NRL News: Perth Bears deal officially sealed, star Rooster set for immediate switch, Hayne cleared for comeback

The Sydney Roosters and South Sydney Rabbitohs are close to agreeing a mid-season transfer for Brandon Smith.

According to multiple reports, the clubs have been negotiating a release from the Roosters this week and a deal is expected to be confirmed in the next few days.

It’s reported Souths will have to pay around the $180,000 mark to secure Smith, who is sidelined with an ACL injury for the next six weeks, for the rest of this season.

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The Roosters will use the money they are saving from Smith’s $800,000 a year contract to top up several rising stars such as Naufahu Whyte and Blake Steep.

They are also in the market for Manly skipper Daly Cherry-Evans but need to clear room to be in the race for the veteran halfback with the Dolphins, and potentially Canterbury and Cronulla, in contention for his signature.

Smith failed to fire in his first two years at the Roosters, unable to replicate the form that led him to being an integral member of Melbourne’s 2020 premiership triumph and a regular with the New Zealand Test team.

Blues utility Connor Watson has picked up the slack at hooker in his absence while the Roosters have already nabbed Cowboys rake for 2026 as Smith’s long-term replacement.

Hayne set for return

Jarryd Hayne’s six-and-a-half-year exile from rugby league is over, with the former Parramatta No.1 to finally play for Wentworthville in the Ron Massey Cup.

Hayne was on Tuesday named at five-eighth in the Magpies’ team to face Canterbury in the third-tier league, after months of hamstring issues.

Initially expected to play for Wentworthville in round one in March, Hayne was first sidelined in the pre-season, before another setback in his hamstring.

But those issues are now expected to be behind him, with the 37-year-old set to play his first game since September 2018 on Sunday.

“A massive ‘IN’ for the Mighty Magpies Ron Massey Cup side this week, as we prepare to take on the Canterbury Bulldogs on Sunday at Ringrose Park,” Wentworthville posted on social media.

One of the biggest names in the NRL after taking Parramatta on a run to the 2009 grand final, Hayne captured the attention of Australia with his NFL switch in 2015.

The two-time Dally M Medallist returned to rugby league in 2016, and has endured a turbulent run since going uncontracted at the Eels at the end of the 2018 season.

Hayne had remained hopeful of staying in the NRL, having never formally retired from the game.

But the fullback’s hopes of earning another NRL deal were ended when he was charged with two counts of sexual intercourse without consent.

Hayne spent more than a year behind bars and was found guilty following two trials, but was released from prison last June when his conviction was overturned.

The 37-year-old had maintained his innocence throughout the process, before his charges were dropped in the weeks after his successful appeal last year.

During that time Hayne was largely an invisible figure in rugby league’s history, as questions remained over whether he would have his Dally M Medals stripped.

Hayne took his first step back into the sport last year as part of Fiji’s coaching staff ahead of the Pacific Championships, and has not given up hope of playing for the nation again.

That would require a significant run on the field, with the Ron Massey Cup sitting behind the NRL and NSW Cup as the third-tier open-age competition.

Wentworthville act as a feeder club to the Eels, but Hayne himself has conceded any return to the NRL is unlikely.

Perth set to be confirmed as 18th team

Perth will have a six-month runway to plan an assault on the NRL player market, after the Bears entry to the competition was officially rubber-stamped for as early as 2027.

The Western Australian government and the ARL Commission officially signed off on a $65.6 million deal on Wednesday, with full details to be confirmed Thursday.

Both NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo and ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys were in Perth as confirmation of the deal came through.

It will likely see the Bears enter the competition in 2027, although there is still some scope for their entry to be delayed 12 months if required.

The agreement ended more than a year of speculation over Perth’s admission as an expansion franchise, which has routinely appeared locked in before regular setbacks.

As recently as last month WA Premier Roger Cook had accused the NRL of treating his state like a “cash cow”, before a last-ditch return to the negotiating table brokered a deal.

“We’ve secured a new WA NRL club for Western Australia!” Cook said in a statement on Wednesday.

“This is a great day for sports fans and a great day for the WA economy.”

“Perth will now join Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne as cities that host both NRL and AFL sides, and I’d back us to compete just as hard at NRL as we do at AFL.

“So, now let’s get behind our new NRL side as we put the ‘national’ in NRL!”

A return of the Bears’ moniker will end 25 years of pain for long-suffering North Sydney fans, and mark a return to the West after the Perth Reds’ exit in 1997.

Thursday’s announcement will need to kick off a fast-moving beast.

