Papua New Guinea will become Team 18 in the NRL at the start of the 2028 season, and while they can't sign anyone for the next 24 months unless there are rule changes, attention will quickly turn to the off-contract market.
There has already been talk that rule changes - allowing the PNG players to sign players before November 1, 2026 - could be enacted.
They weren't for the Dolphins when they joined the competition in 2023, and the NRL came under plenty of criticism as the 17th outfit attempted to build a competitive team for their first season in existence.
Already, financial incentives have been confirmed for players, coaches and administration staff who sign on with the team, allowing them to pay no tax on their income.
Zero Tackle will have a full squad builder article on site in the coming days based on the current situation of contracts and local players.
In the meantime, here are the top five options, in no specific order, that should be on the Papua New Guinea team's wishlist from Day 1 of their initial recruitment run.
3. Max Plath (The Dolphins)
The Dolphins have turned Max Plath into an excellent middle forward, and there is little doubt he will continue to develop his game with each passing season.
Able to play lock, hooker, or in the second row, the versatile forward may not line up at lock for the Dolphins this year as Tom Gilbert returns from an ACL injury, but will still play an important part of the side with Kristian Woolf taking over coaching duties.
Plath, like Walker, is off-contract at the end of the 2027 campaign at the Dolphins, and is the exact sort of player the new side will want to be chasing.
The trouble with signing a player 12 months out is that in those 12 months he may lose form, succumb to a long-term injury, or just grow old.
Signing two years out will exacerbate those uncertainties. Increasing that further, and it will just be a crap-shoot what the players are going to be like when they eventually rock up at the new club.