Canberra Raiders centre Matthew Timoko will reportedly head to free agency on November 1 instead of activating options in his contract.
The talented centre has a walk-up starting spot at the Raiders alongside Sebastian Kris if he wants it, but there is now a real chance he will appear on the radar of rival clubs.
Timoko is contracted in the nation’s capital for 2027 and 2028, but it’s a mutual option in his deal beyond the end of the coming year.
News Corp is reporting that neither side of the deal has activated the options as yet, with Timoko standing to make plenty in upgrades if he were to look for an exit from the nation’s capital.
The centre could be paid handsomely, especially if he were to consider the Perth Bears as an option, who are just days away from entering their first official negotiation period.
From the Raiders’ side of the coin, there is little doubt they’d like to retain Timoko, but the salary cap is an issue, and so too is the number of young players they either have in their system, or have signed.
Sione Finau from the St George Illawarra Dragons, who is reportedly seen as either a winger or a centre by the green machine’s coaching staff, is the latest addition but likely to be well down the pecking order at the start of 2026.
The Raiders could well look to move on from Timoko to move into the future, with the departure potentially suiting all parties.
Centres are one position heading into 2027 where there are few quality options off-contract, and Timoko would be a player in hot demand.
The Auckland-born centre has played 111 NRL games, and added 25 in 2025 during a season where he scored 10 tries and made a stunning 97 tackle busts.
Timoko is joined by Tolutau Koula as another player with an option who could test the market, while the best of the centres out of contract include Jesse Ramien and Jake Averillo, with Parramatta star Will Penisini expected to take up an option of his own to remain in blue and gold.