A star-studded XIII of Super League’s free agents ahead of 2025

When December arrives, off-contract players can start discussing their options for 2026 with clubs across the land, but there are still players who are yet to secure a deal anywhere for 2025!

Having departed the club they represented at the end of the 2024 campaign, some players’ futures for next year are yet to be decided – or at least announced.

Here, we’ve put together a ‘free agent XIII’ of Super League stars still on the open market.

For what it’s worth, if a player is set to remain where they currently are and their club just hasn’t announced their extension for 2025 yet, then we’ve excluded them.

As an example, Jack Hughes is one of those – he will remain with Leigh in 2025, but the Leopards are yet to formally announce his new deal.

Without further ado, here is our free agent XIII…

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1. Jack Walker

Walker‘s departure from Hull FC was only confirmed in mid-November, so it comes as no surprise that his signing is yet to be announced by a new club.

The 25-year-old had 12 months left on his contract at the MKM Stadium, but after an injury-hit 2024 campaign which saw him play just 14 times, the Black and Whites released him early.

Having come through Leeds Rhinos’ academy, the one-time England Knights international has gone on to don a shirt for Hull KR and Bradford Bulls as well as FC, racking up 113 senior career games to date.

2. David Fusitu’a

Ex-New Zealand and Tonga international Fusitu’a is another who has had an injury-hit last few years, managing only 43 appearances for Leeds across the three seasons he spent at Headingley.

The winger, who turned 30 in October, had amassed over a century of NRL appearances for the New Zealand Warriors prior to joining the Rhinos and had ended the 2018 campaign as the top try-scorer Down Under.

The likelihood is he will now return to Australia.

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3. Tom Opacic

One man who has openly stated his preference to return Down Under is Opacic, who departs Super League following two years with Hull KR which saw him amass 48 appearances.

Having turned 30 in September, the centre fell out of favour at Craven Park in the second half of the 2024 season, and didn’t make the matchday squad for the Robins’ Grand Final defeat to Wigan at Old Trafford.

He has just over 80 NRL appearances to his name having donned the shirts of Brisbane Broncos, North Queensland Cowboys and Parramatta Eels.

4. Ricky Leutele

Centre Leutele was one of the more surprising ‘releases’ across the whole of Super League having been a standout star for Leigh across the last couple of years. Leopards boss Adrian Lam himself detailed how gutted he was to be losing the 34-year-old.

Having suffered a season-ending injury midway through the 2023 campaign, Leutele recovered to feature in 30 of Leigh’s 31 games across all competitions in 2024.

The seven-time Samoa international had been linked with a return to Huddersfield a few months back, though that would appear to be dead in the water now given the backs that the Giants have already recruited for 2025.

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5. Matt Ikuvalu

There isn’t exactly a wealth of wingers on the open market who played in Super League in the season just gone. Having opted against including Liam Tindall after his exit from Hull FC, we’re instead pushing Australian ace Ikuvalu – primarily a centre – out wide.

30-year-old Australian Ikuvalu spent circa 18 months with Catalans Dragons having arrived from Cronulla Sharks midway through the 2023 campaign.

Reaching the Grand Final just a few months later, he made a total of 36 appearances for the Dragons having seen his 2024 campaign cut short through a pectoral injury.

6. Ryan Hampshire

Versatile back Hampshire returned to Wigan Warriors ahead of the 2023 campaign, and departed at the end of the season just gone having formed part of the squad which has won all six of the last major honours on offer, including two Super League titles.

Due to a combination of injuries and being a ‘deputy’ on the pecking order, he left having featured just 12 times over the last two seasons, following on from a 2022 campaign which saw him make only five appearances for Castleford Tigers, again due to injury.

With his 30th birthday coming up at the end of December, we’ve slotted him into the halves here to accomodate for Walker taking the full-back spot.

