Pre-season is well underway for Super League clubs, and that suggests their squads for 2026 are complete. But, that won’t stop them from looking further ahead, with teams now having one eye on their roster for 2027.
The vast majority of deals and signings for 2026 has already been finalised, however there are still some huge contract decisions for teams to make as teams start to plan for the longer-term.
Whilst most have already finished their shopping ahead of the new season, priority turns to the recruitment window in 12 months time. Any player who is out of contract at the end of next year is free to negotiate with NRL clubs from November 1 of this year, before being allowed to talk to Super League clubs from December 1. This means some huge talents are now free to speak to other clubs about a future move, so teams will have to be proactive and sign their stars up if they want to keep them around.
Here is every club’s biggest contract decision, as they look to keep their top stars around for longer than just the coming season.
*Note all players in this list have contracts expiring at the end of the 2026 season.
Bradford Bulls – Waqa Blake
The former Saints man has found a new lease of life at the Bulls, and will be hoping his second chance in Super League is a much-improved one. Bradford have many players off-contract at the end of the season, and most will depend on what division they are in in 2027 as to whether they stay at the club or not.
Blake has been tipped for a big year at Odsal, and two lowest priced centres to win Man of Steel at the end of the year, joined with Jake Wardle at 20/1.
Castleford Tigers – Daejarn Asi
The Tigers half-back came into the squad in place to replace Jacob Miller, and has been a shining light in a very poor Castleford squad. Not helped by this side’s inability to create lots of field position or gain control in matches, Asi still had a pretty decent season, scoring six tries and creating 15 assists.
Led by Ryan Carr in 2026, the Tigers will look to be a more dominant side next year, which in turn will help Asi to develop and turn into a more threatening half-back. Helped by signings such as Blake Taaffe and Mikaele Ravalawa, another good season should see him extend his stay at the Onebore Stadium.
Catalans Dragons – Guillermo Aispuro-Bichet
Like Castleford, it was a poor year for the Dragons. Arthur Mourgue’s mid-season departure to Hull KR and injuries to Sam Tomkins left Catalans with no real full-back, so up stepped Aispuro-Bichet, who has done exceptionally well in his first year in Super League.
There is still plenty of talent yet to be unveiled in the 20-year-old, and he will have to work hard to unleash that. Whilst the signing of Charlie Staines suggests GAB will be a back-up option next year, Joel Tomkins needs to lock in the homegrown talent long-term in order to stop other clubs sniffing around.
Huddersfield Giants – George Flanagan Jr
The Young Player of the Year nominee’s signature will be wanted by many clubs when his deal expires at the end of 2026. The 20-year-old produced many Player of the Match displays this year, including in Huddersfield’s wins over Warrington and Catalans. He is the hottest prospect the Giants have had since Will Pryce left in 2022. They need to do everything they can to keep him around for longer than next season.
Hull FC – Liam Knight
FC have done well in their retentions, with most of their squad locked in for the long-term. One person they would like to secure though, is Liam Knight. Reports emerged in October that he clubs in Australia wanted his services, despite recently signing a new one-year deal.
If John Cartwright is to keep his overseas prop at the club for longer than next season, he may have to move quickly given that Knight, particularly with Perth Bears looking to sign established NRL talent ahead of 2027.
Hull KR – Joe Burgess
One of the key reasons for KR’s recent rise in recent years can be put down to recruitment and retention. Whilst questions have been asked over their long-term vision, development of academy players, working towards bringing through the next crop of young talent etc. their work in the transfer market has been so important, and they have been able to build a squad that suits them perfectly. Now, their aim is to keep them players around for longer, and head coach Willie Peters needs to start planning for 2027 and beyond if they are to maintain their dominance.
The Robins have many key players off-contract at the end of next season, and players’ heads could be turned if they wait too long on retaining them. The likes of Dean Hadley, Sauaso Sue and Rhyse Martin are all off-contract in 2026, as is star winger Joe Burgess. The former Wigan and Salford man has scored 17 tries in 18 league appearances this year, proving how crucial he is to the Robins’ attack.
Leeds Rhinos – Brodie Croft
Former Man of Steel Croft is entering the third and final year of his contract, after joining from Salford ahead of 2024. Whilst it’s fair to say he hasn’t found the form that earned him that individual title in 2022, he and Jake Connor have formed a brilliant partnership, and with the latter recently signing a new long-term deal, Leeds should be looking at Croft to do the same.
Leigh Leopards – Owen Trout
Trout is in the form of his life at the Leopards, after signing for them ahead of the 2024 season. Still only 25, Trout will be one player Adrian Lam needs to keep hold of if Leigh are to continue being one of the more dominant sides in Super League.
Also out of contract at the end of next season are England hopefuls Umyla Hanley and Rob Mulhern, who himself has been attracting interest from Australia. Bailey Hodgson also has another year on his contract, and it will be interesting to see what happens with him when David Armstrong returns from his ACL injury.
St Helens – Tristan Sailor
Whilst Saints have plenty of stars off-contract at the end of next year, most of them will be nearing the end of their careers. Jonny Lomax will be 36 once the 2026 season concludes, as will Alex Walmsley. Daryl Clark will be 33 and Kyle Feldt 34.
That leaves Tristan Sailor as the man Saints need to tie down. The 27-year-old is, on his day, one of the most electric players in the league. However, finding that spark was Sailor’s downfall this year, but a season under the tutelage of Paul Rowley could see him find that consistency he has been craving, and turn himself into one of the Red Vee’s key assets.
Toulouse Olympique – Reubenn Rennie
The French side, whilst their squad are fluent with each other and have played with one another for multiple seasons, they still lack experience, and retaining Rennie, who is an established international, will certainly boost them.
Wakefield Trinity – Mason Lino
Lino has turned into one of the most underrated halves in the competition, having been influential in big games for Trinity this year. Most notably, he kicked the match-winning drop goal against Leeds Rhinos to give Trinity a 15-14 win over their local rivals.
The half-back has performed well with numerous partners, including Jake Trueman, Oliver Russell and Max Jowitt, and has been one of the constants in Daryl Powell’s side this year. Whether that remains the case next year remains to be seen, but if he keeps his form up, he will be worthy of a new deal.
Warrington Wolves – Luke Yates
The Wolves loose forward has had a sub-par year, like many of his Warrington teammates, however still managed to produce just under 40 tackles per game this season. His defensive work rate is second to none, especially in a team performing well and if Wire can get back to competing at the top next year, he will be a threat.
Still only 30, Yates could have three more years at the top level at least, and previous roles as captain show that he would be a great mentor to the up-and-coming Wolves forwards.
Wigan Warriors – Patrick Mago
The forward has an option for another year and if he starts the season well, it seems obvious for Wigan to extend the prop’s time with club into 2027.
York Knights – Jack Martin
The young York forward is currently unknown to most fans of Super League, but if he retains his 2025 form, that will certainly change as the next campaign progresses.
A former Stage of Origin representative at junior level, Martin is a young, hungry and aggressive prop forward who will be looking to have a huge year in North Yorkshire.
