Just days out from November 1, the date when from which players coming off contract in 2023 can begin to negotiate with rival clubs for 2024 and beyond, club executives will be flat out if they want to keep their key players out of the clutches of their rivals, or target players from other clubs to fill gaps in their roster.

There’s a real smorgasbord of talent about to hit the market, and some salary caps will be stretched to the limit.

The smarter players whose careers are on the rise will probably hold out until the middle of next year in the hope that their market value is still on the rise, while some older players who are headed to retirement will be looking to secure a longer contract now.

A lot of the deals done come November might also involve an immediate move in 2023, rather than just waiting for 2024 to roll around.

Here’s my take on the players who will attract the most attention, and there’s no shortage of big names and talent still up for grabs.

(Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

Brisbane Broncos
Now that forward Kobe Hetherington has had his contract extended, the biggest names coming off contract at the end of 2023 for the Broncos are English centre Herbie Farnworth, and Origin forward Thomas Flegler, and rumor has it that Manly already have Flegler firmly in their sights with a big offer to be put in front of him next week. Looks like another big forward is about to leave Brisbane.

Farnworth’s solid showing at the World Cup will no doubt see his price rise, and the fact that he’s expressed an interest in playing fullback might make it hard for the Broncos to hang on to him, given the depth that they’re building in that position. Tesi Niu is another Broncos fullback option coming off contract next year, but I suspect that the Broncos would be happy to see him go.

Canberra Raiders
The Raiders have recently locked up start players Joseph Tapine and Xavier Savage, and that only leaves Emre Guler, Jordan Rapana, Brad Schneider and Harley Smith-Shields on the risk list.

Guler is a solid bench forward, and at 24, should attract some interest, while the 21-year-old Schneider looks to be a player of the future who the Raiders will want to retain. Rapana, however, will be 33 come the end of next season, so will unlikely be a priority for the Raiders at this stage, and Smith-Shields will need to show that he’s recovered from the ACL injury that ruled him out last year if he wants to attract some future interest.

Canterbury Bulldogs
Two words – Matt Burton. Burton has a player option for 2024 but the Bulldogs will have to dig very deep to hang on to him beyond 2023, particularly now that he has both Origin and Australian jerseys in his wardrobe. The Dogs may be happy to let the likes of Luke Thompson and Corey Allan go in order to hang on the Burton. Neither player has earned their keep in recent times. Losing Burton would be a catastrophe.

Matt Burton, Josh Jackson and Kyle Flanagan. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

Halfback Kyle Flanagan is also off contract, and although he did well to regain his first grade spot in 2022, I doubt that the Dogs see him as a long term proposition in the halves. Perhaps he’ll follow his father Shane to Manly? Club stalwart Josh Jackson was under contract until the end of next year but has hung up his boots.

Cronulla Sharks
The Sharks still have eight players up for grabs and their retention priorities will no doubt be focused on outside backs Will Kennedy, Sione Katoa, Jesse Ramien, and Siosifa Talakai. It will be interesting to see if the Sharks can hang on to all of them. Classy fullback Will Kennedy and the destructive Siosifa Talakai are likely to attract the most outside interest, although Sione Katoa is a deadly weapon on the wing, having crossed for 46 tries in his 64 games for the Sharks.

Lachlan Miller, Brayden Trindall and Royce Hunt will also be on the radar for rival recruiters.

Gold Coast Titans
The big ticket Titan’s player about to hit the market is their million dollar man in David Fifita, who has, let’s face it, failed to deliver value for money for the Gold Coast. You get the sense that an immediate change of clubs is what Fifita needs, but the price will be a big issue.
I’m not sure how many of the remaining off contract players will be of interest to rival recruiters as the likes of Patrick Herbert, Greg Marzhew, Sam McIntyre and Brian Kelly are depth players at best.

Manly Sea Eagles
Manly still have nine players eligible for the November auction, but it’s safe to assume that one of them in Ben Trbojevic won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.

The most in-demand will be point scoring machine Reuben Garrick, who has scored nearly 800 points for the club, and is apparently of great interest to Newcastle. Manly would be crazy to let him go just weeks after retaining Jason Saab. Give me Garrick over Saab every day of the week. The reliable Lachlan Croker and young gun Kaeo Weekes may also attract some strong interest, but who knows what new coach Anthony Seibold is thinking?

(Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

Melbourne Storm
Now that Cameron Munster has re-signed, the Storm can probably breathe a little easier, although with the departure of a stack of forwards in 2023, they’ll probably be desperate to retain what’s left in Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Tom Eisenhuth, Josh King and Tui Kamikamica.

Nick Meaney has proved his value to the club and will surely be part of their long-term plans, as will rookie Tyran Wishart who looks to have a bright future.

Newcastle Knights
The Knights have a host of players coming off contract in 2023, the most notable being high-priced forwards in Tyson Frizell and David Klemmer.

These two will be 32 and 29 years of age respectively by the time the 2024 season begins, so they’ll be looking for the best deal possible in what may be their final NRL contracts. If I was the Knights, I’d pass on both of them.

