So tell me, did you have concerns about the impact of two franchises entering the NRL and what it might mean for filling the rosters at those new clubs?
Were you worried about how the player market, and the limited talent therein, would heat up as existing clubs set about establishing their rosters in an expanded 2027 NRL Premiership?
What if I told you that the English Super League was expanding from 12 to 14 clubs in 2026, would that bring a furrow to your brow? After all, every Super League club can sign up to seven non-domestic players (read experienced or potential NRL players) to their squad list?
But wait, there’s more.
The English Super League has also approved the increase of that overseas player quota from seven to ten players per club.
Has that got your attention about the bigger picture?
So let’s put this all together.
Two new NRL franchises in Perth and PNG means a minimum of 34-36 contracted players per club (Top 30 plus supplementary list). That number doesn’t include train and trial deals which we know represents a significant part of the recruitment process in establishing a roster each season.
Bears supporters were ecstatic about the successful Perth bid
Even if rounded up to 40 players, it would be an under-estimate of how many players would need to be available for training and playing requirements during a season. A typical injury toll means that clubs have to go deep to fill NSW Cup teams, let alone run NRL opposed training sessions.
I’d hate to think how many players Souths have called on to be able to run opposed sessions this season!
Then there’s the partial NRL preseasons given to emerging players as they work towards full NRL contracts. Those players are typically from pathways, but regardless they don’t appear from thin air.
However, despite knowing that it’s not a realistic number, let’s keep that total roster size at a rounded 40. That’s 80 new players needed to fill the rosters at the two NRL expansion clubs.
Zac Cini is now at Castleford
Now factor in the English Super League. It’s a destination for younger players not getting an opportunity in the NRL. Eels supporters would relate to Zac Cini joining Castleford for the 2025 season after being unable to crack first grade at Parra.
It’s also a destination for players trying to re-establish their careers. Again for Eels supporters, see Bevan French. The former Eels winger has transformed into a star player at fullback and five-eighth for Wigan.
Bevan French – From Eels winger to superstar spine player at Wigan
Finally, it’s a home for the “more mature” players in the latter stages of their careers. Let’s keep that Eels theme and use Maika Sivo as the example. He’s missing the entire season due to injury but had earlier joined Brad Arthur at Leeds for 2025.
Sivo – injury has prevented him from taking the ESL fields in 2025
That increase in the overseas player quota means an additional 36 players for the current 12 ESL clubs, plus a further 20 players for the two expansion clubs. A grand total of 56 players with NRL backgrounds or futures heading to the ESL.
Adding it all up, starting with the expanded NRL and Super League competition, and throwing in the increase in ESL overseas player quota, we arrive at the demand for an additional 136 players by 2028. And remember, that’s a highly conservative number.
Let’s not even touch on that proposed R360 Union competition that will supposedly target elite NRL players with minimum $2m deals.
Can the game navigate this sudden surge in demand for professional players?
Not since the Super League War have we seen these sort of numbers required almost overnight to fill rosters. And it is literally overnight. Those English Super League increases are for 2026, and Perth will enter in 2027.
Without question, the NRL/NSWRL/QRL have excellent pathways competitions, and new stars will be found. They always have been.
Furthermore, fringe players who might not have had the opportunity to establish an NRL career will now get the chance to do so.
But will the standard of football decline? Will some clubs become less competitive?
Realistically, you’d have to think that some clubs will struggle. Those that don’t have their junior pathways in order, or those that don’t have strong retention and recruitment practices in place, should be considering the bigger player market picture that’s on the horizon.
Market forces are at play here. Inflation is the result of too much money chasing too few goods. New clubs means more money in the market place, and at the same time, the number of quality players cannot significantly increase overnight. Clubs will be in bidding wars for NRL standard players in the very near future.
Developing home grown talent, or even identifying and recruiting talent at pathways age and developing from there, will ultimately play a bigger role than ever before.