The NRL must appoint a board to run the club, with a vow to have at least three directors – including the chair – coming from WA.

A coach must then be appointed by that board, with Brad Arthur the early favourite and Sam Burgess also known to be interested.

The coach and his football staff will then be able to hit the open market on November 1, assuming entry for 2027 is confirmed before Papua New Guinea’s arrival as the 19th team in 2028.

Melbourne pair Ryan Papenhuyzen and Jahrome Hughes, along with Brisbane prop Payne Haas, headline a list of more than 150 players off contract at the end of 2026.

The ARL Commission will own Perth’s license for at least the first five years, before the club transitions to a member’s-owned entity.

The Commission will therefore cover the initial costs of the franchise, with the WA government providing $60 million in assistance.

At least $35 million of that will go into pathways football in the state, while there is no commitment to an upgrade of HBF Park in the deal.

Another $5.6 million will also be tipped in for match-day support and marketing, while the NRL will not charge any license fee.

“The ARLC has accepted our position that the club should not be charged a license fee and that every dollar in direct financial assistance provided by the WA Government be spent in WA,” Cook said.

“I’d like to thank the ARLC for the robust negotiations we’ve undertaken, as both parties have sought to get the best deal for our stakeholders.”

Burgess, the 36-year-old Warrington coach, has confirmed that the next step in his career was to put himself in the frame to lead the expansion club in 2027.

“It’s a great opportunity and a job I’ve certainly spoken about. I’d be interested in it for sure,” the 2014 NRL premiership winner told the Warrington Guardian.

“I’ve got a job to do here, but there will always be things happening in the background and I’m pretty open with the club about everything.

“Nothing is signed or agreed just yet, and I’ll be the first to let the club know of anything if I need to.

“(Coaching Perth) something I’d be really interested in and I feel I could make a total difference there, but for now I’m totally focused on Warrington.”

Reynolds confident cap won’t tear Broncos apart

Brisbane captain Adam Reynolds is convinced the Broncos will be able to afford to extend his deal and keep other off-contract rising stars on the books.

The 34-year-old said it was “well documented” he wanted to play on in 2026 but he added that he was of the belief it would not be at the expense of rising young guns.

Whether that transpires as he predicts is anyone’s guess as regular top 17 players Cory Paix, Kobe Hetherington, Kotoni Staggs and Selwyn Cobbo are yet to have extensions confirmed.

AAP has been told the salary cap squeeze is real, particularly if the NRL rules Reynolds cannot be registered for a modest fee under the cap next year.

“I’m pretty confident that everyone can stay at the club,” Reynolds said.

“I feel like the club’s in a great position to achieve some success and obviously I want to be a part of that.

“I want all the younger boys to be a part of that. I don’t think me staying forces anyone out and if it does, that’s not what I mean to do .”

The 34-year-old will take on his former club South Sydney, where he won the 2014 title, away on Friday night.

The Rabbitohs elected to make a short-term offer to Reynolds at the end of 2021. He took a long-term deal at the Broncos instead.

Ahead of a clash with the Rabbitohs he was not prepared to stoke any fires, but instead was genuinely grateful.

“I love Souths. I’ve got a lot of history with Souths and I respect that place enormously,” he said.

“What they thought at the time (in 2021) might have been the right decision. It could have worked out extremely well. They had a young kid (Lachlan Ilias) waiting to play first grade and I believe he’s a first grader.

“Things turned out a bit different. It’s easy to write from the other side of the page there but they had a decision to make. I had a decision to make and we’re still on good terms.

“I still highly respect everyone in that place and that will continue.”

Reynolds was off his game last week in the loss to Penrith but he still jointly leads the NRL this season for try assists with 10. It’s why playing on makes sense.

“I’m happy with how my game’s going at the moment, albeit last week was a bit of a hiccup, but I still feel like I’ve got a lot to give,” he said.

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“I’m enjoying myself and I think when you get the ingredients right, there’s no reason why you can’t go on.

“Last week it was well below par and I need to make sure that I get my own backyard sorted and do my part for the team.

“If I keep playing like that, no-one will want me. I’ll be playing local footy. Obviously that (contract will) solve itself in the background.”

The fifth-placed Broncos are not underestimating the injury-ravaged Rabbitohs, coached by Reynolds’ former mentor Wayne Bennett.

“I know Wayne will have the team up for this game,” Reynolds said.

“Everyone’s saying they’ve got nothing to lose, with obviously all the injuries and whatnot, but they still possess a quality team with a great coach who can get them up for any game, let alone one against his former club.”

with AAP

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