The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs have confirmed four players will depart Belmore at the end of the 2026 season.
Josh Curran, Lipoi Hopoi, Jonathan Su'a and Bronson Xerri are the players heading for different opportunities, while seven players remain without a contract in 2027.
Curran will make the switch to the West Coast to take part in the inaugural Perth Bears squad after 61 games in the blue and white since his club debut in 2024.
In his first season at the club, he brought aggression and delivered a workhorse-like mentality in defence, which saw the Bulldogs reach the finals series.
Xerri will depart to the Melbourne Storm on a three-year contract, and was given an opportunity in 2024 after spending four years out of the game on a banned substance suspension.
He was in-and-out of the Bulldogs starting side in 2026, but featured in the club's historic fixture in Las Vegas in Round 1.
Local junior Hopoi will also depart the kennel, showing strong glimpses of a future enforcer after 17 matches in the top grade.
Reports suggest Hopoi will make the move to the nation's capital under Rick Stuart's Canberra Raiders outfit to develop into a pack leader after the club loses Morgan Smithies and Corey Horsburgh to the Bears.
In his final game of the season for the Bulldogs, News Corp reported Hopoi suffered an ACL injury, creating a major setback in his development as a consistent NRL first-grader.
Su'a will join Curran at the Bears after an official announcement was made on Wednesday of his long-term deal under Mal Meninga.
It leaves a few names who are without a contract in 2027 as a mystery.
It leaves Kade Dykes, Samuel Hughes, Zyon Maiu'u, Kurt Mann, Jack Todd, Jake Turpin, and Patrick Young still off-contract for next season.
There are plenty of clubs that could use the services of the seven soon-to-be free agents, and it remains unknown whether the Bulldogs will act on extensions before the start of preseason in November.
Meanwhile, winger Marcelo Montoya has retired mid-season and picked up a coaching and wellbeing role within the Bulldogs system.
The Bulldogs will farewell the quartet of players in their final home game of the year on Thursday night when the Brisbane Broncos travel to Accor Stadium.
The controversial kick-off rule will be trialled again in this match, with both sides out of the finals race so the NRL can gather further information if they are to implement it full-time.
