There were several signings this year that proved profitable for players in their new environments, as well as clubs building towards something bigger.
From taking their clubs to finals to making a name for themselves in the competition, here are the recruits of 2026.
5. Dylan Brown (Newcastle Knights)
The Newcastle Knights appear on the list once again, and that is through the signing of Dylan Brown from the Parramatta Eels.
Brown made headlines with his enormous contract of $13 million over a ten-year period. This signing from the Knights made Brown one of the highest-paid athletes in the NRL.
The halfback has shown he is worth this kind of money at the Knights, assisting the club in making an incredible turnaround from wooden-spooners last year to making the preliminary finals in 2026.
Brown has an electric playing style accompanied by dancing feet that make him so elusive to any defender. Defence-wise, he has proved he is one of the best defenders in the halves, tallying a 92% tackle efficiency for the season.
I would not include Dylan Brown in the list of “10 best signings”. Why? Because Newcastle has signed him for far too long and for far too much money.
He will be 35 when he starts the last year of his contract.
Don’t expect him to be anywhere as near as good then as he is now.
I see him as a second Jason Taumalolo. Signed for ten years on about a million per year. He might have been worth the money in his first few years, but now he nowhere near worth the money.
I think Brown will end up just the same.
Where’s Coby Black…………………………………..