Manly are preparing to make a big play for Melbourne Storm captain Harry Grant after the Kangaroos hooker chose not to take up his option for 2028, according to a report from Nine.
Grant is now free to talk to rival clubs about a deal from 2028, with NRL free agency having opened on 1 November. The Mole reported for nine.com.au on Wednesday that Grant “will be in massive demand from at least half a dozen clubs”.
“The Test hooker had an option his way for 2028 but has chosen not to take it up in a move that is set to trigger bidding war for his services,” the report said.
Why Manly are in the frame
The report said Manly, “who have struggled in the key hooking position in recent years, will lead the race for the crafty No.9”. It added that the Sea Eagles are having a cleanout of their roster and “will have plenty of money in the cap to make a real play for Grant”.
Grant has left Melbourne before, spending the 2020 season on loan at Wests Tigers. Sources close to Grant told nine.com.au he spent a lot of that time on the northern beaches, “the heart of Manly territory”, and enjoyed his experience there.
Read more: Harry Grant, Utoikamanu Offered Storm Deals Before Nov 1, Report Says
Neither Manly nor the Storm had commented publicly on the report at the time of writing.
Storm tried to lock him in before 1 November
The option call has been coming for some time. In October, news.com.au reported that after returning from a post-season holiday, Grant “informed the club he will not be triggering it, and he won’t make a decision on whether he stays or leaves the club until after the World Cup”.
Read more: Storm takes Grant a three-year extension to stave off growing Knights interest
Melbourne then tabled a new three-year deal for Grant in the days before free agency opened, according to CODE Sports reporting we covered last week. Grant has also been linked with Newcastle in earlier reports, while the same news.com.au report named Manly, the PNG Chiefs, the Dragons and the Bulldogs as possible suitors.
Grant calls for a shorter season
Grant has also floated a fix for the contract talk swirling around the Kangaroos at the World Cup, with close to half of Kevin Walters’ squad having entered the final 12 months of their deals on 1 November. In comments reported by AAP on Tuesday, he suggested a shorter NRL season would let players finish the tournament before sorting out their club futures.
“Maybe we could shorten the season, then you have a World Cup where everyone can play footy and you have your conversations off the back of that,” Grant said. “That’s an easy idea, and I know there’s an understanding that maybe a shorter season would get a bit more footy and open up some rep windows with Origin, Australia, Samoa, and Tonga.”
World Cup first
Grant’s immediate focus is the Rugby League World Cup. He has been named at hooker for Australia’s semi-final against Samoa at Allianz Stadium in Sydney on Sunday 8 November (8:05pm AEDT), in the Kangaroos team announced by coach Kevin Walters.
Storm teammate Cameron Munster is also in that Kangaroos side at five-eighth. News.com.au reported in October that Munster will also test his worth in free agency.
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