The NRL silly season is finally winding down as Christmas rapidly approaches. The almost daily reports of player negotiations and potential movements have wrapped up for now, with all the big fish just about landed.
With players, their managers and the media playing havoc with the hearts and minds of the fans over the past few months, we could all do with a rest.
As we reflect on another post Nov. 1 scramble, we can at least take some comfort in the reconfirmation of several golden rules. Commit them to memory and for your own sanity, take them with you into next season.
Golden rule No.1 of silly season: If the Storm want to keep a player, they will
We had plenty of reports indicating that Storm fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen was looking to sign elsewhere, with one year remaining on his contract. The Bulldogs were reported to be strong candidates to nab the exciting fullback.
Talk turned to whether Connor Tracey's efforts at fullback for the Bulldogs were good enough for the club to ignore the chance of signing Papenhuyzen. Only Phil Gould and his associates at the club know how seriously they viewed the opportunity (see Golden Rule No.3). Certainly, there was absolutely no surprise when Papenhuyzen announced that he would be staying at the club which had supported him through some serious injuries of late.
The Storm under Craig Bellamy have never had an issue with retaining the players they want to stay. The club culture is so strong and the prospect of playing finals every year is so alluring. While Papenhuyzen's manager may have been trying to squeeze every last cent out of the negotiations by shopping his star player around, Papenhuzen's heart was always set on returning to the Melbourne lineup for another crack at premiership glory.
Golden rule No. 2 of silly season: There is always a way around a salary cap squeeze
At the same time as the Papenhuyzen speculation, we saw Ben Hunt released from the Dragons, beginning a mad sequence of reports and counter claims. Hunt had been looking to escape the Dragons for several years, citing a need to return home to Queensland. The Broncos were thought to be the most likely destination, until reports surfaced that they would have difficulty fitting him in under their salary cap.
Suddenly it wasn't all about Hunt returning to the Sunshine State as both the Roosters and of course the Bulldogs were strongly rumoured to be in the hunt for the halfback's signature. Hunt could apparently stomach another two years in Sydney if the price was right. Or so the reports had us believe.
Then, despite talk of both the Gold Coast Titans, and Dolphins, being in better financial positions to grant Hunt his homecoming, he decided that he would in fact join his old club, the Broncos. Somehow the Broncos were able to retain Ezra Mam and add Hunt to the roster, providing an instant replacement for the soon to be suspended five-eighth.
Clubs use a tight salary cap to drive down their offer, in the same way as players use the interest of other clubs to drive the offer up. The Broncos' signing of Hunt proved yet again that the salary cap is really no match for the NRL's best accountants.
Golden rule No. 3 of silly season: Gus likes to meet a lot of players, but he is a very astute buyer
It seems that in recent times the Bulldogs are the go-to club when any player is looking to create a bidding war for their services. The Bulldogs have undergone a complete roster overhaul in the past couple of years and have landed some of the biggest fish in the game in; Stephen Crichton, Matt Burton and Josh Curran. It seems as though Phil Gould is always circling, always looking to have a chat at the local café, determined to continue the rebuild of his beloved club.
And whenever he does, the reports hit the wires that the Bulldogs are leading the pursuit. It is hard to say whether the player managers are spreading the rumours, whether it is the media searching for a story or whether it is a self-perpetuating social media rumour mill. Regardless, the outcome is clear. The media enjoys the extra traffic, the fans enjoy the prospect of strengthening their clubs, and the managers squeeze every last cent out of the negotiations for their players.
Gould and coach Cameron Ciraldo have a plan to return the Bulldogs to the top of the premiership mountain. But they can't buy everyone, and as they rebuild the club's culture they are fully aware that parachuting a big star in at the expense of one of their key players could do as much damage as good.
Golden rule No. 4 of silly season: One club's cultural misfit is another club's fresh beginner
The Eels had ordinary 2023 and 2024 seasons after losing the 2022 grand final, and sacked coach Brad Arthur as a result. New coach Jason Ryles understandably wants a fresh start and began running a broom through the roster, with captain and nominal heart and soul of the club Clint Gutherson being one of the first to go. It seems Gutherson did not fit into the club's revival plans.
Gutherson was released, with the veteran fullback rumoured to be in the sites of several clubs, but the story never really developed much past the interest the Dragons had in him. Sure enough "King Gutho" was next seen leading the Dragons preseason work-outs.
Josh Addo-Carr was released by the Bulldogs on disciplinary grounds, after he was charged with drug-driving following an incident in the lead-up to the Bulldogs' breakthrough 2024 finals appearance. The incident in isolation might not have been enough to warrant the dismissal of a player of Addo-Carr's ability, but the timing and the ongoing apparent deception was simply unacceptable to a club in the middle of such a monumental rebuild.
The Eels, themselves rebuilding under Ryles, happily snapped up the representative flyer. And Addo-Carr will step into the jersey vacated by Maika Sivo, another victim of the Ryles broom.
The Roosters made headlines with the immediate release of prop Terrell May. On the back of a recent two-year contract extension, the move seemed to be completely out of left field. May was rumoured to have an attitude issue which was contradictory to the culture of the Roosters, although it was never actually put so succinctly by the club.
Coach Trent Robinson instead offered a change in playing style as the reason May no longer belonged. A scramble ensued for the fiery forward's signature with the Bulldogs once again thought to be well in the race. Instead, he will pull on the black, white and gold jersey, adding another piece to Benji Marshall's Wests Tigers puzzle.
If a player is good enough, he will find a home somewhere, regardless of any perceived or very real imperfections.
And the most important golden rule of silly season: Don't believe a word you hear or see
There are plenty of reasons to spin a yarn about a player's future. Whether it be to drive up his price, cultivate media traffic, or to simply entertain or enrage the fans.
The best way to be absolutely sure of any player's future is to wait for the signing announcement, give or take the occasional backflip of course.