Tag: Houston SaberCats

MLR Player Move Summary: November 4-10, 2024

For the 2nd week in a row, three pages are required for the graphic to summarise all the moves around MLR from last week! In total there were TWENTY-SIX re-signings around the league, 10 completely new signings from outside MLR, four players returning to MLR after some time playing elsewhere, and 3 inter-league moves. This article will go into more detail on all the activity from last week, allowing you to stay up to date on all the goings on ahead of the 2025 season! As always, we start with the first page of our summary, and jump into the returning players:

MLR Player Moves Summary: November 4-10, 2024 (1 of 3)
Relentless Re-Signings

As mentioned in the introduction, Six MLR teams announced the return of 26 players from their 2024 rosters who will return for 2025, including NINE for the San Diego Legion alone. The Legion appear to be announcing their entire roster between November 1st to 15th, and announced all their locks, back rows, scrum-halves, and fly-halves last week! We will get into the new additions for the Legion later in the article, but returning to the Legion in the second row are Charlie Hewitt and Brandon Harvey. MLR veteran Hewitt, a Champion with New York in 2022, has 68 caps and 34 starts in MLR since 2018, and scored 1 of his 3 tries in 2024, earning 3 starts and 11 appearances in his first year with the Legion. Brandon Harvey earned his MLR debut in 2024, making 3 starts in 5 games for the Legion and running for over 100m gained in possession. Also announced as returning for San Diego were Jay Tuivaiti and Vili Helu, who can both play on the flank. Tuivaiti scored 2 tries in 8 games (all starts) for the Legion in his debut MLR season in 2024, and Helu appeared in all 17 Legion games (12 starts) and has 61 MLR appearances since 2020, closing in on 1,500m gained and 500 tackles made in his MLR career. Capped USA Eagle Paddy Ryan will return to the Legion back row along with Australian veteran Christian Poidevin. Ryan was a late addition in 2024, earning 2 starts and 7 appearances for the Legion after joining from the English Champinoship, and 2021 MLR Champion Christian Poidevin returns for his 5th MLR season and 3rd with the Legion after an injury-affected 2024 . Poidevin has 10 tries in 45 MLR appearances (40 starts) since 2021, including 6 tries in 17 games for the San Diego Legion over the last two seasons.

Moving away from the pack to the Legion’s half backs, Connor Tupai will return in the 9 jersey for San Diego after scoring 5 tries in 15 games (14 starts) in 2024, completing over 120 tackles on defence. Wallabies legend Matt Giteau will not be returning for the Legion in 2025 after re-announcing his retirement, but Lincoln McClutchie and Harris Rutherford are returning. McClutchie was the Legion’s starting 10 for much of the first half of the season last year, finishing 6th in MLR scoring with 2 tries and 81pts in 12 games (8 starts). US-eligible Scottish fly-half Harris Rutherford didn’t get many minutes in 2024 as the Legion’s 4th 10 behind McClutchie, Giteau, and Josh Henderson, but still earned 3 MLR appearances, scoring 14pts and earning a Team of the Week selection in Round 17. That just about does it for the Legion’s returning players announced last week, and we’ll see the returning back line players in next week’s summary!

It’s not quite the 9 re-signings of the Legion, but the Houston SaberCats were also busy with 5 re-signings of their own. Recording a MLR-best 14-2 regular season in 2024, the SaberCats fell short in the playoffs and will be looking to take it a few steps further in 2025. Fly-half/fullback Davy Coetzer will return for a 4th season with Houston after signing a long-term contract through 2027. Coetzer has scored 16 tries and 291pts in 42 MLR games (all starts) for the SaberCats, and is MLR’s 9th highest points scorer of all-time. Joining Coetzer in the back line will be former Toronto Arrow Tautalatasi Tasi. Tasi has 4 tries in 20 MLR games since 2023 including 2 in 10 games (all starts) for the SaberCats in 2024. Also returning is 2024 Co-Captain Nathan den Hoedt, a 2021 MLR Champion with LA has 56 appearances under his belt including 24 with Houston since 2023. As well as den Hoedt, the SaberCats pack will see the return of lock/back row Johan Momsen and front row Pita Anae-Ah Sue. Momsen, MLR’s Forward of the Year in 2021, has just under 750 tackles made in his 66 games in MLR, scoring 13 tries including 1 in his 13 games (12 starts) in his first season with the SaberCats in 2024. Anae-Ah Sue is also returning for his 2nd season with Houston in 2025 after he scored 4 tries in 13 games (all starts) in their very strong 2024 season.

