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Roosters’ centre Billy Smith is reportedly the latest player in the sights of the rebel R360 rugby union competition.
WWOS’ The Mole reported Smith is the next NRL star R360 will chase for a code switch amid reports they have missed out on luring Payne Haas on a $3m a season deal.
The 26-year-old has been restricted to just 45 NRL games scoring 16 tries since his debut in 2019 after his early career was disrupted by multiple injuries, including two ACL blows.
Smith had his most consistent season for the Roosters last year scoring eight tries in a career best 18 games in 2025 after missing the whole of the 2024 season due to injury.
Like Ryan Papenhuyzen, who has also had an injury disrupted career and has been linked to R360, Smith may find a big tax free pay day too good to refuse, given his injury history.
Smith is signed to the Roosters until the end of 2027, but Zac Lomax’s decision to leave the Eels one year into a three-year deal has shown the lure of R360 dollars.
Despite the threat of a 10-year ban from the NRL, Smith may have find it hard to knock back the kind of money being speculated, with Lomax reportedly offered $1.5 million US a season, with potential tax breaks depending on where he plays.
Losing Smith would be a big blow for the Roosters, given they have lost star centres Joey Manu and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii to rugby in recent years.
Meanwhile, star winger Mark Nawaqanitawase is set to return to the rival code at the end of the 2026 season to bid for selection in the Wallabies’ World Cup on home soil.
Second-rower Angus Crichton has also been linked with a switch to rugby union, after he was a schoolboys star at Scots College.
No official approach to Smith has been made as yet, but negotiations are reportedly imminent.
https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl...99e3228edce6fb
WWOS’ The Mole reported Smith is the next NRL star R360 will chase for a code switch amid reports they have missed out on luring Payne Haas on a $3m a season deal.
The 26-year-old has been restricted to just 45 NRL games scoring 16 tries since his debut in 2019 after his early career was disrupted by multiple injuries, including two ACL blows.
Smith had his most consistent season for the Roosters last year scoring eight tries in a career best 18 games in 2025 after missing the whole of the 2024 season due to injury.
Like Ryan Papenhuyzen, who has also had an injury disrupted career and has been linked to R360, Smith may find a big tax free pay day too good to refuse, given his injury history.
Smith is signed to the Roosters until the end of 2027, but Zac Lomax’s decision to leave the Eels one year into a three-year deal has shown the lure of R360 dollars.
Despite the threat of a 10-year ban from the NRL, Smith may have find it hard to knock back the kind of money being speculated, with Lomax reportedly offered $1.5 million US a season, with potential tax breaks depending on where he plays.
Losing Smith would be a big blow for the Roosters, given they have lost star centres Joey Manu and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii to rugby in recent years.
Meanwhile, star winger Mark Nawaqanitawase is set to return to the rival code at the end of the 2026 season to bid for selection in the Wallabies’ World Cup on home soil.
Second-rower Angus Crichton has also been linked with a switch to rugby union, after he was a schoolboys star at Scots College.
No official approach to Smith has been made as yet, but negotiations are reportedly imminent.
https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl...99e3228edce6fb
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