With the Super League recruitment window in full swing, clubs are beginning to put their plans into action.
It has been a low-key start to the May window opening, with clubs weighing up their options on retention, recruitment and overseas acquisitions, with quota spots, now more than ever, priceless to Super League clubs.
As ever there are a number of players in the NRL who are being linked with a move to the UK, and the latest is veteran forward Jarrod Wallace.
The 32-year-old has been a regular in the NRL for over a decade, playing for Brisbane Broncos, Gold Coast Titans and most recently the Dolphins.
He also played six time for the Queensland Maroons between 2017 and 2019, becoming one of the leading forwards in the game during this period.
Experienced forward linked with Super League move
Now at the back end of his career and soon to be out of contract, speculation has started with Wallace looking unlikely to agree a new deal at the Dolphins.
Given his age, it appears Wallace will be left with few options in Australia and move to Super League has been touted for the 200-game veteran.
Wallace has been linked with a move to Super League before. In 2022, he was allegedly offered to English clubs, before electing to move to the Dolphins instead. Now his contract is up, he is on the radar of Super League clubs again.
According to the Courier Mail, Wallace may be allowed to leave the Dolphins when his contract expires at the end of the season. Current head coach, Wayne Bennett will leave the club then and return to South Sydney. Ex-St Helens boss, Kristian Woolf, will take charge.
Speaking to the Brisbane Times in December, Wallace was quizzed about his future beyond the 2024 season.
He said: “That (re-signing with the Dolphins) obviously would be my plan. Wayne will be leaving, and I’m sure he’ll still be around, but to be able to stay and play another couple of years under Woolfy, that’s my goal.
“I get along really well with him, he’s exactly what I want in a coach – he tells me exactly where I am and how it is, and that’s why I love Wayne. Woolfy’s got every quality as a player I love playing under.”
However, as we enter May and with Bennett now on his way out, Wallace is yet to be offered a new deal and according to reports in Australia, he is now available to Super League clubs, who, if anybody, is interested at this stage remains to be seen.
