Penrith punish rusty Roosters
14 hours ago | Aidan Edgecomb
The majority of NRL clubs are stuck into preseason training but it hasn't stopped a number of first grade centres hitting the open market.
From Will Hopoate's contract dispute with the Parramatta Eels, the addition of Sam Burgess at the South Sydney Rabbitohs forcing out Dylan Walker and a forged signature on James Roberts' deal has in short left these players free agents late in the offseason.
Tim Lafai from the Canterbury Bulldogs and Peta Hiku of the Manly Sea Eagles have also moved on from their clubs in the last week.
With a bevy of talent available attracting strong interest from rival teams which players should your club be targeting or have targeted?
5. Will Hopoate
Hopoate's best form of his career came when he was a 19-year-old coached by Des Hasler at the Sea Eagles in 2011.
It was the year he scored 14 tries in 19 games on the wing, won an NRL premiership and debuted for New South Wales.
He then took a two year break from the game to follow a Mormon mission.
Now having been at the Eels for two seasons his form has left a lot to be desired.
In a backline where he had the opportunity to be the Eels best player this past season, Hopoate managed just seven tries in 38 games between fullback and his preferred position at centre.
He's signed with the Bulldogs for 2016 and when compared to Tim Lafai, the player Hopoate replaces, Fox Sports reports in the last two seasons Hopoate has fewer tries, line breaks, offloads, try assists and line break assists.
Hasler will be expecting he can return Hopoate to his best as they pair up for 2016.
4. Tim Lafai
There should be no shame for Lafai being fourth on this list.
He is not as well known as Hopoate or Hiku but his play on the field will be recognised by the other NRL franchises.
Lafai's been part of a very successful Bulldogs team for the past two years and now a free agent many clubs will be vying for his signature.
On Friday afternoon, Lafai signed with the St George Illawarra Dragons for the next few seasons - read more here.
3. Peta Hiku
The cleanout at Manly has continued into the preseason as rookie head coach Trent Barrett decided to release New Zealand international representative Peta Hiku.
Manly have had a surplus of quality backs in the past decade and the rise of Tom Trbojevic as a future NRL superstar has likely forced this reshuffle.
Last season Trbojevic had 13 appearances in the Holden Cup, where he averaged an absurd 1.5 tries a game.
He also had nine appearances in first grade filling in handsomely for injured players, but former Sea Eagles coach Geoff Toovey wasn't able to squeeze him into the starting 13 on a regular basis.
Hiku has been used as a utility back for Manly covering fullback, the centres and the wing when needed, holding a lot more value than most players.
He didn't remain unsigned for long, earlier this week picking up a three year deal to join the Penrith Panthers.
2. Dylan Walker
Walker and his football ability have been somewhat forgotten in the backend of 2015.
For the majority of the 2015 NRL season Walker played with injury that required rest and off season surgery to fix.
Then he overdosed on prescription painkilling drugs with Rabbitohs winger Aaron Gray during September and the club released Walker in late November.
With a preseason under his belt there is reason to believe the 21-year-old can get back to his best in 2016 with the next club he goes to.
Already he's a premiership winner, an Australian representative and has been a superb try scorer for the Rabbitohs.
It's been rumoured for weeks Manly are the club poised to sign Walker, and the release of Hiku may have provided enough space in the salary cap for this to become a reality before Christmas.
1. James Roberts
He is the 2015 Dally M centre of the year - and quite possibly the fastest man in rugby league.
While representing New South Wales and Australia is something he hasn't achieve in his career yet, Roberts certainly seems ready to replace Justin Hodges in the Australian team and to earn Hopoate's position in the New South Wales origin side.
His off field troubles which got him sacked at the Rabbitohs and the Panthers appear behind him, and the troubles of the Gold Coast Titans are no longer his concern.
He's currently looking for a club where he can flourish and there are no shortage of suitors scrambling to put together an attractive deal.
The 24-year-old scored 16 tries for the Titans in 2015, equalling the club record and scoring them all from the centre position is rarely achieved.
Roberts' uncle and manager Jeremy Donovan spoke to the Sydney Morning Herald and confirmed what we knew for some time, Roberts is also looking for a club where he could potentially play fullback in a switch similar to that of Greg Inglis.
So far the rumoured list of interested clubs includes the Brisbane Broncos, Cronulla Sharks, Parramatta, St George Illawarra and South Sydney.
With Walker and Roberts both still available there's more offseason chaos to come.