Recruitment and retention can literally make or break a season.
We've seen the Bulldogs evolve from competition also-rans into a Finals force thanks to aggressive recruitment drives.
We've seen the Sharks routinely play Finals footy under Craig Fitzgibbon based mainly on a retention strategy.
Today, we look at five teams that have signed or re-signed extremely well for next year. Please note that re-signings only include players who re-signed for the 2025 season.
For instance, Briton Nikora and Braydon Trindall have re-signed at Cronulla but as both were contracted for the 2025 season anyway, they won't be taken into account.
Below are the top five recruitment and retention drives for the 2025 season:
Honourable Mention: New Zealand Warriors: Ultimately they lost too much to land on the top five list but the James Fisher-Harris pick up was marquee business. Erin Clark is supremely underrated and young Samuel Healey looks a future star in the number nine.
Ins: Addin Fonua-Blake, Hohepa Puru
Outs: Jack Williams, Samuel Healey, Royce Hunt
Re-Signings: Kayal Iro, Jesse Colquhoun, Niwhai Puru, Billy Burns, Oregon Kaufusi, Jayden Berrell, Mawene Hiroti
This may be controversial as the Sharks only added one star, as well as depth signing Hohepa Puru.
What a star signing it was, though! The literal perfect signing.
The Sharks have talent all over the park. They are deep. Their reserve grade team won the NSW Cup competition and their Flegg side was pipped in the Grand Final.
The only thing they have lacked in the past few seasons is a genuine pack leader. Someone to make 150 metres per game and break defences down.
Step forward Addin Fonua-Blake. He is undoubtedly a top-three middle in the game and a wish-list signing, in terms of his on-field skills, for those in the black, white and blue.
Re-signing Kayal Iro was an absolute coup. How they held off a host of other teams for the super-talented centre is beyond belief. Jesse Colquhoun is a super versatile star in the making.
Jack Williams is a loss, but Cronulla boasts three of four players at a similar level. AFB is the mother of all upgrades in the middle.
I would have had Panthers and Sharks as my “top two” because, as you say, they have recruited quality rather than quantity.
Good luck to Parra trying to integrate seven new faces, or Wests trying to fit in six. With that many, no-one knows what the others are going to do.
Anyway, I’d be interested to read a follow-up article, saying who you think are the five _worst_ recruiters for 2025