BY DAN

If you’re as terminally online as I am you will have noticed in recent days that rumours of Tom Starling’s departure have been bouncing around like a chipmunk in a chipmunks. There is no way to tell if they are true, but a when we consider the push and pull factors around the matter it seems likely they are.

The scuttlebutt is that is yet to be reported anywhere but the word is he’s heading to South Sydney from 2026. From what we can tell the rumours started with a Bunnies’ fan podcast Rabbitohs Radio (shouts to Reggie for sending that pod through when it did pop up) – much like the knowledge of Ethan Strange’s extension started on the Green Machine Podcast. This may well the way of things now.

Working out whether to trust these sources is a vexed idea. For a long time we’ve tended to wait for the paid media to report something before interpreting that as truth. But as we saw recently with Leo Thompson, that doesn’t really guarantee anything. We’d love to say it was just the Mole, but he’s hardly alone in getting these wrong. The problem of course is that media in all its form (and I don’t exclude these pages) has been so intent on reporting rumours quickly that they’ve become susceptible to people trying to push them in the wrong direction. As it is sources like these have sources and only their reputation to trade.

In this case though we have a unique situation. We are able to use a bit of inductive thinking to verify the claim. As we wrote here the announcement of additions to the 2026 roster mean that Canberra have five players coming off contract in 2025 theoretically fighting for one place on the roster. Alongside Tom Starling, Emre Guler, Danny Levi, Jordan Martin, Albert Hopoate and Simi Sasagi are all looking for deals.

Given there’s only one spot for the season after next, it would make sense that many of the players in this grouping would be looking elsewhere. Levi was reported to be doing just that last year. Guler has requested a move to a Sydney club (that Bryan Fletcher once said on his radio show was also the Bunnies). While Canberra only have one rake on the roster for 2026 (Owen Pattie), they’ve been clear about how much they value their pipeline at the position. Both Starling and Levi would be under no illusions that long-term they won’t be first choice at the position.

Of course this isn’t final. There’s always flexibility in rugby league rosters. As we noted the other day there’s players with options in 2026 they may be considered surplus to requirements. But as it is there’s no room at the inn, and Tom is on the outside.

In addition to these ‘push’ factors, the ‘pull’ factors dragging Starling out of Canberra are significant. Of the above grouping he would obviously (to me at least) has the most demand for his services around the league. He’s not a perfect rake. After four seasons in the top line he still isn’t an accurate passer. While it’s something he is clearly working on, his creativity or deception around the ruck is workmanlike. But he does have a particular set of skills – notably in defence and in his running game, that any team could use. And that includes the Raiders.

Tom would be a perfect fit at the Bunnies. These are the skills that Wayne Bennett coached sides value in the number nine position. Bennett rarely has a ball dominant hooker. He wants key decisions made by his halves. We all remember when he concisely expressed his opinions to Josh Hodgson about kicking from the ruck. Tom Starling would be a happy fit with Bennett’s missionary football stylings.

There’s also no pesky incumbent in his way. Damian Cook is gone. Peter Mamouzelos is the presumptive starter. While I think he has the potential to be a quality rake, he’s not an insurmountable obstacle on the depth chart. Starling may feel at the very least that he has a good chance of getting a decent shot.

So while we don’t have any ‘traditional’ sources for this, by logic is makes sense that Tom Starling is likely leaving. As we’ve said before, this would be sad for a multitude of reasons. Not least because Tom has always given his all for the club. He also provides a clear and elite set of skills that would complement a ‘lead’ hooker, particularly a young and emerging one.

Without him, it means Canberra has almost zero certainty at the position, essentially forcing them into a choice of trying to retain Danny Levi or hoping that Owen Pattie is ready. It compounds the lack of involvement in the Brandon Smith or Reece Robson markets, exacerbating the existing vulnerability at a strategically important position. You would think there are other plans. That either Pattie is so clearly ready, or that other agreements have already been made. But *gestures in the general direction of a quiet so eerie I’m waiting for a jump scare…..Argh! Corey Paix!*

It’s not ideal but that’s the face value of it all. We don’t know if this is happening or whether to trust the scuttlebutt. We don’t know if something else is coming down the pipeline we don’t know about. We do know all the surrounding factors point to him leaving.

Talk about known unknowns. All we can do is wait.

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