MLR Player Moves Summary: November 4-10, 2024 (2 of 3)

Staying in the Western Conference, the Utah Warriors continue to announce their returnees following the exodus of a few weeks ago, confirming that 4 Warriors veterans will be returning. Fan favourite centre Paul Lasike will return for a 5th season with Utah in 2025 after earning a career high 11 appearances (all starts) in 2024, and setting a career high in tackles with an even 100. Fellow long-time Warrior Emerson Prior will return for a 4th season after the Canadian prop was drafted 37th overall by Utah in 2021. Prior has 32 MLR appearances (16 starts) since 2022 and set career highs in both meters gained and tackles made in 2024. Also returning for a 4th season with Utah will be US-eligible kiwi scrum-half Zion Going, who has 4 tries in 34 games (16 starts) for the Warriors since 2022 and is another player who set career highs in meters gained and tackles in 2024. In fact, Going started more games in 2024 (9) than he had in the previous two seasons combined (4+3=7). Finally, promising Utah local Tomasi Tonga is back once again. Tonga has 3 tries in 18 games (7 starts) for the Warriors since 2022 but had limited game-time in 2024 with just the 1 game. He’ll no doubt be hoping to get those numbers back up in 2025.

The final returnee in the Western Conference is capped Canadian international hooker Jesse Mackail, who will return to the Seattle Seawolves for 2025. Mackail did not feature for the Seawolves in 2024, but spent the pre-season with Seattle before having to return to Canada.

Still on the many, MANY re-signings announced last week but moving over to the Eastern Conference, the Miami Sharks announced a trio of returnees including Captain Tomás Cubelli. Cubelli was the first player ever announced by the Sharks, and the Los Pumas veteran appeared in 11 games (10 starts) for the Sharks in their inaugural season. Along with Cubelli, the Sharks announced the return of a pair of capped Uruguayan internationals in Tomás Inciarte and Manu Ardao. Centre/scrum-half Inciarte scored 3 tries in 15 games (all starts) for the Sharks, completing just shy of 150 tackles on defence, and back row Ardao scored 5 tries in his 12 games (also all starts), carrying for well over 550m gained with ball in hand.

Finally, the reigning Champions announced the return of four depth pieces for their title defence. Kiwi prop Malakai Hala-Ngatai was a regular for the Free Jacks in 2024, scoring 3 tries in 15 games (7 starts) and carrying for over 200m gained as a front row. New England announced the return of a pair of veterans in Isaac Olson and Foster DeWitt, both test capped for Canada. Isaac Olson has earned 13 appearances (1 start, 1 try) for the Free Jacks since 2022, and Foster DeWitt has 3 tries and 9 starts in 35 games in the same timespan. Both Olson and DeWitt return for their 4th MLR seasons with the Free Jacks in 2025. Last but not least, Boston born Irish wing/centre Killian Coghlan also returns after earning 4 MLR appearances off the bench in 2024.

Source: @NEFreejacks on Instagram
New Names Entering MLR

Now that the heaps of re-signings are out of the way, we can move on to the new players joining MLR teams for the first time and will make their Major League Rugby debut in 2025. Another pair of Canada Sevens players step back from the national program and will enter MLR next season, following Brock Webster and Josiah Morra last week. Back row Matt Oworu will link up with a number of Canadians in Chicago with the Hounds. Born in Canada but raised in Zimbabwe, Oworu has been capped for both the 7s and 15s national sides, most recently starting at 12 for Canada’s November test against Chile in Romania. Also entering MLR from the national program is Cooper Coats, who played for the Ontario Arrows in their exhibition season in 2018 before entering MLR as the Toronto Arrows in 2019. Coats will join fellow Canadians Callum Botchar and Kaden Duguid with the NOLA Gold, and is also capped for Canada at both 7s and 15s level, most recently coming off the bench for Canada’s test against Chile, the same game that Oworu started.

