The PNG Chiefs can begin recruiting the rest of their squad from November 1, adding pressure to a player market already expected to be the biggest signing period in the sport's history.
The new club has signed seven players, including Jarome Luai, former rugby union players Zac Lomax and Joseph Manu, and four-time premiership winner Brian To'o from Penrith.
Those deals have already stretched the salary cap, while the Chiefs are expected to target halfbacks, hookers and forwards.
With a tax-free incentive to move to Port Moresby, the Chiefs' recruitment could lift player prices and force other clubs to fill their rosters competitively.
That backdrop helps explain why Canberra and the Sydney Roosters withdrew major offers just days before the deadline.
On Monday, Canberra said Hudson Young had not accepted its club-record offer and took it off the table.
Hours later, the Roosters withdrew Sam Walker's offer after chairman Nick Politis grew tired of waiting for the halfback to accept a reported valuation of about $1.3 million a year.
Critics asked, "how you could possibly let your biggest stars walk?" Yet both clubs were protecting their interests amid an unsettled market.