Leo Thompson rejects Knights offer, set to leave club
Newcastle have suffered a significant blow ahead of the Christmas break after prop forward Leo Thompson informed the club that he will not remain at the Knights beyond 2025.
Thompson has been considering his future at the Knights for the past couple of months and on Monday told club powerbrokers of his decision to leave at the end of his current deal.
Thompson is contracted until the end of 2025 and has a lucrative upgrade and extension on the table with Newcastle, but has decided to reject the club’s offer.
Thompson is now considering a big-money offer on the table from the Canberra Raiders, while the Bulldogs have met with the Kiwi international and expressed an interest in securing his services.
Skipper McInnes locks in Sharks extension
Cameron McInnes is poised to continue leading Cronulla in their NRL premiership window after signing a one-year contract extension.
The Sharks captain will remain with the club until at least the end of 2026, by which time he will be 32.
McInnes’ new deal continues an active off-season for the Sharks, who face a battle to retain their long list of off-contract players and maintain roster stability as their premiership window continues.
Braydon Trindall, Briton Nikora, Oregon Kaufusi and Liam Ison have all inked new deals since the beginning of November.
But winger Ronaldo Mulitalo, fullback Will Kennedy and forwards Tom Hazelton and Teig Wilton are all highly-prized players without contracts for 2026. The club is also resigned to farewelling breakout utility Daniel Atkinson to St George Illawarra at the end of 2025.
He averaged 40 tackles per match at club level and helped the Sharks break a seven-game finals losing streak with their semi-final defeat of North Queensland. Cronulla were eliminated from the finals by eventual premiers Penrith a week later.
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