The NRL is set to threaten potential salary-cap penalties against any club attempting to publicly court rival players before they become a free agent, in a shake up to the game’s anti-tampering laws.

In what looms as a significant change to the NRL’s contracting rules, clubs and their officials will be banned from making comment about pursuing players not yet on the market.

The changes come after a year of contract drama, headlined by Lachlan Galvin’s mid-season move from Wests Tigers to Canterbury with 17 months left on his original contract.

Under current NRL rules, players and their agents are not able to negotiate with rival clubs until the final season of their contract starts on November 1 each year.

But it has become apparent clubs have at times moved to signal their interes

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