The NRL’s grand final week has been rocked by revelations that the breakaway rugby union competition R360 has officially been given the green light to launch in 2026.
Organisers confirmed to player agents on Tuesday night that the competition will kick off on October 2 next year after securing funding and locking in player commitments.
Long-form contracts have already been distributed, with as many as 10 NRL players understood to have signed on for the inaugural season, according to reports from CODE Sports this morning.
Among those reportedly committed are Melbourne Storm star Ryan Papenhuyzen, Parramatta Eels winger Zac Lomax, and South Sydney youngster Jye Gray.
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The timing of the announcement couldn’t be worse, coming on the same day the NRL celebrates its Dally M Medal night and in the week of this year’s grand final.
ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys has previously dismissed R360 as a minor threat, but the league is now suddenly forced to take the challenge seriously given the star power involved and the fact the competition is now confirmed.
What was once dismissed as a pipe dream has become a reality, and something the NRL can no longer afford to ignore.
The new competition is backed by significant private investment and is offering huge salaries to lure players away from rugby league and into its global circuit.
360 will be made up of eight overseas franchises in its opening season which will run next year from October to December, with the second season in 2027 expanding to 12 rounds from April to September.
The Storm are reportedly resigned to losing Papenhuyzen once his current contract expires at the end of next year.
Warriors fullback Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has also reportedly committed to the concept as he comes off contract at the end of 2026 so the timing could not be better for the New Zealand veteran.
Lomax’s situation is signed with the Eels until the end of 2028, though he has reportedly already informed the club of his desire to switch codes.
The Eels are unlikely to release him without a hefty fee, raising questions about whether R360 is prepared to pay compensation for contracted players.
If R360 does pay compensation for Lomax’s release, the issue becomes even bigger for the NRL — it will no longer just be off-contract stars that the competition needs to worry about.
With deep pockets, an offer to Nathan Cleary and a name-your-price release fee for the Panthers could suddenly be an example of the type of moves on the table.
There is little doubt now that the threat to the game’s stars is real — and no one may be off limits.
Player agents were told that funding has been secured to cover the competition’s first three seasons, running until 2028 as well, so longer term deals will be viable.
While rugby league faces the immediate threat of losing stars, the shake-up could also hit rugby union hard, with many of the expected recruits already coming from its ranks and set to make up the majority of players in the inaugural season.
R360 founder and former England international Mike Tindall had insisted only last week that the competition was on track, and those promises have now been backed with action.
Agents such as Clinton Schifcofske, who represents Papenhuyzen, Lomax, and Gray, have been heavily involved in discussions, with other names including Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Will Kennedy linked to talks.
R360 has also made it clear it wants player contracts finalised within weeks, ensuring momentum continues to build before its much-anticipated launch.
In the NRL’s penultimate week of the season, R360 hasn’t just fired a warning shot — it has launched an all-out assault on rugby league.