The Newcastle Knights have confirmed the signing of Trey Mooney from the Canberra Raiders.
The forward was still contracted with the Raiders into 2026, but after being given permission to explore his options, he has decided to join the Newcastle Knights.
The St George Illawarra Dragons and Parramatta Eels were also believed to be interested in his signature, but the Knights have been the long-term front-runners, and confirmed a three-year deal on Wednesday.
It means Mooney will relocate to the Hunter from the start of the 2026 NRL season through to at least the end of 2028.
Knights recruitment manager Peter O'Sullivan said Mooney ticks all the boxes for the Knights.
“We are so excited to have Trey join us at the Knights," O'Sullivan said in a club statement confirming the news.
“Trey meets all the criteria we are looking for to complete our middles list; he is a strong defender with a big athletic body, who produces great offloads and quick play the balls.
“He is an intelligent footballer with NRL experience, and all the skillset required to be an NRL starting forward week in week out.
“The club could not be happier; we now have a big mobile forward pack, which will generate momentum for our halves to play behind and opportunities for our outside backs."
Mooney has struggled for game time in Canberra, being stuck behind the likes of Josh Papalii, Joseph Tapine, Morgan Smithies, and Ata Mariota.
Papalii had been set to head to the English Super League to finish his career, but has instead elected to stay on in Canberra for 2026, delaying any chance of progression for Mooney to the point he decided to leave.
The Knights, who are losing Leo Thompson from their middle third to the Canterbury Bulldogs for 2026, have already picked up Pasami Saulo and Peter Hola. However, Mooney is a chance of walking straight into the middle third for the club, with injured lock Adam Elliott also set to leave.
The Knights have also confirmed young dummy half Harrison Graham will join the club on a development deal for 2026.
“We look forward to welcoming Harrison to the Hunter," O'Sullivan said.
“The club is really excited to have someone of Harrison's quality join us as an NRL development player.
“Harrison is a great trainer and hard-working hooker with NRL experience. He will add further depth and balance to our squad.
“We look forward to watching Harrison continue to progress his NRL career here at the Knights. We know he will compete and back himself both in every contest.”
The Knights, who picked up the 2025 NRL wooden spoon, are still without a coach for the new year after parting ways with Adam O'Brien.
