Desperate to play first grade when he recovered fitness, Drinkwater began “kicking stones”, making it clear he wanted to be traded rather than play in Q Cup. The Cowboys, who sacked Ben Barba in the pre-season, signed Drinkwater and he made his debut against the St George Illawarra Dragons on June 28, a week after the State of Origin stand-alone weekend. Holmes, who spent this year seeking an NFL start, finally abandoned his plans and signed with the Cowboys last weekend, frustrating Drinkwater who used, what is effectively, free agency to move to Townsville. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video If mid- and end-of-season transfer windows existed, it would not have made any difference to the fates of Barba/Holmes/Drinkwater. Barba would still have been sacked over assault allegations; Drinkwater could have joined the Cowboys during a mid-season window and considered his options in a post-season window, now he has been replaced by Holmes.

An unofficial transfer window exists anyway. Only one player who signed for 2020 with another club remained at his existing club during the 2019 season. Storm second-rower Joe Stimson signed with the Bulldogs but Melbourne would not release him because they needed cover in the back row. All other players who signed elsewhere before the June 30 frenzy were allowed to leave. Loading

Transfer windows provide certainty for clubs and players and alleviate fan frustration. Dedicated periods, such as November 1 until the end of January, as well as a shorter mid-season window at State of Origin time, allow movement and diminish the angst of fans over prolonged speculation a favourite player will leave. As NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg said in August, after a meeting of club chief executives who voted unanimously for dedicated transfer windows, "there can be periods of time during the year when we openly announce them, talk about them and disclose them". As it is, there is no downtime for CEOs. Stress must be a factor in their constant churn. The subterfuge around Broncos coach Anthony Seibold meeting Storm half Brodie Croft, in a Sydney coffee shop, would be lessened. Meetings will still occur but Croft did not join Brisbane until late last week, when the post-season window would operate. Clubs can still tell players, as the Storm did with Croft, to explore opportunities; and players can still tell clubs they want out, as forward Ryan Matterson did with Wests Tigers.

Brodie Croft sparked headlines after meeting Broncos coach Anthony Seibold at a Sydney coffee shop. Credit:AAP Trade windows bring sanity to fans, order for players and more certainty for clubs to plan rosters and salary caps. The RLPA opposes transfer windows but it is anticipated the NRL and clubs will insist they are a non-negotiable at the next collective bargaining agreement. Player-managers are also opposed to regulated windows because they want to roll over contracts as often as possible, earning 7 per cent on increased sign-on fees. Meanwhile, their equivalents in the AFL and its stakeholders support the draft, which is a greater restraint on players' economic rights than transfer windows.