On top of their 9 re-signings covered earlier in this article, the San Diego Legion announced the addition of 4 new faces for their 2025 roster. Waratahs veteran and capped Wallaby Jed Holloway heads to California, having made his test debut against Argentina in 2022 as Wallaby #955, and can play lock or loose forward. Holloway will be joined by fellow Australian flanker Brad Wilkin, a former Wallabies U20 player who played alongside Holloway at the Waratahs between 2017-2018. Wilkin joins the Legion following the demise of the Melbourne Rebels. The Legion back row is going to be packed with Australians, as the team announced the addition of promising young prop Jimmy Hokafonu from Eastwood in the Shute Shield, and finally the addition of capped Samoan prop Brook To’omalatai, a late blooming prop who caught the eyes of the Legion during the 2024 PNC, where he played on the Samoan side that defeated the USA in the 3rd place playoff.

MLR Player Moves Summary: November 4-10, 2024 (3 of 3)

Along with Matt Oworu from the Canadian sevens program, the Chicago Hounds announced the signing of fellow Canadian Noah Flesch. The younger brother of current Hound Mason Flesch, Noah joins from the Pacific Pride, Canada’s high performance pathway, and earned his full test debut over the weekend as Canada faced Chile in Romania. Another young talent joining the Hounds for 2025 is Australian utility back Ben Pollack, an Australia U19 & U20 player who enters MLR from Gordon in the Shute Shield, earning his 50th first grade appearance for the Highlanders in 2024. Finally for the Hounds, a veteran Scottish lock joins their pack in Hamish Bain, who played under former Hounds Head Coach Rob Webber for the Jersey Reds during their dominant 2022/23 Championship Season. Bain, a former Glasgow Warrior, joins from Vannes in the French Pro D2.

Finally for new faces joining MLR for 2025 is long-time Sharks hooker Kerron van Vuuren, who will enter the Seattle Seawolves front row after representing the Sharks Currie Cup side, and progressing to represent the senior team in both Super Rugby and the URC, and helping them to their first Challenge Cup title in 2024.

Source: @chicagohoundsrugby
Familiar Faces, Inter-League Signings, and Other News

Unusually for Major League Rugby, last week saw teams announce the return of 4 players who had played in MLR prior to last season, but played elsewhere in 2024. This includes a pair of familiar faces for the San Diego Legion, who were by far the busiest team last week. Both returnees come from their record-breaking 15-1 season in 2023 where they finished as runners-up. 2023 All-MLR First XV scrum-half Richard Judd returns after spending 2024 with the Hurricanes in Super Rugby, and Kiwi hooker Shilo Klein also returns having spent 2024 between the Blues in Super Rugby, and North Harbour in the NPC. Judd earned an MLR-high 6 Team of the Week selections in 2023, tied with then-Legion teammate Nate Augspurger, and scored 7 tries in 14 games (all starts). Klein added another 2 tries in 15 games (4 starts), and racked up over 300m gained in possession. The return of Judd and Klein will be a huge boon for the Legion in 2025.

The New England Free Jacks also have the benefit of a familiar face returning in Joe ‘The Mechanic’ Johnston to add to their already deep back row. a 2023 Champion with New England, Johnston earned 48 MLR caps for the Free Jacks between 2021-2023, starting 37 times and scoring 8 tries while completing over 575 tackles. He returned to New Zealand to finish his education in 2024, and played with Bay of Plenty in the NPC. Unlike the 3 familiar faces just mentioned, the final returnee joins a different team to the one he previously played with in MLR. Tongan born, Hawaii raised prop Ma’ake Muti featured in 6 games for the LA Giltinis in their Shield-winning 2021 season, before joining the American Raptors and spending a couple of seasons playing in Super Rugby Americas. For 2025, Muti joins the Miami Sharks. This may be following the announcement that the Raptors would not be playing pro rugby in 2025.

Onto the inter-league signings. Seeing new players from flashy overseas leagues is without a doubt exciting, but to have players moving between MLR teams and generating these ‘organic’ moves, helps to build rivalries between fanbases and is great news for the league. Firstly, we learned of the desitination of another ex-Dallas Jackals player in Dewald Kotze, the capped Canadian hooker signing with the Seattle Seawolves for 2025. Kotze scored 14 tries in 35 games (29 starts) across 3 seasons with the Jackals, including 11 in 17 games in 2024 that featured a MLR record FIVE-TRY performance against the Seawolves, who selected him 10th overall in the Dispersal Draft for Jackals players. The Seawolves’ signing of Kotze may explain why USA Eagle hooker Joe Taufete’e is moving on from Seattle, instead signing with the NOLA Gold who are putting together an exciting looking team for 2025. The Gold will be the 4th different team in as many seasons for the 2021 MLR Champion Taufete’e, who is Eagle #466.

