The Newcastle Knights are set to offload local junior and NSW under-19s representative Max Bradbury in order to secure Lachlan Miller from the Cronulla Sharks.
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The Knights' long-running pursuit of Miller to be their fullback this season finally appears over with lower-grade prop Bradbury all but set to join the Sharks.
The Newcastle Herald understands Bradbury, a Wangi Wangi junior, recently toured Cronulla's facilities.
Neither club was willing to confirm or deny the respective player-swap on Friday but the deals are believed to be in the works for an imminent announcement.
In Bradbury, the Sharks will be receiving a highly fancied emerging prop who played in the under-19s State of Origin last year - one of only four Knights players to feature in the game.
The 20-year-old was part of Newcastle's under-21 side that made the Jersey Flegg grand final last season, losing 19-18 to Penrith. Krystian Mapapalangi and Oryn Keeley, who both made NRL debuts in 2022, were also in the Flegg team.
Jersey Flegg coach Tony Gleeson nominated Bradbury after the grand final as a player likely to progress through to first grade.
"Down the track, I think Max will be up there in the next couple of years," Gleeson said at the time.
Miller's arrival will be the final piece of the puzzle to the Knights' spine in 2023.
Skipper Kalyn Ponga has been training all summer to move to five-eighth this season and while the Knights have other options to play fullback in Dane Gagai and Bailey Hodgson, they have been desperate to secure Miller for the role.
The Newcastle Herald first reported the club's interest in Miller in mid-November.
But the Sharks, who had no great desire to move the Coffs Harbour product on given his impressive debut season and value as a utility back, have played hardball and ultimately negotiated their way to a player-swap.
Miller, 28, has played only seven NRL games but featured regularly for Newtown in the NSW Cup last season, falling a game short of the grand final.
The former rugby sevens player, who was part of Australia's Tokyo Olympics squad, scored three tries for the Sharks last year and played both wing and fullback, as well as five-eighth for Newtown.
Bradbury's anticipated exit will leave the Knights even more light on forwards after the departures of David Klemmer (Wests Tigers), Sauaso Sue (Hull Kingston Rovers), Pasami Saulo (Canberra) and Jirah Momoisea.
The club has added Jack Hetherington (Canterbury) and Adam Eillott (Canberra), who can play in the middle.
Bradbury is not in Newcastle's top-30 roster, so Miller would take the 28th roster spot, leaving two vacant.
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