NRL Market Watch: Tyrone Munro shaping as Wayne Bennett’s biggest retention test, South Sydney Rabbitohs | Daily Telegraph
Tyrone Munro is shaping as new South Sydney coach Wayne Bennett’s biggest retention test with the club to hold decisive contract talks with the boom Rabbitohs winger in the coming days.
South Sydney told this masthead that the club has a strong desire to retain Munro and he remains a high retention priority under Bennett.
Munro, who is signed until the end of 2025, has a three-year deal on the table but looks set to test the
open market from November 1unless the parties can agree on extension terms in the coming days.
The 19-year-old is viewed as the future in the outside backs at South Sydney but the club could find itself in battle to keep the talented youngster if he left to test his value on the open market.
The speedster, who has scored six tries in just seven games, is a genuine X-factor putting him on the radar of a number of clubs looking to add pace and strike to their outside backs.
Clubs including Parramatta and Newcastle are looking to add speed to their outside backs and Munro fits the bill.
Tyrone Munro hits the open market on November 1. Picture: Hannah Peters/Getty Images
While South Sydney are in a hurry to get the Munro deal done, Bennett is expected to take his time before making a call on the future of a number of other Rabbitohs that will become free agents from November 1.
The club is yet to offer young forward Davvy Moale an extension beyond 2025 meaning a rival outfit can swoop on the South Sydney local junior in the coming days.
The Rabbitohs are keen to retain Moale but Bennett won’t be rushed into a decision, leaving the young prop to make an impression on the mastercoach during the upcoming pre-season.
Bennett handed Moale his NRL debut back in 2021 during his first stint at the club.
But given the fact that November 1 is shaping as a “middles market”, Moale is expected to generate plenty of interest from rival outfits looking to beef-up their forward stocks.
St George Illawarra, Canterbury, Melbourne and even the Eels are some of the clubs looking to add a prop to their top-30 rosters.
The market for Moale will only get bigger if the Wests Tigers can’t retain Fonua Pole and the Newcastle Knights fail in their bid to lock in Leo Thompson, who will be the hottest prop target for clubs from November 1.
Flyer Alex Johnston, who is signed until the end of 2025, is yet to be offered an extension but the club will progress talks in the coming weeks.
The winger is in a race to line-up for Round 1 as he recovers from an Achilles injury suffered back in July.
Johnston, 29, was almost forced to exit South Sydney back in 2020 due to a salary cap squeeze, which led to an online fan petition demanding the try-scoring flyer be re-signed by the club.
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