Matt Lodge is off to the Super League with the North Queensland Cowboys confirming on Thursday that the veteran front rower will depart the club immediately.
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Lodge had joined the Cowboys late in the pre-season for their 2026 campaign and played 15 games but will now link up with the Leeds Rhinos as they push for the Super League title.
“I’ve been watching the team play. They’re doing a great job and I’m very grateful for the opportunity. I can’t wait to rip in and do whatever the team needs from me,” Lodge said in a club statement.
“I’ve known of the Leeds Rhinos all my life and can remember watching some of their champion teams as a kid. It’s a proud club and I’m pumped that I get to experience what it’s all about.
“When Brad offered me the opportunity, I jumped at the chance.”
Cowboys Football Club CEO Micheal Luck said the club reached out to Lodge in November last year when they were in need of forard depth following “unexpected injuries” and that the 31-year-old did a “wonderful job” filling in after answering their call.
While Lodge’s time in the NRL may be over for now, the journeyman is still plotting a return to Australia in the near-future according to his manager.
“It is his intention to come back and finish his career in the NRL,” Sam Ayoub told news.com.au.
“We have strong interest from a number of clubs and are currently in negotiations with two.”
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EELS CEO STEPS DOWN
The Parramatta Eels are set for a major leadership shake-up with CEO Jim Sarantinos announcing on Thursday that he will step down at the end of the season.
Sarantinos first joined the Eels in 2016 during what he described as a “difficult period” in Parramatta’s history, with the club reeling in the wake of a salary cap scandal.
While the Eels have struggled for results in the past few years, they did make it all the way to the grand final in 2022 after a successful rebuild under Brad Arthur.
Sustaining that success, however, has been a challenge with Jason Ryles being the latest coach to try make the most of a talented roster and fruitful junior nursery.
Under Sarantinos’ leadership, the Eels have achieved record membership growth and tripled revenue.
“This club has meant so much to me for so long, but I feel that the time is right,” Sarantinos said.
“When I arrived in 2016, the club was facing a difficult period in its proud history.
“There were many challenges ahead, but I held a deep belief that this club could once again become the organisation its members, fans and community deserved.
“One of the most rewarding parts of this journey has been seeing the culture that has taken shape across the club. We have worked hard to create a place where people enjoy coming to work, look out for one another and build strong relationships. The sense of connection that exists today is something I hope continues to grow.”
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Parramatta Eels CEO Jim Sarantinos at the clubs Centre of Excellence in Kellyville for an Inside the NRL Corridors of Power series. Picture: Jonathan NgSource: News Corp Australia
RAIDERS EXTEND RISING STAR
Elsewhere, the Canberra Raiders may be at risk of losing two of their forwards before the end of the year but they have moved to lock up rising star Ata Mariota.
The front rower has extended with the club until the end of the 2028 season on a two-year extension in a welcome boost for the Raiders, who are also hopeful of extending second rower Hudson Young amid links to the PNG Chiefs.
Front rower Corey Horsburgh, on the other hand, looks all but certain to land at the Perth Bears after being dropped from the NRL team this week.
Mariota though will be a key piece of Canberra’s future, having already established himself in the first-grade side’s forward rotation.
“I’m so happy to re-sign here. Canberra is home now and this club has given me everything. I just want to re-pay that as best I can,” Mariota said.
“I’m so lucky to be learning off Papa and Taps. I just pick their brains and take anything I can out of their games into mine.”
Raiders NRL Recruitment Manager Chris Hutchison called Mariota one of the club’s better recent success stories given the path he has gone on to earn his spot in Ricky Stuart’s side.
“Ata is a valued member of our NRL squad and has become an important part of our club. He is a hard-working, dynamic forward who has developed into an international player and will continue to grow at the Raiders,” Hutchison said.
“Ata is also another player who has come through our pathways, playing SG Ball back in 2019 and came through the Cup and Flegg systems before establishing himself as an NRL forward.”
Ata Mariota. (Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
TRAINING MISHAP DELAYS SCHUSTER’S RETURN
Josh Schuster will have to wait a little longer for his return to rugby league after suffering a nasty knock at training which left him in hospital.
The former Manly player copped a blow to the throat by teammate Alex Twal during an opposed session at training on Wednesday, just a day after being named to play his first game for the Magpies in the NSW Cup.
In the moments after he copped the hit it was obvious Schuster needed help and the club doctors sent him to hospital for scans, which cleared him of any major damage.
Schuster is now out for the match against the Dragons at Lidcombe Oval on Sunday, having not played a competitive match since May 2025.
Benji Marshall gave the gifted playmaker a lifeline in June and he joined the Tigers on a train-and-trial deal after a brief stint at Souths where he didn’t play a first grade game.
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Marshall met with Schuster after a request from Tigers back-rower Samuela Fainu to give his friend a chance to revive his NRL career.
“It was more about helping him get his life back on track than the actual footy side of things,” Marshall said at the time.
“I sat down with him and just said ‘if it’s about the money, don’t come’ and he said, ‘no, it’s not about the money, it’s about the opportunity’.
“He’s proven that. He’s taken the NSW Cup contract, which means he will train with us (NRL squad) one day a week.
“There is no risk for us. It’s not costing us anything. The flip side is, if he returns to what everyone knows he can be, it’s a big bonus for us.”
Josh Schuster in hospital bed.Source: Instagram
The 25-year-old has long been touted as one of the more naturally gifted footballers for his age and in June 2023, signed an $800,000 per season contract extension at Manly.
But by April the following year he was allowed to leave the club.
Schuster has battled injuries over the years and left South Sydney in June 2025, after a brief time at the club, to focus on his mental health.
Despite battling weight issues during his career, he’s now in top shape at the Tigers and has impressed the coaching staff.
He played a lot of back-row during his 50-game stint at Manly, but Schuster and the Tigers view him as a five-eighth.
Schuster will look to get back on the footy field as soon as possible as he tries to impress his new club and earn a longer-term contract.