As Super League clubs look to plan ahead for next year, we’ve assessed the long-term contracts which have seen players already tied down.
Plenty of players remain without contracts for the 2026 season but some players won’t have to worry about new deals for quite some time with 16 players in Super League contracted until the end of 2029 or beyond.
One of those players is only actually contracted until 2027 but has options for both 2028 and 2029, whilst another is tied down until the end of the 2031 season – a full six more campaigns after the end of this current one.
Eight of Super League’s twelve sides are represented with the quartet that aren’t being Catalans Dragons, Huddersfield Giants, Salford Red Devils and Wakefield Trinity.
Both the Giants and Trinity have players contracted until the end of the 2028 season, namely Oliver Wilson and George King for Huddersfield, whilst Wakefield have seven such players including England duo Tom Johnstone and Mike McMeeken.
Below are the Super League players with the longest current contracts.
The longest contracts in Super League
Contracts expiring at the end of the 2029 season
Thirteen of the sixteen players see their contracts end in 2029, including the Super League man with options. That’s Jai Field, with the Wigan Warriors full-back signing a new deal earlier this year that secured him until the end of 2027 and added options for the two years after that.
Alongside him are four Wigan teammates with Kaide Ellis, Sam Walters, Jake Wardle and Brad O’Neill all tied down long-term but they’re not the longest Super League contracts that the Warriors have handed out.
Hull KR boast three players whilst across the city, Herman Ese’ese is also set to stay until the end of ’29. England internationals Matty Lees and Danny Walker have both secured new deals recently, just like youngsters Fletcher Rooney and Riley Lumb have done.
Contracted through 2029: Fletcher Rooney (Castleford Tigers), Herman Ese’ese (Hull FC), Elliot Minchella, James Batchelor, Jai Whitbread (all Hull KR), Riley Lumb (Leeds Rhinos), Matty Lees (St Helens), Danny Walker (Warrington Wolves), Jai Field*, Brad O’Neill, Jake Wardle, Kaide Ellis, and Sam Walters (all Wigan Warriors, *2028 and 2029 are options in the player’s favour)
Contracts expiring at the end of the 2030 season
The list for those contracted until the end of 2030 or beyond is far shorter, standing at just two and both are homegrown Wigan Warriors players. Junior Nsemba signed his monster deal at the end of last year but Tom Forber only inked his this month. The hooker is tied down even longer than first-choice number nine Brad O’Neill, highlighting what those at the club think of him.
Contracted through 2030: Junior Nsemba and Tom Forber (Wigan Warriors)
Contracts expiring at the end of the 2031 season
Just one player is contracted beyond the end of the 2030 season and that is Leigh’s star Edwin Ipape, who signed a whopping six-year deal earlier this year. The hooker has been phenomenal since arriving in Super League having lit up the Championship with the club as well.
He earned Super League Dream Team honours in 2023 and will be in contention once again this year. The Papua New Guinean will be 31 by the time his deal ends so will have plenty of rugby left in his legs, meaning this contract could even be extended.
Contracted through 2031: Edwin Ipape (Leigh Leopards)