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7. Jacob Miller

We’ve also had to do a bit of jigging about with Miller, pushing him into the 7 role as opposed to the 6 he’s played in more often in his career. Nonetheless, we’d still back him to do a job for us in this hypothetical side following his departure from Castleford.

The Australian had been contracted at The Jungle until the end of the 2025 season, but having struggled for any sort of form over the two years he’s spent at The Jungle, the Tigers allowed him to cut his time with the club short. He scored six tries in 52 appearances for the Fords.

Now 32, the Sydney-born playmaker has been in the British game since 2013 – spending eight years with Wakefield Trinity prior to joining Cas having also donned a shirt for both Hull FC and Doncaster, the latter as a loanee.

8. Seb Ikahihifo

Our options for much of the forward pack weren’t plentiful, but Ikahihifo takes out first spot in the front-row following his departure from Huddersfield.

Having joined the Giants from NRL outfit New Zealand Warriors in 2016, the Auckland native went on to make 140 appearances during his time at the John Smith’s Stadium as well as 32 on loan for fellow Super League side Salford Red Devils.

Reports earlier this year suggested that the veteran would be joining Championship outfit Halifax Panthers, though no official movement has happened on that front just yet, with Ikahihifo set to turn 34 in January.

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9. Alrix Da Costa

Nine-time France international Da Costa has only ever played for Catalans at senior level but saw his Dragons contract expire at the end of the 2024 campaign and hasn’t had an extension officially announced just yet.

He had been a man in demand, according to reports during the 2024 season, but it would appear most likely he’ll stick with the Dragons.

The 27-year-old hooker, born in Foix, has 124 first-team appearances for Catalans on his CV, scoring six tries to date including two in 2024.

10. Daniel Hindmarsh-Takyi

Hindmarsh-Takyi was virtually our only option for the second prop spot in this 13. It’s a good job we’ve not gone for a full squad, put it that way!

The London-born forward put pen to paper on a two-year deal with Castleford ahead of the 2024 season and was recruited from Down Under having been plying his trade in the Queensland Cup for Northern Pride.

He played just eight games for the Tigers though, and was released at the end of the campaign. Still on the lookout for a new home, the 26-year-old also featured on loan for both Newcastle Thunder and Whitehaven in 2024.

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11. Nixon Putt

Former Castleford team-mate Putt takes the first place in our back-row following his own departure from The Jungle, with the Papua New Guinean winning a battle for this spot against released St Helens academy product Sam Royle on seniority.

28-year-old Putt, whose appearance tally for the Kumuls is in double figures, played just seven games for Cas in 2024 having joined them on a two-year contract.

Reports of homesickness rung true, with the forward granted a release from the remainder of his contract at The Jungle come the end of the season. He also represented both Batley Bulldogs and Newcastle as a loanee in 2024.

12. Luis Johnson

Now 25, Johnson is searching for a third permanent home in as many seasons having made 10 appearances for Castleford in 2024 after penning a one-year contract with the Tigers.

The back-rower’s Super League debut came for Warrington back in September 2018 having previously featured on loan for Rochdale Hornets.

Fast forward six years, and Johnson now has a total of 72 career appearances on his CV having donned a shirt for Widnes Vikings, Hull KR, Dewsbury Rams and Featherstone Rovers as well as the aforementioned Warrington, Rochdale and Cas.

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13. Rhys Kennedy

We’re opting to utilise an extra prop at loose in this side, and slotting Australian powerhouse Kennedy in here as a result. The 30-year-old was let go by Hull KR at the end of the 2023 campaign and was handed a Super League lifeline by newly-promoted London, going on to make 27 appearances for the Broncos in the season just gone.

New South Wales native Kennedy had played for South Sydney Rabbitohs and Brisbane Broncos in the NRL before he joined KR, and it’s unknown whether he will return Down Under or not just yet.

London boss Mike Eccles has said there are upwards of 10 players who wish to remain with the Broncos in the Championship, and we await to see whether the forward is one of those, though that would seem unlikely.

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