One of four North Queensland Cowboys players without a contract for next season, winger Semi Valemei has reportedly caught the eye of another team.
A six-time international for Fiji, Valemei has mainly been used as a back-up option since he arrived in Townsville and is unlikely to remain on the club’s books in 2026 as they look to improve and replenish their outside back stocks.
Featuring in only two matches this season, and a further 13 games after joining in mid-2023 from the Canberra Raiders, the hard-running winger has still plenty to give on the rugby league field.
The 26-year-old has been linked with a move to the Parramatta Eels, who have set their sights on the Cowboys players as they continue to revamp.
It is understood that NRL duo Blake Taaffe and Mikaele Ravalawa have also found themselves on the radar of the Eels, with the former reportedly agreeing to a three-year contract to join them from 2026 onwards.
The move to Eels comes following a two-season stint with the Canterbury Bulldogs, in which he was poised to be their long-term fullback at the time, but lost his position to Connor Tracey, who hasn’t looked back and made the No. 1 jersey his own.
In May, he revealed to Zero Tackle that although his ideal decision was to remain at Belmore, he understood that rugby league is a business and his tenure in the Blue and White was coming to a close.
“I’d love to stay around here. What the club’s done in the past few years and the people that have brought into it, it’s awesome,” Taaffe told Zero Tackle.
“I’ve got a good relationship with the boys here and the staff. I’d love to stay, but just depends on what happens.
“Rugby league’s a crazy game and at the end of the day it’s a business and whatever happens, happens.”
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