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Kalyn Ponga and Mitchell Moses linked to Roosters as NRL club tipped for 'mammoth' signing

The Roosters have been very quiet in the NRL market heading into the 2025 season.

riley morgan
Sports Reporter
·4-min read

The Roosters have been unusually quiet on the NRL market and Denan Kemp has claimed they will be making a move for the type of players in the ilk of Kalyn Ponga and Mitchell Moses for the 2026 season. Trent Robinson and the Roosters are heading into the 2025 season with a squad that is battling injury and uncertainty.

Sam Walker injured his ACL in the round 26 game against Canberra and will miss at least half the upcoming season. This will mean new signing Chad Townsend will slide into the halves. The exit of Luke Keary also hurts the Roosters with the five-eighth playing 168 games for the Tri Colours.

Kalyn Ponga and Mitchell Moses.
Denan Kemp has linked both Kalyn Ponga (pictured left) and Mitchell Moses (pictured right) to the Roosters with the Sydney club working with a plenty of salary cap space. (Getty Images)

And the exits of Terrell May, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Joseph Suaalii have thinned out Robinson's squad for the upcoming season. And Brandon Smith's future at the club is also reportedly in limbo with talks the Roosters could let him negotiate with rivals.

While it may be looking like the Roosters will drop off slightly in 2025, the exit of so many big names will allow the club to throw around big money when looking for a new superstar.

Kalyn Ponga during State of Origin camp.
Kalyn Ponga (pictured) is currently on the biggest contract in the NRL.

And former NRL star Kemp has suggested the Roosters could be looking at the likes of Ponga or Moses. The Newcastle Knights fullback is still on contract with the club for a number of years on a reported $1.4 million deal.

Although Kemp feels the fullback might be interested in a move. This comes after the Kangaroos debacle, which saw the club release a statement on Ponga's behalf to withdraw from Australian selection before backflipping. He also feels Moses' situation at the Eels - with Jason Ryles looking to rebuild the battling club - also a good time to poach the halfback.

"They are entering a new phase. I think there is going to be some mammoths signings. I can not see the Roosters going another 12 months without a big signing," Kemp said on SEN Radio on Friday.

"This whole Mitchell Moses thing is a bit weird. I think Kalyn Ponga. I know the Newcastle Knights would never let him go, but there has just been some weird smoke around it...it's just typical Roosters fashion. It's been way to quiet for too long. They are the best at big signings."

While only speculation, Kemp pointed to the Roosters' history of big signings and highlighted Cooper Cronk when he joined and won a premiership immediately. "The Roosters are the best at big signings. The Cooper Cronk signing was arguably one of the greatest signings of all-time," he added.

James Tedesco talks alongside Roosters coach Trent Robinson.
Roosters coach Trent Robinson (pictured right) could be looking to make some big moves in the NRL market.

"They are the best in the business at it and the same people that did those signings over the last 20 years are still on the board. Something is brewing at the Roosters and I think it's going to be monumental. It's not just going to be one, it's going to be multiple."

The Roosters currently have the Dally M fullback of the year in James Tedesco, but few would argue signing Ponga for the long-term wouldn't be a brilliant deal. While Ponga does seem a very unlikely move, Moses could be an option with the halfback potentially able to make himself a free agent next year.

Moses joined Parramatta from the Wests Tigers in 2018, with the halfback stating at the time that a major reason for him wanting to leave was his desire to win an NRL premiership. And if things don't improve drastically under Jason Ryles next season, under his current deal, Moses could make himself a free agent come November 1, 2025.

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However, according to The Daily Telegraph, the Eels front office wants to prevent that from even being a possibility by moving to erase the player options from his deal, locking down the halfback long-term, on a new and improved deal. Moses was a shining light in a Parramatta horror show in 2024 and also led the Blues to a rare Origin series win.

While the Eels have seen Brad Arthur depart after struggling in 2023 and 2024, there is excitement around new coach Ryles. Moses isn’t the only Eel with multiple player options in his deal, with his halves partner Dylan Brown also with player options from 2026 through to 2031.