St George Illawarra Dragons forward Hame Sele could leave the club within the next week, with the prop almost no chance of being retained by the Red V beyond the end of this season.
It's no secret the Dragons are in the midst of a roster rebuild after a disastrous start to 2026.
The club, who axed head coach Shane Flanagan and head of football Ben Haran at the end of Round 8, put an internal hiring freeze on in the week's leading up to that decision, taking all active contract negotiations off the table with the current squad.
They have already confirmed Jaydn Su'A (Parramatta Eels) as well as Damien Cook and Mathew Feagai (both Castleford Tigers) will leave the club at the end of the year, while it's unlikely Blake Lawrie, Emre Guler, Luciano Leilua and Tyrell Sloan will be offered new deals.
There is also speculation the club may look to move on fullback Clint Gutherson, prop Blake Lawrie and centre Valentine Holmes, while they have already locked up North Queensland Cowboys fullback Scott Drinkwater, South Sydney Rabbitohs prop Keaon Koloamatangi, New Zealand Warriors halfback Luke Metcalf, Gold Coast Titans outside back Phillip Sami and Sydney Roosters utility Connor Watson as new sigings.
Sele is the latest name to be added to the list of potential departures, with Wide World of Sports' The Mole reporting multiple clubs are keeping tabs on the situation, and have expressed interest in potentially securing his services for the remainder of 2026.
The Dragons are understood to be open to the idea of Sele leaving early given how far he has fallen down the pecking order this year, the fact the Dragons are out of finals contention, and that they are in the process of attempting to jiggle their salary cap around.
The Tongan international has made just five NRL appearances so far this year. Injuries have hurt the former Rabbitoh in recent times, but he has been limited mainly to the NSW Cup despite the struggles of the side in the top grade.
It's understood clubs interested in his services are those who have been hit hard by injuries, with a look at the NRL's casualy ward potentially suggesting the likes of the Brisbane Broncos, Parramatta Eels, South Sydney Rabbitohs, Manly Sea Eagles and even the New Zealand Warriors who have lost Jackson Ford for the next three months could be among the outfits who have made inquiries.
Sele, who actually debuted for the Dragons back in 2017 has played 94 games across two stints with the Red V, and time at the South Sydney Rabbitohs and Penrith Panthers.
