Ten players who could transform cashed-up Chooks with $4m war chest
For the second time in three years, the Roosters are armed with a war chest following a mass exodus of players that may yet include superstar halfback Sam Walker.
The Chooks have already lost Mark Nawaqanitawase, Daly Cherry-Evans, Connor Watson, Daniel Tupou, Angus Crichton, and Spencer Leniu from the squad that won the NRL premiership earlier this month.
Sam Walker and Angus Crichton may both be leaving the Chooks. Getty Images
Collectively those players were eating up about $3.6 million of the club’s salary cap, by our best estimates.
And Walker’s $1m salary could now be added to that after the Chooks pulled a lucrative contract extension in a bombshell development on Monday, and billionaire chairman Nick Politis is reportedly happy to let the halfback leave immediately.
It means the reigning premiers could have upwards of $4.6m to play with in the NRL market, even factoring in the signing of Reuben Garrick, and likely salary upgrades for the likes of boom prop Naufahu Whyte.
It’s a similar situation to 2024, when the Bondi glamour club lost Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Luke Keary, Joey Manu, Joseph Suaalii, Terrell May, and Sitili Tupouniua at season’s end.
It took the Roosters just two years to add another premiership trophy to the cabinet following that exodus.
These are the signings the cashed-up Chooks could make now to ensure the window stays open.
Tom Dearden
The North Queensland halfback earlier this year condemned speculation he wanted out of the Cowboys in order to move to Sydney, where his partner is set up with her business.
Dearden’s partner Millie gave birth to their first child last week and rumours won’t go away that the couple want to settle down in the NSW capital rather than Townsville.
He is contracted to the Cowboys until the end of 2029, but players are released on compassionate grounds all the time, and Politis has a habit of getting what he wants.
Dearden is an Origin and Kangaroos representative who would be the perfect replacement for Walker at the Tricolours.
Tom Dearden and Sam Walker are Origin teammates. Getty
Nathan Cleary
The four-time premiership winner is coming off contract on Sunday and has refused to commit his future to the Panthers at any stage when probed on it in recent times.
His father Ivan is quitting as Penrith coach after next season, his partner Mary Fowler lives and works in England, and he will have lucrative offers on the table to go just about anywhere in the world he wants.
One of those offers could easily come from the Roosters, who have a habit of signing champion halfbacks and winning a premiership immediately - hello, Cooper Cronk and Daly Cherry-Evans.
Cleary will command upwards of $1.5m a year, but the Chooks might just be willing to pay it.
Cameron Munster
The champion Storm five-eighth will be 33 years old by the time next NRL season ends, and his form this year suggested he is past his best.
But the Roosters surprised the competition by bringing Cherry-Evans on board this season, and the signing paid dividends with an instant premiership.
In the unlikely event that the Chooks see Hugo Savala as a player with the potential to be a game-managing halfback, Munster could be the perfect foil to wear the No.6 jumper at Bondi, if only for a season.
He does, though, have business interests in Queensland, and it’s unknown if he has any desire to live in Sydney.
Zane Harrison
Gold Coast has gone all-in on the young halfback, but he is coming off contract on Sunday and has so far been unable to reach an agreement with the Titans.
League legends were critical of the 20-year-old for reportedly requesting $950,000 a year from the southern Queensland club, and he looks poised to field offers from rivals for 2028 onwards.
The Roosters originally nabbed a young Walker from the Broncos system and could do the same with Gold Coast’s next big thing.
Titans halfback Zane Harrison. NRL Imagery
The incoming PNG Chiefs are also said to be interested in poaching him.
Herbie Farnworth
The superstar English centre has been heavily linked to the Roosters after his commitments with the Dolphins finish next year.
He is about to turn 27 and is considered the best three-quarter in the game, and will command as much as $1m on his next contract.
Jack Bostock
Farnworth’s Dolphins teammate is also off contract as of Sunday and will field sizeable offers from a number of rivals.
The Dragons are planning to throw the bank at Bostock after letting him slip through their fingers as a junior.
Jack Bostock on debut for the Kangaroos. Getty Images
But a cashed-up Roosters outfit will no doubt be interested in his services too.
He can play at centre or on a wing, and is expected to attract big-money offers.
Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow
The third Dolphins superstar who is stuck in a salary cap crunch at this year’s preliminary finalists.
Tabuai-Fidow is considered one of the best fullbacks in the game and the Roosters would view him as a potential long-term replacement for James Tedesco, who is poised to hang up the boots in the next couple of years.
With Kalyn Ponga now unavailable after signing a new Knights deal, Tabuai-Fidow is the next best fullback on offer to NRL clubs.
Xavier Willison
The hulking prop is the heir apparent to Payne Haas in Brisbane, but so far, the Broncos have been unable to reach a deal with his management.
The 24-year-old is said to be looking at $1m a season but is yet to commit his future to Red Hill.
Putting him in the front row alongside Whyte would suddenly give the Chooks the best forward pack in the game.
Ethan Strange
The young gun Raiders five-eighth has already been linked to the Roosters, given his father coaches the NRLW team and his sister plays for them.
He is thought to be on $850,000 a year in Canberra but is already an Origin and international player, and will be asking for seven figures before too long.
His current deal runs through to the end of 2028, and it’s unlikely the Raiders will let him go easily.
Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii is playing for the Wallabies. Getty Images
Joseph Suaalii
He was one of the biggest names in the NRL before quitting the game two years ago to take up a lucrative deal with Rugby Australia.
Suaalii is aiming to play for the Wallabies at next year’s Rugby World Cup, but is a free agent after that and will have plenty of interest from rugby league clubs.
The Roosters made sure not to sever ties with him amid his departure in 2024 and the Tricolours would no doubt be in the box seat to land his services if he does return to the 13-man code.
Similarly, the Roosters are still hoping Nawaqanitawase returns following his two-year stint in Japanese rugby.
Expect them to keep a chunk of cash available in the hope of bringing him back in 2028.