Source: @nolagoldrugby on Instagram

And finally, to finish off this weeks summary article we have yet more news from the San Diego Legion. The California club announced the return of 2023 draftee James Rivers for 2025. English born Rivers was selected 10th overall by the Legion and spent 2024 on loan with Anthem RC, making over 130 tackles in 13 games (11 starts) during their inaugural season. On the topic of Legion draftees, San Diego also confirmed the signing of 2024 7th overall pick Inoke Waqavesi for 2025, drafted out of Saint Mary’s College where he played alongside 1st overall pick Erich Storti, Waqavesi can play across the back line. The Legion also confirmed the signing of academy product Aidan Konja out of SDSU as a homegrown player, and he will continue to develop in the Legion system in 2025.

That, finally, is the end of NARDB’s summary of all of the moves around Major League Rugby for the week of November 4-10, 2024. Feel free to share or quote this article but please do credit NARDB, and we look forward to seeing just how busy this week will be for player moves. Summaries articles and graphics are posted every monday on this site and across social media. be sure to follow @Jamdelay/@NARugbyDB on Twitter/X, and @MLRStats on Instagram & Threads.

MLR Player Moves Summary: October 28 – November 3, 2024

Another week deeper into the off-season, and it was busiest week so far in terms of player movement around Major League Rugby! This is your weekly player movement breakdown for last week, October 28th to November 3rd and for the first time this off-season, we have a three page summary to go through! Be sure to check the MLRStats instagram for the full summary. This article will dive deeper into last week’s moves and it’s going to be a long one, so buckle up! As always, the first page of the summary is below:

Player Move Summary: October 28-November 3, 2024 (1 of 3)
Trade Wire Playing Catch-Up

On October 30th, the MLR Trade Wire updated to reveal FIVE trades that dated back to October 9th, three whole weeks prior to the trade being made public. The MLR Trade Wire is an excellent piece of transparency between the league and fans but unfortunately, between it being notoriously slow to update and little inaccuracies, it seems MLR don’t value it as much as fans do. As mentioned, although these trades date all the way back to October 9th, they only became public knowledge on October 30th, hence their inclusion on this week’s summary.

These trades revealed the destinations for a number of Dallas Jackals players following the dispersal draft, starting with the acquisition on October 9th of US-eligible Argentinian front row Tomás Bekerman by the Miami Sharks in exchange for 2025 Salary Cap Considerations (unknown) to Anthem RC. Bekerman scored 5 tries in 14 games (2 starts) for the Dallas Jackals in 2024, before being selected 12th in the dispersal draft following the Jackals’ withdrawal from MLR. Given the strong South American influence in the Miami squad and staff, this move makes a lot of sense. Two days later on October 11th, the Houston SaberCats acquired Californian lock Javon Camp-Villalovos from the NOLA Gold in exchange for 2025 Salary Cap Considerations (unknown), after he was selected 17th in the dispersal draft. A third former Jackal was also included in a trade, as it was revealed that the New England Free Jacks had acquired Canadian prop Kyle Steeves, also from the NOLA Gold in exchange for 2025 Salary Cap Considerations (unknown). The NOLA Gold had selected Steeves 6th in the dispersal draft and although the trade is dated October 13th, the Trade Wire didn’t update until October 30th, and the Free Jacks had already announced the signing of Steeves on October 17th, and he was included in the Player Moves Summary that week.

On top of trading their dispersal draft picks for Cap Space, the NOLA Gold acquired Tongan back row Tupou Ma’afu Afungia from the San Diego Legion in exchange for 2025 Salary Cap Considerations (unknown). Afungia scored 5 tries in 25 games (22 starts) for the Legion since 2023, and set a career high for meters gained in 2024, with 692m. Also on the move is Samoan prop Fred Apulu, who earned 14 of his 19 MLR appearances for the Chicago Hounds in 2024, earning his first career start. Apulu is headed to the Utah Warriors after they acquired him in exchange for 2025 Salary Cap Considerations (unknown). The Warriors weren’t finished shopping there, though. The final trade in this week’s summary saw them acquire Gabe Casey from the New England Free Jacks in exchange for 2025 Salary Cap Considerations (unknown). Casey was the first player in MLR history to be drafted twice, by the Toronto Arrows in 2022 and the Free Jacks in 2023, and earned his league debut off the bench last season. The MLR Trade Wire shows the date of this transaction as October 31st, but given that the Utah Warriors announced Casey’s signing on October 28th, this is clearly wrong.

