While recruitment activity across other Super League clubs is coming to light, very little has come out relating to Leeds Rhinos. Sam Walters appears to be on his way to Wigan Warriors and Liam Tindall has been linked with a move to Hull FC. But otherwise, developments, publicly at least, have been slow.
The club still has a number of players, who hold significant salary cap value, off-contract. Among them is James Bentley. The back-rower is now free to hold talks with rival clubs and at this stage, his future does appear unclear.
Bentley arrived in 2022 as part of a high-profile recruitment drive that saw Aidan Sezer, Blake Austin and David Fusitu'a also join the club. When he arrived, he was brought in to compete for a place in the side with Rhyse Martin and Alex Mellor, who departed for Castleford Tigers just a few months later. As a result, he was handed a sizable contract that reflected his importance in the squad.
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But the lay of the land within the club's back-row department is different now. Rhyse Martin remains at the club, Morgan Gannon has emerged as one of the best young talents in the game and James McDonnell has proved to be an impressive addition since his arrival from Wigan Warriors. Zane Tetevano has been successfully utilised in the role too since Rohan Smith's arrival.
The simple reality is that Bentley isn't the sure-fire starter he was when he arrived at the club. He is one of several strong options Smith has in his position, but not nailed on.
But in a salary cap sport, that makes it difficult for the Rhinos to justify retaining Bentley on his current value. That's no slight on the Ireland international, more testament to Gannon's rise and McDonnell's emergence.
It has to be said that Bentley's career at Leeds so far has had its up and downs. Suspension and injuries have restricted him to just 29 appearances for the club so far. He has only been selected for 67 per cent of games the club has played since his arrival.
It leaves both the Rhinos and Bentley with a difficult decision. You'd suspect that there are teams elsewhere in the competition that would be able to justify paying Bentley more than the Rhinos can at this stage. And let's be right, the 25-year-old has provided some excellent performances in blue and amber. His display in the play-off semi-final over Wigan last year was outstanding.
But then you have to question whether Leeds want to lose a player who should be entering the prime years of his career and whose track record is impressive. It's not just a case of losing him but potentially strengthening a rival too.
And from Bentley's side, if he is offered reduced terms, does he leave his boyhood club for a more lucrative deal? It is, after all, a short career, and players have to consider their future beyond rugby. Beyond that, there are no guarantees, long-term, Bentley is the go-to back-rower at Leeds. Would he prefer to move to a club where that's the case?
If a salary cap didn't exist, there's not much of an argument to be had here. But it does, and with Leeds potentially looking at significant additions across the squad, they have to spend their money well. Many will tell you the club that utilises the salary cap best is the one that wins the competition.
Martin's positional future may well be a key factor. The goal-kicker has been used frequently at centre this year and if Smith sees his future there, that could change things.
In the meantime, it's inevitable that a player of Bentley's calibre will be commanding interest. It will be interesting to see where he ends up.
