successful blueprint he used in Cronulla. The test will be how quickly their new-look spine settle in with Kyle Flanagan the only mainstay from last season.
Damien Cook and Lachlan Ilias have the added advantage of having played plenty of first grade alongside each other.
Despite some strong signings they lost their best player from 2024 in, Zac Lomax, and their best player in the past five years in Ben Hunt. However, their additions will make for a much stronger squad.
RATING: B
PARRAMATTA EELS
– Adam Mobbs
A free agency window where you lose two Origin-calibre veterans and three outstanding rookies would normally be an automatic fail.
The arrival of new coach Jason Ryles was always going to mean a roster shake-up, and while Sanders and Arthur were already out the door before he joined, he was unable to convince Talagi to stay.
Ryles then made two massive calls, allowing former Origin players Reagan Campbell-Gillard and Clint Gutherson early releases from their contracts.
But this is a team that finished 10th and 15th in the two seasons following their 2022 grand final appearance, which gives Ryles the freedom to overhaul what is still a talented roster.
The Eels have recruited well by signing backs Zac Lomax and Josh Addo-Carr, while they have a big opinion of former Penrith fullback Isaiah Iongi, who Ryles has earmarked to replace Gutherson.
Ryles wants speed and mobility, and gets that with former Shark Jack Williams.
The acquisitions of Jordan Samrani and Joash Papalii are interesting after the pair were squeezed out at the Bulldogs. Papalii iis an electric outside back who could bring an x-factor to the Eels and emerge as a utility option off the bench.
RATING: B
NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS
– Pamela Whaley
The Knights are at a crossroads with their roster.
After letting go a handful of players at the end of the season, including homegrown hero Daniel Saitifi (Dolphins) and Enari Tuala (Bulldogs), they’re in the midst of a player turnover. They’ve tapped another group of off-contract players on the shoulder for the end of 2025, signalling their intentions to renovate the squad.
Hooker Jayden Brailey and halfback Jackson Hastings are among them, which would free up significant cap space, while the club has all but lost out on re-signing star prop Leo Thompson beyond the end of this season.
The problem is, there are so far no clear understudies for Hastings or Brailey beyond 2025 if either should leave, which opens up crucial gaps in the spine and no obvious replacements.
Bradman Best and Kalyn Ponga remain their highest profile stars but they desperately need help in the halves.
RATING: B-
PENRITH PANTHERS
– Fatima Kdouh
Penrith has switched tact in 2025, opting to rely on high-profile recruits to fill gaps in the top 30 roster rather than on the club’s next man up mentality and bargain buys strategy – which has served the club well in the past.
Blaize Talagi, one of the NRL’s best up-and-coming talents, was poached from arch rivals Parramatta on a three-year deal to help fill the halves void left by Jarome Luai’s defection to the Wests Tigers.
Isaiah Papali’i, who was set to earn $750,000 in 2025 at the Tigers, has been brought in to shore up backrow stocks. While high profile, both recruits carry an element of risk.
Talagi is mostly untried as an NRL halves commodity but does have the advantage of versatility and can cover across multiple positions in the backline like at fullback and centre.
Papali’i left the Tigers a shadow of the player he was during his time at Parramatta, but Penrith has proven transformational for a string of recruits that have arrived at the club.
The likes of Scott Sorensen and Paul Alamoti have been able to take their game’s to the next level under the guidance of coach Ivan Cleary and Papali’i’s move to Penrith can reap a similar outcome.
RATING: A-
SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS
– Tyson Jackson
The Rabbitohs have brought in just as many players as they have lost for season 2025, but they’re one of a few clubs where punters won’t know what to expect until they hit the field. Long-term hooker Damien Cook was let go by the Rabbitohs after 207 games.
In return the club brought in Jamie Humphreys who has only bagged one game so far in his young NRL career.
Lachlan Ilias will follow Cook to the Dragons in place of English halfback Lewis Dodd, who has massive question marks following him after being dropped to the Super League’s reserve grade competition last season, although the club also picked up unwanted Tigers playmaker Jayden Sullivan as another option.
Euan Aitken will take the place of utility Michael Chee-Kam, but is expected to miss the first month of competition with injury. While Josh Schuster steps in after being released from his former club following a string of poor performances.
The Rabbitohs have a mountain of potential in 2025, but they lack consistency. Pile that with losing one of their prominent forwards in Tom Burgess, it seems as though South Sydney have not made much impact on the recruitment scene.
RATING: C-
CANBERRA RAIDERS
– Fatima Kdouh
Ricky Stuart has heralded in a youth policy and is going all in. The Raiders have historically struggled in the marquee market to land a big money recruit, recently missing out on David Fifita. The solution? Stuart has poached some of the game’s brightest youngsters both locally and abroad.
The club has picked up three of the NRL’s promising rookies in Ethan Sanders, Savelio Tamale and Myles Martin. The young trio, who played in the same NSW Blues under 19s side as Ethan Strange, Chevy Stewart and Jake Clydsdale in 2023, are unlikely to snag round one spots but are obviously the building blocks of Canberra’s roster for years to come.
Sanders, 19, is being groomed as Jamal Fogarty’s replacement from 2026 and by all accounts has seriously impressed Stuart in the short time he has been in the nation’s capital.