Player Move Summary: October 28-November 3, 2024 (2 of 3)
Re-Signings: Free Jacks, Sharks & Legion Announce Returnees

The New England Free Jacks and Miami Sharks continue to announce returnees from their 2024 squads, and with the San Diego Legion beginning to announce their 2025 roster, we have a dozen players returning to their 2024 teams for the 2025 campaign.

The Miami Sharks announced the return of 2023 1st overall pick Rick Rose, and capped Canadian international center Guiseppe du Toit for their sophomore season in 2025. Both Rose and du Toit appeared in all 16 games for the Sharks in their inaugural season, starting 12 games & 6 games respectively, with Rose completing 117 tackles and du Toit carrying for over 260m gained in possession. The New England Free Jacks announced another quartet of returnees from their 2024 Shield-winning squad, including 2024 MLR Player of the Year Wayne van der Bank and 2022 MLR Champion Kaleb Geiger. Van der Bank gained over 1,300m in possession during 2024, scoring 10 tries in 17 games (16 starts) for the Free Jacks while completing 187 tackles on defence. Geiger added a try and almost 100 tackles in 14 games (1 start) in his first season in Quincy. Also announced as returning by the reigning champions were Oscar Lennon, who appeared in more playoff games for the Free Jacks in 2024 (3) than regular season games (2), and Jackson Thiebes, a Free Jacks original who has earned 27 MLR appearances for New England (22 starts) since 2020. Thiebes played between 2020-2021, before taking a couple of years out and returning for 2024.

The remaining returnees are all members of the San Diego Legion, who began announcing their 2025 roster on November 1st and look like they will be announcing 2-4 players every day between the 1st and the 15th of November (see below). The Legion announced the return of SIX front row players last week, starting with Nate Sylvia, a MLR veteran who has earned 76 appearances (33 starts) over 7 seasons with the Legion, scoring 4 tries total and completing well over 500 tackles. Next came Djustice Sears-Duru, a 64-time capped Canadian prop and 2019 MLR Champion who has earned 57 appearanced to date including 20 for San Diego (4 starts, 1 try) since 2023. Third was Payton Telea-Ilalio, a Californian prop who enjoyed a break-out year in 2024, earning 14 appearances (10 starts) and recording almost 300m gained in possession as a front row. Also returning is Australian hooker Hugh Roach, one of only 21 players in MLR history to reach 20 tries scored in the competition, doing so in 41 games (36 starts) since 2021, including 3 tries in 12 games for the Legion in 2024. Roach’s compatriot Darcy Breen also returns for his 2nd MLR season in 2025, having gained 298m in 16 games (7 starts) for San Diego in 2024, completing over 70 tackles. Finally, 2022 MLR Collegiate Draftee Oli Kane will return for a 3rd season with the Legion in 2025. Kane was selected 21st overall by San Diego out of USD in 2022, and has earned 4 MLR appearances to date. His development will continue under British & Irish Lion Alex Corbisiero.

Source: @sdlegion on Instagram
Inter-League Moves and Familiar Faces

The Utah Warriors were involved in many of the inter-league moves from last week, on both sides. The Warriors announced five new signings including Fred Apulu who was mentioned above. First was Nic Benn, a capped Canadian international raised in Australia, who the Warriors picked 4th in the Dallas Jackals dispersal draft (his 2nd dispersal draft in as many seasons after joining Dallas following the Toronto & NY dispersal draft in 2023). Benn missed much of 2023 due to injury but had a strong 2024 for Dallas, scoring 5 tries in 16 games (15 starts) including two in their nailbiting Western Conference Final defeat to the Seattle Seawolves. The Utah Warriors also announced the signing of Sione Latu, a Utahn flanker and Warriors pathway product who spent the 2024 season with Anthem RC, completing 77 tackles in 13 games (8 starts) during their inaugural season, Latu will return home to Herriman for 2025. A familiar face to LA or NOLA Gold fans, the Utah Warriors also announced the signing of Jordan Trainor, an New Zealand fullback who represented the LA Giltinis (2022) and NOLA Gold (2023), earning 23 MLR appearances (22 starts), scoring 5 tries and 29pts and amassing over 1,800m gained in possession. Trainor spent 2024 with Northland in New Zealand’s National Provincial Championship.

