PNG Chiefs general manager of football Michael Chammas has taken to social media, sharing an updated graphic of the club's recruitment steps.
In the graphic, which was previously shown with the first four player names and the seventh step - #007 as reserved - numbers five and six have been added, but player 007 still remains reserved.
It indicates the PNG side already know who their seventh signing - potentially a halfback - for their opening season will be.
The six locked in signings are Jarome Luai, Alex Johnston, Connor Watson, Matty Lees, Zac Lomax and, most recently, Brian To'o who locked up a three-year deal with the expansion outfit this week.
But the graphic being posted to social media - indicating a seventh signing is imminent - was dropped by Chammas and reshared by the Chiefs official account at an intriguing time.
It came just minutes after the news broke that Jett Cleary has requested a release from the New Zealand Warriors to join the Penrith Panthers for 2027 and beyond.
As that story goes, Jett wants to spend the final year of Ivan Cleary's coaching career under his father, and progress towards potentially playing alongside his brother.
His talent working through the Warriors' pathway has been obvious, and he will be a start of the future even though he is yet to debut at NRL level.
The Warriors have the younger Cleary locked up until the end of 2027, but could agree to the release at the end of this season.
If that is the case, then it will raise eyebrows.
Nathan, who is off-contract at the end of 2027, has already suggested he wouldn't move to the Warriors in a bid to not block his brother's path to first-grade.
“I wasn't born in Auckland, but I grew up a fair bit there and I will admit I was a Warriors fan growing up," the older Cleary said in July.
“But at the end of the day, even if that was an option, I'd be blocking my little brother's pathway. I'm not too sure about that.
Jett moving to Penrith flies directly in the face of that, and while the pair could ultimately pair up in the halves, it will also fuel the fire that Nathan is set to move on from Penrith.
He is free to negotiate from November 1, and, for the first time in his career, appears likely to do so, with the tax-free incentive in PNG, as well as the chance to link up with Luai and To'o who are two of his closest friends, potentially appealing.
The share on social media from PNG also came on the same day that speculation exploded around Sam Walker, with the Roosters halfback pausing negotiations with the club despite being offered more than a million dollars per season.
While it's unlikely either Cleary or Walker have been given permission to negotiate elsewhere early, the fact PNG recently managed to keep their negotiations under wraps with To'o - despite a Zero Tackle report in May that revealed To'o had told Penrith he wouldn't be re-signing, and that his preference was PNG - means anything could be possible behind closed doors.
PNG will be able to negotiate with the bulk of players off-contract at the end of 2027 from November 1.