Joey Grima with young PNG players
One of the first decisions that the PNG franchise made was to recruit Joey Grima from the Eels to establish a national pathways system. They did so before submitting their bid. They knew the importance of developing home-grown talent for their roster.
In quick order, the Junior Kumuls have become formidable opponents for the Australian Schoolboys team, earning a 24 all draw in their 2024 clash.
It remains to be seen which elite and experienced players they will lure for their entry in 2028, but their National pathways structure will be well-established by the time the franchise makes their NRL debut.
Joey with TCT (just because!)
Will the Perth franchise match the PNG preparations? They’re entering the competition in 2027, before PNG so you’d think not. Perhaps their advantage lies in Perth being a more attractive destination for established players than Port Moresby?
What about our Eels?
Parra supporters have recently been buoyed by the club signing significant numbers of their Harold Matthews and SG Ball players to deals that extend to 2027 and 2028. The two Eels male junior rep teams featured in finals football in 2025, (nb – both female teams won their respective competitions) with the Ball team having an undefeated regular season before losing their grand final in extra time.
The veteran and the rookie – Junior and Joash
The focus on youth was already evident in the 2025 Eels first grade team, with older players on the roster such as Clint Gutherson and Reagan Campbell-Gillard parting ways with the club, and emerging stars such as Ryley Smith, Jordan Samrani, Sam Tuivaiti, Will Latu, Toni Mataele and Joash Papalii extended during the year.
Meanwhile, 20 year old rising rake Tallyn Da Silva was lured to the club mid season and the NSW Cup and Flegg teams are finals bound.
At this stage, I’m backing Parramatta to have their eyes firmly on that player demand that the game is facing.
Will every club be ready?
Time will tell.
Eels forever!
Sixties
Grima better not take any eels juniors
Also, I’m glad we finally have a development coach in Ryles with the player drain about to happen. We finally have a nsw cup team that doesn’t resemble a bunch of unwanted players from other teams
I reckon he’d love a Chris Petrus but fortunately the Eels have locked him up for now.
Not nearly as dire as you’re making it sound. First of all, SL is expanding to 14 teams, but they aren’t new clubs, they are just promoting two extra clubs from the Championship, those clubs will already have relatively full rosters with only a few upgrades required. No more than 5-7 players needed for those teams, if that. Yes they have expanded the number of overseas players allowed, but no increase in their salary cap. This is not going to be like the late 90’s and early 2000’s when top NRL players could earn double what they could earn here. The types of players who will be attractive will be the likes of Joey Lussick & Dean Hawkins, that level of player, which is already the case. As for the expansion clubs, that is the cost of growth. Finally, R360 will grab maybe 3 NRL players if it even gets going, which I’m not convinced it will. Will the NRL feel some player drain ? Yes, but it will be relatively minor. We’ve gotta show more confidence in our magnificent game.
Brett, firstly this is not written as “the game will not survive”. It will. But as much as you think that I have painted a dire picture, I believe that you have downplayed the realities. The increased quotas in the Super League are a fact. And they will always include the type of player that you suggest, just as I pointed out in my post. In terms of coin and talent, those players generally represent players 21 to supplementary list on an NRL roster. That’s 56 more of them required for next year, regardless of where the new clubs are currently playing. I have also been conservative about the numbers required for the new NRL franchises. Thinking that some clubs won’t feel the bite is unrealistic. Will it impact the overall standard? I guess we’ll see.
But 60’s, just because the overseas quotas have increased doesn’t mean they’ll actually fill them, not with NRL calibre players. At some point the standard of player they can acquire won’t be better than what they can produce on their own. I think you’re right, I think they’ll mostly attract younger guys who can’t get an NRL gig or guys who want to finish their careers with an English stint. Either way is actually a good thing for the NRL. It’ll force NRL clubs to get their paydays in order or, and this is my preference, force the league to take full control and responsibility for pathways development. As for expansion, like I said that’s the gist of doing business. Jack Gibson always maintained that the game needs to keep expanding, expansion creates opportunity. I actually think it’s an exciting time for the game.