Also involving the Utah Warriors but instead on the leaving side, the NOLA Gold announced the signing of test capped prop Paul Mullen for 2025. A MLR veteran and Eagle #525, Mullen has earned 72 appearances in MLR (49 starts) since 2018, including 57 for the Warriors between 2021-2024. News of Mullen‘s departure was announced by the Warriors on October 2nd. The final inter-league move saw the Chicago Hounds sign USA Eagle Faka’osi Pifeleti from the San Diego Legion. A 2x MLR Runner-up with the Legion (2019 & 2023), 59 of Pifeleti’s 72 MLR appearances came with the Legion between 2018-2021, and again between 2023-2024. It’s not clear whether the Hounds acquired Pifeleti via trade or signed him as a free agent, so keep an eye on that transactions page!

Including Jordan Trainor signing with the Utah Warriors, three players are returning to MLR after a year or two playing elsewhere. The San Diego Legion announced the return of US-eligible hooker Shilo Klein, who scored 2 tries in 15 games (4 starts) for the Legion in their record-breaking 2023 season, before being selected for the Blues wider training squad for the 2024 Super Rugby season. Also returning to MLR is Canadian speedster Brock Webster, who is capped at both 7s and 15s levels for Canada and scored 3 tries in 5 games (all starts) for the Toronto Arrows in 2022 before returning to the Canadian sevens program. The New England Free Jacks added Webster to their already strong Canadian contingent for 2025.

Player Move Summary: October 28-November 3, 2024 (3 of 3)
New Signings and Retirements

On the subject of Canadian Sevens, along with Brock Webster the New England Free Jacks added Josiah Morra for 2025. Morra has played with the Canadian Sevens side since 2016 and is capped for the Canadian 15s. He was included in the Canada squad for the 2024 PNC and their November tests, and also featured for the Ontario Arrows when they defeated New England in the Free Jacks’ first ever match.

Continuing with the Canadian theme, the NOLA Gold announced the signing of towering Alberta lock Kaden Duguid. The 6’8 Duguid, brother of professional players Tyler and Abby, joins the Gold after playing with the Vancouver Highlanders during their 2024 exhibition season, and has played a number of seasons in the French Fédérale 1. Duguid earned his test debut with Canada during the 2024 PNC, and was included in the Canada squad for their November tests.

Heading back to California, the San Diego Legion announced the addition of two new faces to their 2025 roster, hooker Liki Chan-Tung and prop Brook To’omalatai. Hawaiian born Australian Liki Chan-Tung represented the Wallabies at U20 level and joins from the Gungahlin Eagles in the ACTRU Premier Division. 31yo Brook To’omalatai is a late bloomer, playing club rugby for much of his career but he represented the Canterbury NPC side in 2023, and earned his test debut for Samoa in the 2024 PNC against the United States, where he caught the eye of the San Diego Legion.

In addition to acquiring Faka’osi Pifeleti from the Legion, the Chicago Hounds added a trio of new signings for next season, including a pair from the English Premiership. English-born South African fly-half Tim Swiel will join the Hounds from Saracens, having previously represented the likes of Harlequins and Newcastle in the Premiership, the Stormers and Edinburgh in the URC, and the Sharks in Super Rugby, as well as a stint in Japan. As if Swiel wasn’t enough experience, the Hounds also added England-capped utility back Ollie Devoto. Devoto is a 2x Premiership Champion and Champions Cup winner with the Exeter Chiefs, and has close to 200 appearances between Bath (2012-2016) and the Chiefs (2016-2024). Continuing their European recruitment, Scottish lock Hamish Bain will also join the Chicago Hounds, joining from Vannes after helping the French Pro D2 side win promotion to the Top 14. Bain was also part of the Jersey Reds team that won the 2022/23 Championship season under former Hounds Head Coach Rob Webber.

Finally, following the announcement by the Utah Warriors that he would not be returning for the 2025 MLR season, South African lock Louis Conradie announced his retirement on Instagram at the age of just 28. Conradie made 8 appearances (3 starts) for the Warriors during their tough 2024 season.

https://twitter.com/HoundsChicago/status/1852084895683649558
Source: @HoundsChicago on Twitter/X

And there (finally!) concludes the summary of all player moves around MLR for last week. With the off-season showing no signs of slowing down, expect more moves and longer articles as we breka down all the moves. Summary graphics and accompanying articles are published on Mondays on this site and on our instagram page, @MLRStats. Also be sure to follow my personal twitter/x @jamdelay for any schedule changes/news items. Thank you as always for reading, especially if you got this far!