NRL executive chairman Peter V'landys has defended the integrity of the salary cap as the PNG Chiefs prepare for the November 1 player market. V'landys said the NRL will not allow any club to manipulate the cap and that the Chiefs must pay full market value. The NRL salary cap auditor rejected the Chiefs' original offer to Canberra Raiders forward Hudson Young, which was judged below his assessed market value. V'landys said no case-by-case submission to revise that value had yet been made by Young's management.
Time is running out for NRL clubs to lock down off-contract players for 2028 and beyond, with November 1 just over a week away. Nathan Cleary is ranked the biggest off-contract player, with the PNG Chiefs reportedly preparing a tax-free offer of up to $1.5 million a year. Sam Walker has indicated he wants a deal done before November 1, with the Roosters offering around $1.3 million a season. Hudson Young is wanted by both Canberra and the Chiefs, who have reportedly been working to build their inaugural squad.
Wests Tigers have signed star back rower Samuela Fainu to a two-year contract extension that keeps him at the club until at least the end of 2029. The 22-year-old has become one of the club's most important forwards, and head coach Benji Marshall saw securing him as critical. The new deal takes him off the market on November 1, out of reach of rivals including the PNG Chiefs. Code Sports reports the contract is worth around $800,000 a season, with ratchet clauses that could lift it past $1 million from 2028.
AU Now app
Your suburb’s news, alerts and Shorts — in one app
Alerts, Shorts and your saved stories — free on Google Play.
Keilor has signed forward Lucas Failli from Hillside for next season. Failli played 17 games and kicked 14 goals for the Sharks this year. Meanwhile, defender Brad Xavier has signed with Bacchus Marsh for the next two seasons after leaving Keilor, where he had played since 2012. Xavier was in the Blues leadership group and is a three-time premiership player. Bacchus Marsh also says he will join its coaching panel as a senior assistant coach.
Lisandro Martinez has criticised Manchester United's transfer strategy after a 2-0 Champions League loss to Atletico Madrid in Madrid. Goals from Pablo Barrios and Ademola Lookman beat the Red Devils, and Lenny Yoro was sent off in the 74th minute. In a postmatch television interview, Martinez said the club needed to bring in more players and said he expected more from technical director Jason Wilcox. Former United forward Wayne Rooney said the defender had gone too far and that the comments were not helpful to the club.
The Sydney Roosters face a major reshuffle in their backline for the 2027 NRL season. The retirement of club legend Daniel Tupou, along with the departures of Mark Nawaqanitawase and Daly Cherry-Evans, leaves significant gaps. James Tedesco will remain as fullback and captain, while Reuben Garrick arrives from Manly to bolster the wings. The halves position is also uncertain, with Sam Walker as the primary playmaker and young talents like Hugo Savala, Toby Rodwell, and Reece Foley vying for the second spot. The team's depth may be tested, with fewer proven performers available.
South Barwon has recruited star all-rounder Nikhil Deep Pottabathini, who won consecutive McMahon Medals in the Geelong Cricket Association Division 2. The team also welcomes fast bowler Sam Coutts and top-order bat Jesse Thornton. Key departures include opening bats Clay Mulgrew and Bryson Nicholls. Other notable transfers involve East Belmont, St Peters, Bannockburn, Grovedale, Lara, and Highton. The moves are expected to impact the Division 1 ladder standings.