World Cup sensation Dominic Young is another Knight to attract the eye, and he can expect to see a lot of offers coming his way. Definitely a keeper!

The rest, in Adam Clune, Lachlan Fitzgibbon, Bailey Hodgson, Hymel Hunt, Jack Johns, Brodie Jones, Kurt Mann, Chris Randall and Enari Tuala are nothing to get excited about, and perhaps Newcastle would prefer to see most of them move on.

New Zealand Warriors
The most notable Warrior about to hit the market is Shaun Johnson, who’ll be 33 by the time 2024 rolls around, so it’s unlikely too many clubs will be rushing to sign him, particularly given his hot and cold 2022 form. Surely the Warriors won’t be rushing to extend his contract beyond next year?

Ben Murdoch-Masila is another who is getting a bit long in the tooth, while the most attractive of the rest are wingers Edward Kosi and Marcello Montoya, who the Warriors will want to retain.

North Queensland Cowboys
The Cowboys have already been very active in the player market, and it’s obvious that they have some emerging salary cap pressure given some of their recent roster decisions e.g. signing James Tamou.

Star winger Murray Tualagi has fortunately been extended until 2026, but they still have Reece Robson and boom back-rower Jeremiah Nanai about to hit the market, both of whom will attract huge interest. They’ll need to find the cash somewhere to hang on to these two assets.

Jeremiah Nanai scores. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Parramatta Eels
Retaining players has been a bit of an issue for the Eels in recent times and things won’t get much easier for them come November. Mitch Moses has a player option for 2024, and as top-notch playmakers, both he and Dylan Brown will be keenly sought by rival clubs. Added to that, key outside backs Maika Sivo, Will Penisini and Waqa Blake are coming off contract, and the Eels may be faced with some difficult choices. Sivo will be 30 by the end of next season so the Fijian winger may be keen to lock in one final lucrative long-term contract. Can they keep them all?

Penrith Panthers
I’d hate to be managing the Panthers’ roster as their continued success is driving up the value of just about everyone in their squad. After already losing three players from their grand final team to the opposition for 2023, things aren’t about to get any easier, as grand-finalists Stephen Crichton, Spencer Leniu, Liam Martin, Scott Sorensen and Brian To’o are coming off contract in 2023.

It’s hard to imagine the Panthers letting any of those players depart without a fight, and it’s also hard to imagine any of them wanting to join another club, but money talks.

South Sydney Rabbitohs
The four big names on the Rabbitohs’ risk list are Damien Cook, Latrell Mitchell, Cody Walker and Tom Burgess. Cook, Burgess and Walker will be 32, 31 and 34 respectively at the beginning of the 2024 season, and will no doubt all be seeking the best deal possible in what will probably be their final NRL contract. It will be interesting to see how Souths respond given their hardline stance last year with Adam Reynolds, who was in a similar position.

Meanwhile, Latrell Mitchell will be just 26 at the end of 2023, and as one of the most outstanding players in the game, would be expected to receive some significant offers come November. He could be looking at one of the biggest contracts ever, and surely Souths will go all in to retain him, even at the expense of some of their other big-name players.

(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

St George Illawarra Dragons
The only good news for Dragons fans is now that captain Ben Hunt has been re-signed beyond 2023, there’s not a single player coming off contract in 2023 who’d be missed if they left. In fact, many fans would hope off-contract players Moses Mbye, Andrew McCullough, Aaron Woods and Tyrell Fuimaono headed out the door as soon as possible.

Sydney Roosters
The Roosters have a host of players hitting the market in November, and Uncle Nick may have to have to be at his creative best to ensure that they don’t get careless and lose anyone of quality. Now that Angus Crichton has been extended, Sam Walker, Victor Radley and Joseph Suaalii would be their highest priorities, and Radley’s value is going up with every World Cup performance in the English jersey. I wonder how much Brisbane would like to get Walker back?

Club stalwarts Jared Waerea-Hargraves and Daniel Tupou also come up for grabs but with JWH turning 35 at the beginning of 2024, maybe 2023 will be his final year. Tupou will be 32 at the beginning of the 2024 season and will most likely be extended by the Roosters until the end of that year. I can’t see either player signing elsewhere.

Utility players Drew Hutchison and Connor Watson would also be valuable acquisitions for any club, and I expect that the Roosters will be keen to hang on to up and coming forwards in Fletcher Baker and Egan Butcher. The sombrero is going to be sorely tested.

Wests Tigers
There’s already been a flurry of activity on the Tigers’ playing roster and there could be more to come next week. Halves Luke Brooks, Jackson Hastings and Adam Doueihi will all be in play and it might be a case of two’s company, and three’s a crowd. Brooks might just be the odd one out provided he can attract some interest.

Bargain basement fullback Dane Laurie might also test the market if he doesn’t receive a considerable upgrade, while Alex Seyfarth, Tommy Talau and even the recently signed Charlie Staines will also come on to the market.