Players off-contract at the end of 2022 have been able to negotiate for three months as we hit the end of January, and already plenty of big names have re-signed or moved clubs.
The Dolphins have thrown a new air of intrigue over this yearโs off-contract player list, with the expansion club adding six players to their top 30 roster for 2023, including five with first-grade experience.
The Melbourne Storm have been hit hard, losing Jesse Bromwich and Felise Kaufusi to the new club, while Brandon Smith was the most publicised signature of the off-season so far before agreeing to join with the Sydney Roosters for 2023.
Itโs been a revolving door at dummy half, with Reed Mahoney going from the Eels to the Bulldogs, Josh Hodgson from the Raiders to the Eels, and Apisai Koroisau from the Panthers to the Tigers.
Junior Paulo and Clinton Gutherson agreed to remain with the Eels after plenty of speculation, but as it stands, there are still over 100 players without a home locked away for 2023.
Today, we build a 17-man team of those players, noting that we have only considered each player for one position.
FULL OFF-CONTRACT LIST FOR 2023 TEAM-BY-TEAM
4. Halves
Players still off-contract: Phoenix Crossland, Kurt Falls, Kieran Foran, Matt Frawley, Shallin Fuller, Ben Hampton, Chanel Harris-Tavita, Cooper Johns, Albert Kelly, Lachlan Lam, Jock Madden, Anthony Milford, Matt Moylan, Jayden Nikorima, Kodi Nikorima, Sean O'Sullivan, Hayze Perham, Jaeman Salmon, Simi Sasagi, Ashley Taylor, Brandon Wakeham, Dylan Walker, Billy Walters, Sam Williams
With most of these halves able to play both the six and seven, we have decided to combine this and simply select two.
There is plenty of experience among this group of off-contract halves, but also some young talent in the likes of Chanel Harris-Tavita, Cooper Johns and Jock Madden, while both the Nikorima brothers and Sean O'Sullivan are here.
Simi Sasagi is arguably the most talented of all the young guns on this list, and yet it's hard to justify simply picking two of them thanks to the talent around them.
The first picked here - and maybe slightly controversially - is Ashley Taylor. If you're looking for value on a contract it could still be him by the end of the year. Gone are the days of his million-dollar deal at the Titans, and arrived are the days of having to battle for a spot on a roster.
He managed just that by carrying out a train and trial with the Warriors, but he will need to impress in 2022 to have a shot at being a valuable commodity on the transfer market.
The other player who simply has to be selected is Kieran Foran. He might be aging and approaching the back end of his career, but he seemingly still has a few good years left, having put in some excellent performances with the Manly Sea Eagles during 2021 before the club made the top four.
