Penrith winger Brian To'o has revealed that talks on his new contract will be on hold for the next three months, allowing rival clubs to offer the NSW representative a contract for 2024 and beyond.
To'o is one of a host of Panthers set to hit the open market on November 1, joined by fellow premiership-winners Scott Sorensen, Liam Martin, Stephen Crichton and Spencer Leniu, as well as Charlie Staines.
A compacted next few months is set to put a screeching halt to To'o's new contract negotiations, a major upgrade to the below-$400,000 deal he was receiving in 2022.
The outside back doesn't want to talk turkey until after the NRL Grand Final, and by then To'o will be on a long flight to England to feature alongside the off-contract Crichton and Leniu for Samoa at the World Cup.
And that's not to mention his mid-December wedding, either.
While it's hard to imagine To'o playing for any other club, the inflated offers from rival sides could sway the winger into departing Penrith at the end of the 2023 season.
To'o is confident that he has the right people around him, and despite it being unfamiliar territory for the NSW Blue, he isn't stressing over the decision.
“I haven’t had to think about it before or be in a situation where I’ve had to test the market,” To’o told The Daily Telegraph.
“Whatever happens, I’m sure myself, my team, my family will decide from there.”
“I’m trying not to think about it too much, I know November 1 is coming but I’m leaving it up to my manager to deal with it until the season is over and when it’s time to talk about it, I’ll start looking into it.
“I think it might have to wait until after everything, the World Cup, the wedding. It’s exciting but I want to focus on the task at hand before anything else.”
To'o will shift from the right to the left edge for this weekend's preliminary final against the South Sydney Rabbitohs, covering the loss of Taylan May as Penrith look to make a third consecutive Grand Final.
