Knights first club to move for Mooney after he hits free agency

The Newcastle Knights have become the first NRL club to formally approach young gun Trey Mooney after the Canberra Raiders told the 23-year-old prop they’d be prioritising keeping Josh Papalii for another year.

Mooney is contracted with the Raiders through to 2027 but has been eager to grab more playing time in the NRL for some time now – and Papalii’s backflip makes that increasingly difficult in the nation’s capital.

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Papalii was originally expected to leave the Raiders at the end of the current season to take up a Super League deal and see out his playing career in England, but a form resurgence capped by a State of Origin series return and Canberra leading the ladder heading into the season’s last few weeks have scuppered those plans; Papalii is now on the verge of re-signing.

That call on the veteran has left the Raiders with Mooney surplus to requirements.

That’s not to say they wouldn’t want to keep him – and Canberra bosses still see him as a long-term star in their pack – but retention officers at the club are also very aware Mooney doesn’t want to wait until 2027 to prove himself.

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All upside for the Knights, who are very eager to bring Mooney up to the Hunter immediately.

They may face some resistance from the St George Illawarra Dragons, who are also preparing a signing package, but the joint venture is more interested in the other Raider told he could leave, Chevy Stewart. The other young gun, a NSW Schoolboy and young NSW Blues representative, may be the perfect solution to the Illawarra club’s long-term fullback questions.

With Leo Thompson heading to the Canterbury Bulldogs at the end of the year, the Knights know they need more starch in their pack. Mooney would be a cheap and long-term option – should he want to join Newcastle.

The Raiders are also looking to re-sign Morgan Smithies and Matty Nicholson.