As you tuck into the Christmas ham, try to dodge the worst of the chat around the table and open the presents, NRL clubs will also be hoping they can score plenty from the most festive day of the year.
It’s time of year when the NRL seems to stand still. Players are on leave, clubs go quiet and the signings – for about the only time all year – slow down.
But it won’t stay that way for long. Clubs have turned their long-term attention towards their 2025 squads, while pre-season training will be back shortly ahead of the season kicking off in Las Vegas, which itself follows pre-season trials from the middle of February.
So, what does your club want for Christmas ahead of the 2024 season?
On behalf of the entire Zero Tackle team, we wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas, and safe holiday period.
This is, frankly, a very simple one to start off this year’s Christmas wishlist, but more than anything, the Brisbane Broncos want Ezra Mam’s signature long-term.
The star five-eighth, who lit up the grand final and was a shoe in for the Clive Churchill medal until Nathan Cleary went balistic, has been on the open market since November 1.
All the talk is that he will indeed re-sign with the club, and he has said that he wants to, but the issue is this: The longer he doesn’t, the more the questions will be asked.
Thomas Dearden and Jarome Luai have both reportedly confirmed their futures as well which will make Mam potentially even more hotly pursued by rival clubs.
This is a two-fold thing for Brisbane too. They need Mam’s contract signed, sealed and delivered to be able to work out what they need to do with the rest of their salary cap.