Five Super League players Perth Bears could realistically sign ahead of inaugural season as November 1 date looms

Perth Bears will become the NRL’s newest franchise when they enter the competition in 2027. Led by Kangaroos legend Mal Meninga, the club have just over a year to get a competitive squad together before competing in Australia’s top flight.

NRL rules state that players who are out of contract at the end of the 2026 season can officially negotiate with other clubs for the following year on November 1 2025, meaning that anyone who has less than 12 months on their deal can start negotiating elsewhere from Saturday onwards.

Whilst the majority of their top 30 squad will be made up of established NRL players, the club may want to look overseas in their recruitment, and give a chance to players currently plying their trade in Super League to have their first crack, or make a return, to the NRL.

There are plenty of players in the Northern Hemisphere who currently could go well if they were to make the move Down Under, and whilst a switch would be at the detriment of Super League, the finances in the Australian game and the chance of playing against the world’s best often mean that a move across the world is a no-brainer.

With that in mind, here are five players who could realistically make the move to Perth for their maiden year in the NRL.

Five potential Super League Perth Bears signings ahead of maiden NRL season

Peta Hiku

The Hull KR centre has spent the last two seasons as a Robin, and has had huge success under Willie Peters. Whilst he may be 34 by the time the 2027 season kicks off, another consistent year from the former New Zealand international could see him land one final contract in the NRL.

Perth will be looking at players with plenty of experience, much like the Dolphins did in their first year back in 2023. Hiku has over 300 games worth of experience, with 200 of those coming in the NRL. A one-year deal could be on the cards for Hiku, in what would round off an successful career.

Brodie Croft

The Rhinos half-back has been linked with a move back to the NRL since he joined Super League with Salford in 2022. Whilst his performances in a Rhinos shirt, this year especially, have not been to the standard that won him the Man of Steel award in 2022, a move to the NRL could bring that spark back to life, and his second chance could be one that he grabs with both hands.

Leeds have already tied down Lachie Miller to a new contract, with the full-back another man who could have realistically returned to Australia. The Headingley outfit will be hoping that Croft puts pen to paper sooner rather than later, with interest in him potentially set to increase.

Ethan O’Neill

Following an impressive first year in Super League, Leigh’s O’Neill became one of the most consistent back-rowers in the competition, and was unlucky to miss out on a Dream Team selection, whilst injury kept him out of playing play-off rugby at the end of the season.

Another solid year could see the 26-year-old become the latest Leopards forward to make the move, following Tom Amone and Kai O’Donnell’s move to the NRL in recent year.

Liam Knight

Knight’s name has been circled around NRL clubs for the second half of this season, following his return to Australia to recover from injury. Reports emerged that he was set to stay Down Under and sign for a club in the NRL, but those rumour have since been squashed, not only with him signing a new deal at Hull FC but also confirming it himself via Instagram earlier this week.

However, that contract was only for one year, which doesn’t rule out a potential move for 2027. A proven NRL forward, Knight would add aggression and physicality to the Bears’ pack, and with a prior knowledge to the Australian game would not take long to get back up to speed with the intensity of the Australian game.

Jacob Gagai

Huddersfield’s Gagai is perhaps the least likely on this list to make the move, however there is logical thinking behind it. Gagai’s brother, Dane, is also out of contract at the end of next season, and bringing in a brand-new squad is hard enough, so finding people who have experience playing together is always going to be a boost. Perhaps the two siblings could make the move together, like the Dolphins did in 2023 with the Bromwich brothers, in a deal that would be beneficial for both players and club.

Gagai has been one of the consistent members of the Giants squad, missing just three games all season. An improved year for Luke Robinson’s men would bring the best out of him, and that could lead to a move to the NRL, should he impress enough.

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