Melbourne Storm back-up dummy half Bronson Garlick has been linked to a surprise move to the South Sydney Rabbitohs for the 2026 NRL season and beyond.
Garlick has become an important figure at the Storm in recent weeks, playing as the starting dummy half while Queensland State of Origin star Harry Grant has been out injured.
The back-up dummy half will have more role to play in the coming weeks, with Grant on the reserves for Round 11 and expected to miss games during the State of Origin window for the Storm as he turns out for the Maroons in Billy Slater's side who will be desperate to turn things around after their shock loss in Game 3 at Suncorp Stadium last year.
A crafty rake who does his job well in defence, Wide World of Sports' The Mole is reporting he has caught the attention of the South Sydney Rabbitohs as they work through what their 2026 squad will look like.
The Rabbitohs have turned to Peter Mamouzelos in the dummy half role this year following the departure of Damien Cook to the St George Illawarra Dragons during the off-season with mixed results.
The Greek representative is seen as the future of the club at number nine, but there is also a lack of depth for the role at the Maroubra-based club, and that's something Garlick, who has often been a contender for Craig Bellamy's bench when not starting, would improve in spades.
Whether he could push for a starting role remains to be seen, but with the bloated nature of Melbourne's salary cap, any upgrade of salary for Garlick's next deal may well see the Victorian-based club simply unable to retain him as they shuffle around their pieces to make the puzzle fit together.
Garlick actually began his career at the Rabbitohs through the National Youth Competition in 2014, with the 29-year-old born in Sydney before shifting to the Storm ahead of 2022 when he was originally on a development deal.
Pror to that, he captained the Newtown Jets at NSW Cup level and worked his way through the QLD Cup to make appearances in the NRL, where he now has 33 games for Bellamy's outfit.
