Newcastle Knights hooker Jayden Brailey will reportedly exit the club at the end of the season, with the Canberra Raiders landing his signature.
The dummy half is on contract with the Knights until the end of this season, but has been free to negotiate with rival clubs since November 1.
Sliding down the pecking order in the Hunter, it’s understood the hooker has been told by Newcastle, who themselves are trying to get a bloated salary cap back under control, that he won’t be retained.
That also comes with the signing of Matt Arthur from the Parramatta Eels during the most recently completed off-season, as well as the fact Phoenix Crossland, a utility who can play in the middle, in the halves, or at dummy half, started in Round 1 ahead of the former Shark.
Brailey’s likely departure from the Knights has seen him linked to other clubs, including most prominently the Parramatta Eels, but it now appears per a News Corp report that the Canberra Raiders have signed him on a two-year deal from the start of 2026.
Intriguingly, the Raiders had refused to dip their toe into the market for a hooker before this season despite only having Tom Starling and Davvy Levi as part of their Top 30, with the widely held belief that the club would instead target the development of their own junior in Owen Pattie.
He made his NRL debut in Round 1 as the Raiders tackled the New Zealand Warriors in Las Vegas, but it now appears there is a chance he and Brailey could form a new one-two punch for the club at hooker.
It’s believed there is little chance of Levi remaining in the nation’s capital beyond the end of the season, while Starling is viewed as more likely to remain with the club, but also off-contract at the end of the campaign.
Both players have been able to negotiate with rivals since November 1.
It’s understood the Raiders will be no chance of securing an early release for Brailey who will see out the season in Newcastle before moving to a new home.
