Penrith and Kangaroos second-rower Liam Martin says he would be “really interested” in a move to the Canberra Raiders if he cannot agree a new deal with the Panthers. His comments come as Raiders coach Ricky Stuart says he would “definitely look at” releasing Hudson Young a year early if Young’s management asked.
Martin, 29, is off contract at the end of 2027 and free to negotiate with rival clubs for 2028 since NRL free agency opened on 1 November. Asked by 9News Sydney’s Danny Weidler whether he would move to Canberra, the Temora product kept his options open, Nine reported.
“I don’t know. I’m open to it, obviously close to home and it’s pretty interesting,” Martin said.
“The boys speak very highly of Ricky (Stuart) so I’d be really interested. Penrith would still hopefully be my first option and work out a deal but if not I’d be looking forward to it.”
Penrith still first choice
Martin said contract talks with the Panthers would step up once the Rugby League World Cup was over.
Read more: Hudson Young’s Record Raiders Offer Withdrawn as Chiefs Circle
“I think they’re working through it as quick as they can and trying to get a deal done but there’s a bit going on,” he said. “I’ll wait until after the tournament to sit down and get into the nitty gritty of it.”
Temora is about two-and-a-half hours from Canberra, The Canberra Times noted. Martin has won four NRL premierships with Penrith and played nine Tests for Australia and 16 State of Origin games for NSW, according to the paper.
The Panthers have several big names in the same position, with Nine listing Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo and Moses Leota alongside Martin among their off-contract players.
Stuart open to early Hudson Young exit
Canberra are in the market for back-rowers after withdrawing their club-record $4.4 million, four-year offer to Hudson Young last week. Stuart told The Canberra Times he would consider releasing Young from the final year of his Raiders contract, in 2027, if Young asked for it.
“That question’s not for me. That’s for his management,” Stuart said. “That’s up to Hudson and his management to ask for that, but I’d definitely look at it.”
Nine and The Canberra Times reported that Young was set to tour the PNG Chiefs’ facilities in Port Moresby on Wednesday. The Chiefs enter the NRL in 2028, and Martin joked he might struggle with the heat there.
“I don’t know if I can handle the heat – yeah a pasty white guy,” Martin said, as quoted by The Canberra Times.
Stuart said Canberra were in no hurry to replace Young. “I’m comfortable with some of the depth we have for our back row,” he said. “We’re looking at some other players in the back-row position and also other positions, and we’re not in any rush to make that call as of yet.”
Kangaroos semi-final first
Martin is named at No.12 for Australia’s World Cup semi-final against Samoa at Allianz Stadium in Sydney on Sunday 8 November (8:05pm AEDT), in the Kangaroos team named by Kevin Walters.
Neither the Panthers nor the Raiders had made any announcement about Martin’s future at the time of writing.
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