NRL market watch: Cronulla Sharks agree player swap deal with Canterbury Bulldogs for Connor Tracey

Cronulla have put rival clubs on notice by clearing salary cap space in a swap deal with Canterbury that has also delivered them a future NRL star.

Connor Tracey is headed to Canterbury. Picture: Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

Canterbury have continued the NRL’s biggest recruitment drive and Cronulla have emerged as the new sleeping giant of the free agency market following a player swap that delivers Connor Tracey to Belmore.

The clubs on Tuesday afternoon confirmed this masthead’s report that the Sharks had released Tracey from the final year of his contract to sign a three-year deal to become the 10th new face at the Bulldogs for next season.

By doing so, the Sharks have now cleared close to $500,000 in salary cap space, leaving them poised to delve into the free agency market.

In order for Tracey to gain an immediate release, the Bulldogs reluctantly agreed to send rising star Michael Gabrael to Cronulla.

Connor Tracey is off to the Bulldogs. Picture: Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

Gabrael is an outside back who was on a development deal with the Bulldogs in 2024, before being promoted into the club’s top-30 squad.

The Sharks gave 27-year-old Tracey permission to talk with rival clubs because of his desire to cement himself as an NRL starting fullback, something they were unable to guarantee him given Will Kennedy had established himself at Cronulla.

Tracey opted to join coach Cameron Ciraldo at the Bulldogs, despite significant interest from St George Illawarra.

“I’ve always admired Connor as a footballer and I’m very excited he has joined our club,” Bulldogs general manager of football, Phil Gould, said in a statement.“We are really looking forward to welcoming him to the squad.”

However, he will face significant competition for the No.1 jumper from fellow new recruits Blake Taaffe and Stephen Crichton, plus 2023 fullback Hayze Perham.

Tracey’s release from the Sharks has emerged just over a week after the club let key playmaker Matt Moylan out of his contract with 12 months to run so he could take up a deal with Super League club Leigh.

The release of the pair from the Sharks’ top-30 roster has opened up salary cap space, and they could now join the Bulldogs as two of several clubs to raise interest in signing New Zealand Warriors prop Addin Fonua-Blake for 2025.

The Sharks have picked up Bulldogs youngster Michael Gabrael. Picture: NRL Images

Fonua-Blake was photographed meeting with Bulldogs head of football Phil Gould last week.

As well as salary cap flexibility, the Sharks also secure Gabrael, a powerful and athletic centre who is considered a future NRL player.

The Bulldogs initially snatched him from Parramatta’s pathway system and were reluctant to let him go after he was part of their SG Ball team in 2023 and played for City under-18s.

Canterbury’s head of football Phil Gould was enthusiastic about Gabrael’s re-signing on Twitter in January, saying “good kid this one” along with a picture of the teenager.

The swap move follows a similar path to the one the Sharks took last year with Lachie Miller, when they traded him to the Knights for emerging prop Max Bradbury.

Tracey made his first-grade debut for South Sydney in 2019 before becoming a regular starter at the Sharks in recent years. He played just 10 games this year after struggling to crack Cronulla’s back five.

Addin Fonua-Blake met with Phil Gould last week.

The Bulldogs have now added Crichton, Taaffe, Drew Hutchison, Josh Curran, Jake Turpin, Jaeman Salmon, Poasa Faamausili, Bronson Xerri and Kurt Mann to their roster.

In other signing news, Cronulla have added Dragons back rower Billy Burns on a minimum-wage contract.

Burns, who has played 41 NRL games for both Penrith and St George Illawarra, will provide the Sharks back-row depth behind Briton Nikora, Teig Wilton and Jesse Colqhoun.

The bargain-buy was organised prior to Moylan and Tracey’s release.

Meanwhile, Nat Butcher has signed a three-year extension with the Sydney Roosters that will keep the back rower at the club until at least the end of the 2027 season.

And the Knights on Tuesday afternoon confirmed NSW prop Jacob Saifiti had agreed to a new three-year deal that will extend his contract until at least the end of the 2027 season.