One star’s $1.1m headache set to cause major domino effect
Updated . First published at
The bidding war for Raiders back-rower Hudson Young might just be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the NRL’s most in-demand position.
Edge forwards have always been important players for any side, but the market for them appears set to explode at the end of the 2026 season.
Hudson Young has left a record offer from the Raiders on the table for now. Getty Images
Young has been heavily linked with a move to the PNG Chiefs, but his current club Canberra have reportedly offered him a mammoth $1.1 million-per-season extension offer.
The 28-year-old tore his Achilles last month but is arguably the Raiders’ best player, so it’s no surprise they want to keep him long-term.
What is surprising, at least on the surface, is the money reportedly offered for Young.
Canberra upping the ante from a financial perspective to keep the NSW and Australian representative will in turn mean the Chiefs need to match it, or at least come close to matching it, under the NRL’s rules around market value.
Even with the tax-free incentives on offer in PNG, the expansion franchise can’t sign Young for less than he’s perceived to be worth – and now that the Raiders have shown their hand, it means the State of Origin star is looking at a seven-figure salary regardless of which club he signs on the dotted line with for 2028.
What it has also done is up the value of other second-rowers in the NRL.
The proof of Young’s enormous pricetag inflating the back-row market was made evident when Bulldogs star Jacob Preston rejected a lowball offer of $630,000 per season, before a revised contract was put in place by the club. Sharks gun Teig Wilton now plans to test his value on the open market come November.
The counter-offer for Preston, which he has since taken up to remain at Belmore long-term, is reportedly worth closer to $750,000 per year.
Four-time premiership winner Liam Martin and his management met with the Panthers this week according to Nine’s Danny Weidler, but talks for an extension will now be paused until after their campaign finishes.
Martin could demand upwards of $1 million from rival clubs, especially after the Young offer was made public, and Penrith will need to come close to that mark.
Those are some of the best edge forwards in the game right now, but the list of potential free agents is quite long and some of the money those off-contract stars could attract from November 1 could be eye-watering.
Briton Nikora has been a staple of Cronulla’s forward pack for many years and made his Origin debut for the Maroons this year after eligibility rules changed.
He isn’t the only Sharks back-rower unsigned beyond 2027 either, with the tough Wilton also yet to secure his future with the club.
South Sydney are facing some well-documented salary cap decisions in the coming months and the back-row position is an interesting watch, with both David Fifita and Tallis Duncan potentially becoming free agents.
Tallis Duncan is a star on the rise at Souths. Getty Images
Duncan has emerged as a Kangaroos bolter for this year’s World Cup given his ability to cover back-row and centre, with the Chiefs already circling for 2028.
The rising star has publicly expressed his desire to remain at the Rabbitohs and, according to The Sydney Morning Herald, has been offered a three-year deal.
But it could still come down to dollars and cents, with plenty of rival clubs likely to be in for Duncan – especially if he does earn selection in the Australian squad.
Dolphins pair Connelly Lemuelu and Kulikefu Finefeuiaki have been fantastic this year and could be available come November, while try-scoring freak Jeremiah Nanai is off-contract with the Cowboys at the end of next season.
Finefeuiaki has the world at his feet after making his Origin debut in the 2026 series and could demand a hefty contract on the open market.
Roosters young gun Salesi Foketi is another who has turned heads this season and will attract interest if the club don’t extend him soon, while Samuela Fainu’s future at the Wests Tigers is up in the air as he eyes off a big-money deal.
Tigers wrecking ball Samuela Fainu. Getty
Fainu was reported to be asking for $1.2 million per season to remain at Concord, but that figure is a package deal that includes younger brother Latu.
While there’s still plenty to play out between now and the November free agency period, the numbers flying around for Young will have clubs and agents on high-alert as some of the best edge forwards in the NRL weigh up their next move.
NRL back-rowers coming off contract
Brendan Piakura, Hudson Young, Matty Nicholson, Briton Nikora, Teig Wilton, Connelly Lemuelu, Kulikefu Finefeuiaki, Josh Patston Ben Trbojevic, Corey Waddell, Ativalu Lisati, Eliesa Katoa, Kelma Tuilagi, Elijah Salesa-Leaumoana, Jeremiah Nanai, Kai O’Donnell, Jack Williams, Kitione Kautoga, Matt Doorey, Liam Martin, David Fifita, Euan Aitken, Tallis Duncan, Thomas Fletcher, Nat Butcher, Salesi Foketi, Kurt Capewell, Samuela Fainu
