Everything you need to know about Super League’s transfer deadline day including loopholes and loan deals
Super League ball - Alamy
Super League clubs – and indeed teams in Championship and League 1 – are in the process of getting their final transfer business done for 2024, with the deadline of this Friday fast approaching.
A number of deals are still to be concluded, and will likely be done so right down to the final few hours of deadline day on Friday August 2 itself.
But there are plenty of details about the day itself that you may not know, and a number of points which supporters should be aware of. Rugby league’s own deadline day is not quite like its football equivalent: not least in terms of fanfare, but also in terms of details.
Here’s the key things you need to know.
Is there a time on deadline day for deals to be done?
No. Again, this is a situation where rugby league’s transfer deadline is unlike football. There’s often a lot of hype around a specific point in the day when deals have to be concluded by in football but in rugby league, it’s slightly different.
Clubs can complete a deal at any time before 11:59pm on Friday August 2, so long as the relevant paperwork is completed. There is no point in the day when a cut-off is imposed.
In simple terms, you have until the clock ticks over to Saturday August 3 to get a deal over the line.
What about for those clubs playing on Friday?
There is only one game on Friday, but it is a mouthwatering one, with Warrington Wolves hosting Hull KR in a battle of Super League’s top two.
However, there are no extra provisions or allowances for any clubs that wish to do business who are playing on deadline day despite them having a game.
They will have to adhere to the same rules as everyone else.
How do loan deals work?
Any loans that are struck between now and the end of the window can still be terminated before the end of the season.
There are likely to be more players who leave on short-term loan arrangements in the coming hours and days, but it doesn’t necessarily mean they will spend the remainder of 2024 away from their parent club.
Loans can be terminated after an initial two-week period, just like throughout the regular season, and they can return to their parent club. They will not, however, be allowed to leave on another loan deal.
Do different divisions have a different deadline?
No. All business must be concluded by 11:59pm on Friday August 2.
How will dual-registration work?
Clubs can still send players out on dual-registration after the deadline with their allotted partner clubs: but there is a catch.
Any player has to have featured for that dual-registration club four times before the deadline of Friday August 2 to be able to continue to head out on dual-registration.
Anyone who has played fewer than four times must be loaned out if they wish to continue playing elsewhere. So expect to see young players aplenty being loaned out to lower-league sides – most of them their parent club’s dual-registration partner – between now and the weekend.
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