Sydney Roosters playmaker Sandon Smith has been given permission to negotiate with rival NRL clubs.
Despite being contracted for another 12 months, Nine’s 100% Footy reports the 22-year-old playmaker has already been in conversations with the Canberra Raiders, who are looking to add to their playmaking depth in preparation for the the departure of Jamal Fogarty to the Sea Eagles next season.
With plenty of other NRL clubs in the halves market for 2026, including the Dolphins, Titans and Dragons, Smith will likely find no shortage of potential suitors—a one-year deal would also open up the opportunity of signing with the Perth Bears from 2027.
Smith has started at five-eighth 16 times for Trent Robinson in 2025, but has found himself on the outer in recent weeks following the injury return of Sam Walker.
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Sent to NSW Cup last weekend to face the Rabbitohs, Smith now looks increasingly likely to be the first playmaker squeezed out of the Roosters by the strongly-rumoured arrival of Manly skipper Daly Cherry-Evans in 2026.
Whether Smith is the only star to depart the Roosters ahead of schedule remains to be seen, with 23-year-old Hugo Savala another who could be forced to take a back seat to 36-year-old Cherry-Evans next year.
Currently in the midst of a stunning debut NRL season, Savala’s star is very much on the rise and NRL clubs would be queuing up to pounce should the Coogee Wombats junior and Sydney Roosters Academy player grow frustrated at falling down the pecking order.
As we’ve already seen at the Bulldogs in 2025, three elite playmakers eyeing two halves spots rarely ends well.