Less than 48 hours after reports emerged that Sandon Smith had been granted permission to leave the Sydney Roosters, the utility playmaker has caught the interest of a fresh new suitor.
Previously seen as Luke Keary‘s apparent heir after the veteran playmaker’s departure at the end of 2024, Smith began the season in the club’s halves and was set to be Sam Walker‘s long-term halves partner, but has since been overtaken in the pecking order.
Only 22, he is destined to have a long career in the NRL and is set to attract a ton of interest after being given the green light to leave the club if he finds a new deal elsewhere.
Already linked to the Canberra Raiders and North Queensland Cowboys, the Newcastle Knights have become the latest club to express an interest in the 2025 Anzac Day Medal winner.
It is understood that the Parramatta Eels were also in the mix for his signature earlier in the season but decided in June to exit the race to focus on other options such as Dean Hawkins, Joash Papalii and 2025 NSWRL SG Ball Cup Player of the Year Lorenzo Talataina.
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“I’m told Peter O’Sullivan [Head of Recruitment] of the Newcastle Knights has come in late with a very very good offer,” The Daily Telegraph’s Buzz Rothfield said on Triple M’s NRL Daily.
“He can play halfback, he can play five-eighth and they also seem as potentially a hooker.”
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 14: Sandon Smith directing the attack during the round two NRL match between Penrith Panthers and Sydney Roosters at CommBank Stadium, on March 14, 2025, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Joshua Davis/Zero Digital Sports)
A move to the Knights would likely see him slot in the dummy-half role with multiple sources telling Zero Tackle that Phoenix Crossland will be used as a lock heading into the future.
Although he is contracted until the end of the 2026Â NRL season, Smith has found himself on the outer at the Roosters since the club expressed an interest in Manly Sea Eagles captain Daly Cherry-Evans and the emergence of Hugo Savala, who has overtaken him in the pecking order.
Whilst not official, it has been all but confirmed that Cherry-Evans will arrive at Bondi alongside NSW Blues hooker Reece Robson in 2026, creating a formidable spine with James Tedesco and Sam Walker.