The Penrith Panthers are set to beat our rival teams to sign a dual-code prodigy, while the Storm have snapped up a half from the Roosters.

The pain of the Paris Olympics and the desire to win gold played a key role in sisters Maddison and Teagan Levi signing new deals with Rugby Australia after a short-term cross-code switch to the NRLW fell through.

Nicho Hynes and the Sharks have been the nearly men of the NRL for the past few seasons, but the star halfback and his team are hellbent on proving the doubters wrong in a do or die year in 2026.

If he had his time over, Lehi Hopoate would have urged Eli Katoa not to play after his Tongan teammate was flattened in the warm-up before a test. Christian Nicolussi

Sea Eagles young gun Lehi Hopoate has opened up on the accidental collision with Tongan teammate Eli Katoa hours before the gun backrower had to be rushed to hospital.

The future of Zac Lomax may currently be in limbo as he begins legal proceedings against the Parramatta Eels.

The Titans have launched an 11th hour bid to retain young gun Cooper Bai, who has temporarily backflipped on plans to join the Melbourne Storm.

For fans starved of rugby league, there’s plenty of action to look forward to this weekend with the Nines Premier League returning on the Gold Coast, featuring a host of former NRL stars.

Zac Lomax is set for a courtroom showdown with the Parramatta Eels on the eve of the NRL trials, with the superstar winger set to argue it would be a restraint of trade to block him from joining the Melbourne Storm.

Sharks’ cult hero Toby Rudolf is managing himself in a contract year and with 14 teammates also coming to the end of their deals, the current squad know their title window is closing fast.