Source :- THE AGE NEWS
Perth has emerged as a potential destination for Moses Leota, but only if Penrith is prepared to grant the powerhouse prop a release for the 2027 season.
Leota is contracted until the end of the season, but the Panthers have given him permission to explore his options before officially becoming a free agent.
The Bears have the money and desire to sign Moses for their inaugural season, although it’s unclear whether the Panthers would be prepared to release him 12 months early. If the Panthers insist that Leota honours the final year of his contract, the Bears aren’t prepared to wait until 2028 and will withdraw their interest.
The Panthers are hoping to retain Leota at a time when fellow stars Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo, Liam Martin, Brian To’o, Mitch Kenny, Isaiah Papali’i, Blaize Talagi and Paul Alamoti are also poised to come onto the open market if they don’t recommit before November 1.
Leota has been given a small window, which closes at the end of this week, to negotiate with rival clubs.
“It’s just to see what’s out there and then obviously come back to the club, and we’ll sort it out that way,” Moses said after Penrith’s 36-14 win over South Sydney at CommBank Stadium on Friday night.
“I am [happy at Penrith]. Obviously, my manager’s got a job to do, and I leave it up to him. It’s just for me to focus on my footy, and when it’s done, it’s done.”
Asked if there was a chance of remaining at the foot of the mountains, the Kiwi international said: “Yeah, 100 per cent. But then again, I’ll leave that to my manager, and we’ll go from there.
“It is [an amazing club]. But in saying that, we can’t get too confident, and we’ve just got to take it each week at a time and we’ll go from there … Credit to the club, they let me go to the market early.
“It’s a lot of things [to consider]. Family, my future. But like I said, I want to stay, but we’ll see how we go from there.”
There will be no shortage of suitors for a front-rower considered one of the best. Parramatta was expected to be one of the interested parties, but the Eels have opted not to pursue him for now.
Expansion franchise PNG Chiefs, due to enter the competition in 2028, have also indicated they won’t be chasing the Kiwi international.
Leota is likely to be one of the beneficiaries from an expected rise in the salary cap, which could potentially rise to as high as $20 million in 2028.
Relief for two clubs after 13 weeks, two hamstring tears and a match-winner
Dan Walsh
Jonah Pezet didn’t need reminding.
His match-winning try in Parramatta’s upset of high-flying Manly on Sunday put a bow on his first NRL game in 13 weeks.
Two hamstring tears, three NSW Cup games and a suspension for a hip-drop tackle came in between for one of the most anticipated signings of 2026.
It will be a touch of relief surely for the Eels and Broncos, who Pezet will join on a three-year deal next season, after a Parramatta sojourn short on highlights so far.
And a touch of pride too for Pezet after he grubbered, regathered and scored with 10 minutes to play, before adding a late field goal to sink the Sea Eagles.
“It’s no secret that it’s been a pretty tough season, not just for the club with injuries, but myself,” Pezet said.
“I haven’t played NRL since round five. That’s a long time and there have been some tough days. But the performance staff have been really good looking after me and the boys as well [have been] wrapping their arms around me.
“We’ve got a fair rehab crew in there and those boys are doing it a lot tougher than I am … I’ve been pretty lucky to be here and have people like Rylesy [coach Jason Ryles]. Obviously, he’s got a team to coach, he’s got 35 other blokes to worry about. I try not to be a burden and walk in every day and not [drop] my bottom lip and be a burden on others.
“He’s been really good for me, Rylesy, with the confidence he brings, and he keeps my job really simple.”
Pezet, 23, was the hottest halves prospect on the market in October when he signed first a lucrative deal with the Broncos to succeed Adam Reynolds next season, and then a one-year contract with Parramatta.
The Eels had high hopes his halves partnership with skipper Mitchell Moses could spark a finals return. Instead, it has been back-up half Ronald Volkman who has impressed most in another forgettable club campaign trashed by one of the NRL’s worst injury tolls.
Pezet’s signing was always designed as a bridge between Dylan Brown’s exit and the development of young playmakers such as Joash Papalii, Lincoln Fletcher and Lorenzo Talataina, while Volkman remains off-contract.
It was Pezet’s commanding finals outing for Melbourne last year – when his game management shone bright against the Bulldogs – that prompted his pursuit of greener pastures. Until then, the plan had been for him to return to the Storm in 2027 after a loan stint elsewhere.
On Sunday it was Pezet’s footballing instincts that shone brightest given he had been cramping in backplay before gambling on a play-one grubber that paid off handsomely.
“I’ve just been doing that since I was a kid,” Pezet said.
“That’s just my footy brain, and I think if you look back, round five I put us under pressure doing that: I kicked one dead and [the Tigers] went up the other end and scored. I put us under pressure for the whole game.
“[Eels assistant] Nathan Brown coaches it in us – you learn from your mistakes, you take your lessons and you do it better … it’s no secret that we haven’t won enough footy games this year. We want to finish the year strong and I want to finish the year strong individually.”
Tigers skipper Koroisau receives verdict on pectoral injury
Dan Walsh
Wests Tigers skipper Api Koroisau will avoid season-ending surgery on a pectoral injury in a significant boost for the joint-venture’s hopes of qualifying for the finals.
Koroisau will only miss a month of play after scans revealed what the Tigers described as a “low-grade strain of the muscle tendon junction” in his pectoral, which forced the veteran No.9 off midway through Saturday’s loss to the Dragons.
The Tigers are scrambling to stay in touch with the top eight after the shock defeat to St George Illawarra but have a favourable draw in the coming weeks. After hosting the second-placed Warriors at Campbelltown on Friday night, the Tigers face bottom-eight sides Canterbury (away), Canberra (away) and Parramatta (home) before a round 23 bye.
Koroisau is targeting the Eels game for a return, while playmaker Jarome Luai will be back from delayed concussion symptoms against the Warriors. Back-rower Samuela Fainu is pushing to get back from a long-term foot injury this week as well.
Young hooker Josese Lanyon shapes as Koroisau’s replacement at dummy half against the Warriors, with Jock Madden and Latu Fainu in line as bench utility options.
The Tigers have slumped to 12th on the ladder – four points adrift of the eighth-placed Rabbitohs – after a slew of big-name injuries and a 2-7 losing run since thumping Canberra in late-April.
