November 1 is less than four months away, with teams around the competition already well into forward planning over what their squad will look like for years to come.
Inevitably, November 1 is the day that will draw the most attention, with players off-contract at the end of the following year able to begin negotiating with rival clubs from then.
While some clubs hold off on making decisions as they weigh up a player's future, there are some players off-contract at the end of 2027 who will receive multiple offers - and big ones - if they are not re-signed by their current club before they can negotiate.
That situation is even trickier heading into next year given the PNG Chiefs enter the competition in 2028, and while they have already managed a handful of signings are various loopholes, most of their squad - and tax-free salary cap - will be available to be spent from November 1.
As it stands, here is the player every club in the NRL must lock down before we tick on into November.
New Zealand Warriors: Wayde Egan
Strong dummy halves are not exactly a dime a dozen in the NRL.
In fact, you could fairly easily make the argument that hooker is maybe the position with the least depth across the competition.
That makes Wayde Egan a likely target for many rival clubs if he arrives at November 1 without a new contract.
The Warriors love having Egan as part of their side, and with good reason given his performance and effort at both ends of the park.
Jackson Ford is also a priority, but the Warriors could well wait until after November 1 to get that done and do it fairly easily.
Currently off-contract at end of 2027: Kurt Capewell, Jett Cleary, Wayde Egan, Kayliss Fatialofa, Jackson Ford, Chanel Harris-Tavita, Samuel Healey, Ali Leiataua, Te Maire Martin, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Adam Pompey, Riley Price
