Phil Gould admits the looming “reality” of another NRL franchise has given players and their managers added “bargaining power” over the next 12 or 18 months.
The competition is just a few months away from another major shake-up, with the inclusion of the Perth Bears for the 2026 season meaning there will be another club looking to sign marquee players come the November 1 free agency date.
Some of the biggest names in the sport will potentially become available to the Bears, who will be looking to add quality to their roster under Mal Meninga.
READ MORE: ‘Wow’: Storm survive Bunker howler in 64-point epic
READ MORE: Ambulance called for Storm star after ‘very dire’ injury
READ MORE: No more Mr Nice Guy: Coach challenges ‘submissive’ Wallabies
At the top of the list of targets could be Sharks hooker Blayke Brailey, who is in the best form of his career but finds himself in the midst of a contract standoff.
Cronulla recently tabled an extension offer to the dummy-half, but his manager David Riolo told Wide World of Sports earlier this week that they had rejected it.
A subsequent counter offer has reportedly rejected by the Sharks, leaving the two parties at a standstill and putting Brailey in the shop-front window for other clubs.
Blayke Brailey Getty
While there is still the belief that the 26-year-old will stay put in the Shire and remain a one-club player, Gould pointed out the looming threat of the Bears as a genuine one.
“You would think not and hope not,” he said on Wide World of Sports’ Six Tackles With Gus regarding the star No.9 sticking with the Sharks.
“But I think as the Perth franchise becomes a reality and they start to filter their tentacles out and their inquiries about players who might be able to go across and the sort of money they can pay, it gives the managers plenty of bargaining power.
“Players coming off-contract in the next 12 or 18 months have got plenty of hand.
Watch the 2025 NRL premiership live and free on Nine and 9Now.
“It’s gonna be a big job for them putting together a team from scratch – but it’s going to add inflationary pressures everywhere else in the game. Clubs are going to want to retain players and those that are off-contract are going to have the bargaining hand.
“November 1 this year will have greater importance, which means the clubs that have the chance to sign their players before November 1 are active now and trying to get it done, so they don’t become available for Perth.”
Brailey won’t be the only high-profile player that could find themselves in the sights of the Bears once the November frenzy begins, with the likes of Ryan Papenhuyzen and Payne Haas also only signed with their current clubs until the end of 2026.
Payne Haas’ future is always the topic of debate Getty
While his contract situation has become clouded, there’s no doubting that the form shown by Brailey in recent weeks has reignited Cronulla’s premiership hopes.
The hooker has been lethal while running the ball and in turn, the maligned halves pairing of Braydon Trindall and Nicho Hynes have also started to find their mojo.
While he stopped short of putting Brailey atop the list of the best rakes in the league, Gould did admit that recent efforts will add ‘another string to the bow’ of the Sharks.
“I think it starts and stops with Harry Grant, he’s at a level of his own,” Gould said.
“Blayke is a player I have really admired for a long period of time.
Blayke Brailey Getty
“He’s so durable and so reliable. Even now, his football is improving and despite the fact that he’s played all these games, he seems to be getting better.
“We haven’t seen their best all season, but their better football comes when he is running the ball and doing something out of dummy-half.
“If they can tap into him, it will give them another string to their bow.
“They are pretty impressive the Sharks – they haven’t had their best form yet, but they are maybe going to hit it at the right time of the year.”
Brailey is in the midst of an incredible run, having not missed a game since 2020 and becoming one of the Sharks most consistent performers across 121-straight games.
The record for most consecutive first grade matches is held by Luke Douglas, who had 215 appearances in a row without missing one.
Cronulla will take on the struggling Rabbitohs this weekend in Gosford.