Former Warrington youngster Matty Nicholson, 21, arrived in Canberra with some big wraps. He was a fixture in the back row under Sam Burgess at the Wolves and is poised to have an immediate impact on the Raiders pack, following in the footsteps of fellow Englishman Elliott Whitehead and John Bateman.
RATING: B+
SYDNEY ROOSTERS
– Tyson Jackson
The Roosters have lost more star power than any other team in the NRL in recent history. Losing star centres in Joey Manu and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, on top of veteran five-eighth Luke Keary, and two enforcers in Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Terrell May is a wealth of talent and experience out the door.
The Tricolours have only made one off-season signing in Chad Townsend who will need to play more of a role than he was signed for. It was a very lopsided flow for the Roosters which could pay costly.
Losing six outright first graders in one season is never easy, but the Roosters are losing 953 games worth of experience.
The Roosters are relying on young guns to get them through their 2025 campaign. Robert Toia and injury prone Billy Smith are set to slot into the strike centre roles with question marks hovering over them if they are ready to fill such big holes left by Manu and Suaalii.
RATING: D
MANLY SEA EAGLES
– Dean Ritchie
Manly have signed a couple of hard-nut forwards in Siosiua Taukeiaho from Catalans and Jazz Tevaga from the Warriors. Taukeiaho has been hampered by injury in recent seasons but was among the best front-rowers in rugby league during his Roosters tenure.
At 29, Tevaga has another three to four years remaining in the game and has already played 138 NRL games.
Difficult to see either starting, but both will be used either from the bench or as back-up.
Manly have also signed Michael Chee Kam from Souths and Joey Walsh from rugby union. “Joey has been an elite player at schoolboy level. He was the Australian under 18s rugby fly-half and captain last year,” said Sea Eagles coach Anthony Seibold.
Manly lost a host of players after 2024 but none of any high status. Karl Lawton (North Queensland) will be missed but the club didn’t fight too hard to retain the others although Jaxson Paulo (also to the Cowboys) enjoyed some fine moments at Brookvale. Enigmatic Josh Schuster was released mid-season while Aaron Woods and Brad Parker retired.
RATING: B
CRONULLA SHARKS
– David Riccio
The Sharks are in the midst of their most intriguing roster decisions in years with an initial 12 players entering the open market on November 1. Cronulla did well to fend off rivals for three of the most important signings with the extension of deals for Braydon Trindall (2028), Briton Nikora (2027) and Cameron McInnes (2026). The negotiations will play through right up until beyond round one of the season, with fullback Will Kennedy’s future certain to be a major talking point.
RATING: B
MELBOURNE STORM
– Matt Encarnacion
The signature of Stefano Utoikamanu gives the Storm forward pack what they’ve missed since the departure of Jesse Bromwich: a play-one front-rower on the doorstep of his prime. The former State of Origin prop will be tasked with being the leader of a front row rotation badly needing an equal injection of experience, power and poise. All of a sudden a one-two punch of Utoikamanu and Nelson Asofa-Solomona form a lethal knockout combination.
Elsewhere, the Storm are also bullish on rugby sevens convert Moses Leo following the overwhelming success of winger Will Warbrick. Doesn’t have the aerial threat but owns the hip drive that makes him hard to tackle. The losses of Reimis Smith, Young Tonumaipea and Aaron Pene were superfluous, while the crucial re-signing of Ryan Papenhuyzen cemented their title aspirations. Going forward, the focus now turns to reliable prop Josh King and in-demand playmaker Jonah Pezet.
RATING: A
WESTS TIGERS
– Tyson Jackson
The Tigers finally parted ways with John Bateman after a deal was done with North Queensland. The club went after eight players this off season and landed six of them. Among those are three premiership winners in Jarome Luai, Sunia Turuva and Jack Bird, and three of the hottest free agents in Terrell May, Royce Hunt and Jeral Skelton.
Apart from Stefano Utoikamanu, the Tigers had complete control of who they kept and who they let go. The 2025 Tigers side has more potential than the club has seen in years, and acquiring Luai and May has made them arguably the most intriguing team heading into 2025.
The club is in a better place than where it was when they picked up their third straight wooden spoon just a couple of months ago.
RATING: A+
GOLD COAST TITANS
– Travis Meyn
The Titans have made a couple of key signings in former Kangaroos prop Reagan Campbell-Gillard and Wallabies playmaker Carter Gordon. ‘RCG’ will add some experience to a stacked forward pack comprising Queensland Origin trio Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, David Fifita and Moeaki Fotuaika. Des Hasler has gone heavy on the forwards and taken a risk with the signing of Gordon. The Titans need some class in the halves and Gordon could be the answer, but it is a punt bringing a rugby player into the NRL.
RATING: B
NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS
– David Riccio
Impossible to fault the extraordinary signing of James Fisher-Harris from Penrith. The champion prop is an acquisition that is the envy of the NRL. Depth signings of Erin Clark and Tanah Boyd could prove invaluable throughout the course of the season. Warriors fans shouldn’t expect any NRL out of Jett Cleary in 2025. That won’t be the case for Sam Healey, the son of former Sharks star Mitch Healey, who has joined the Warriors as an attacking dummy-half.
RATING: B
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