The Canberra Raiders look to have their new halfback, at least for the next three years.

That is according to The Canberra Times, with a report on Saturday morning claiming Gold Coast Titans playmaker Jamal Fogarty has agreed to a three-year deal with Canberra.

The signing is expected to be confirmed next week with it now on the Titans to finalise his release.

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Fogarty had only extended his stay at the Gold Coast until the end of 2023 in August this year.

But with AJ Brimson tipped to move to five-eighth in 2022, it left Fogarty in a battle with Toby Sexton for the halfback jumper.

Titans chairman Dennis Wats suggested that battle had already been decided in an interview with Triple M last month, saying: “Toby Sexton will be the starting halfback next year… he’s ready to go”.

With that, Fogarty’s future was thrown up in the air and while the Gold Coast initially blocked Canberra’s request, the 27-year-old’s exit will be confirmed within the week.

The Raiders had been on the lookout for a halfback to replace George Williams and did extend Matt Frawley for another season at the end of last month.

Fogarty though represents a steady replacement for Williams, having quickly established himself as a genuine leader at the Gold Coast.

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Canberra did not have many off-contract options to look at for next season with Fogarty’s signature buying them time to search for a long-term solution.

Although with Fogarty signed on for three years it does also signal confidence in the 27-year-old’s chances of holding onto the spot into the future.

Former Raider Laurie Daley supported the move last month when speaking on The Big Sports Breakfast, claiming Fogarty would solve one of the club’s big weaknesses.

“He is very smart and a very similar type of player to George Williams,” he said.

“He has nice control to his game. He is a steady player without being that brilliant player, getting the team around the field.

“Communication has obviously been identified as a weakness in the Raiders this year. Jamal can fill that role for them.”

WHY EXPANSION COULD ‘TIP TRANSFER MARKET ON ITS HEAD’

Meanwhile, with the ARLC rubberstamping expansion plans for a 17th NRL team, attention has turned to what impact it could have on player market.

Cameron Munster, Kalyn Ponga and Harry Grant remain three top targets regardless of which team is introduced to the competition in 2023 according to The Australian’s Brent Read.

The player movement frenzy will extend far beyond that trio though, with Read suggesting it will see a host of big names hold off negotiating new deals with existing clubs.

“Some clubs in particular have a lot of players off-contract in a year’s time – Melbourne and Parramatta are obvious ones,” he said on Triple M.

“For some of those players it would be really attractive to them. You look at Reed Mahoney from Parramatta. A Queensland kid from the Sunshine Coast. If Redcliffe are the team he is a logical signing. Part of their corridor or area they want to own is the Sunshine Coast.

“At Melbourne you look at the likes of Brandon Smith, Christian Welch, Felise Kaufusi – they’re all Queenslanders. If you’re those blokes you’re not going to rush to re-sign a contract for the next three weeks.

“I’m sure your management won’t want you rushing. There’s going to be inflation caused by expansion and they’re the sort of guys who are going to benefit from it.”

Parramatta has 16 players either off-contract or without their futures sorted past 2022 while Melbourne has 18.

EXPANSION TARGETS: Every player by club who is off-contract at end of 2022

Former NRL player James Graham agreed, declaring the expansion team will “tip the transfer market on its head”.

“If I had three weeks to sign with my club or in three weeks I get the ability to negotiate with a new expansion team, there is no advantage to signing now,” he said.

“That is unless the club puts you in a position and says the deal is now or never. To be fair, we know these kinds of talks are happening behind closed doors anyway.”

The Brisbane Firehawks, Redcliffe Dolphins and Brisbane Jets are the three franchises in the race to become the new team.

WARRIORS FLYER WEIGHS UP EARLY EXIT

Elsewhere, Warriors winger David Fusitu’a is set to make a big call on his future.

According to a report from the NZ Herald, Fusitu’a has interest from both Super League clubs and rival NRL teams.

This is despite Fusitu’a, who is the club’s current longest-serving player, having two years remaining on his current contract.

The Herald reports that Fusitu’a has two offers on the table from Super League clubs while just as many NRL sides are also showing interest.

Fusitu’a established himself as one of the league’s best wingers between 2016 and 2018, scoring 46 tries in that period.

In the past two years he has managed just 12 games and may look for a fresh start in a bid to revitalise his career.

Fusitu’a has played 108 games for the Warriors since debuting in the NRL in 2014.