LeagueNews.co | Jason Patrick
Perth could emerge as the big beneficiaries of R360's failure to launch, easing pressure on the player market and potentially adding two top-tier options for 2027.
ARL Commission chairman Peter V'landys immediately confirmed to AAP that Zac Lomax and Ryan Papenhuyzen were able to return, after being linked to R360.
Whether either do immediately remains to be seen, but R360's 2026 demise is already a positive for the Bears.
Perth are yet to land a significant blow in the player market, and the threat of stars leaving the NRL and even marginally weakening the talent pool was less than ideal.
The demise of R360 should at least restore some normality back to the market, while adding serious questions over the viability of a new 2028 launch date.
There also remains the potential of the Bears making a play for rugby union talent both in Australia and abroad, with one less threat in R360 now gone.
Lomax and Papenhuyzen share the same manager in Clinton Schifcofske and were both in talks with R360 before exiting their NRL clubs in the past two months.