Adam Doueihi may not have request his release from the Wests Tigers yet, but it would hardly be a surprise if it came over the next few weeks.
The halfback and utility option is sitting out this weekend's match against the Canberra Raiders after being told by Benji Marshall he wouldn't be running out in the number seven, with the club instead preferring to hand a debut to Javon Andrews.
The move came as a shock, but Doueihi's decision to sit out the match was a bigger one.
The star is contracted through to the end of 2029 after putting pen to paper on an extension earlier this year, and while he has obvious talent, his injury history and the way the club have stuck by him through long stints on the sideline mean this is all getting very ugly and very quickly.
It's hard though, given the events of this week, to see Doueihi suiting up for the Concord-based joint-venture next year at this stage.
The club clearly see Latu Fainu and Andrews as the way forward. The duo are prodigiously talented, and even with Jarome Luai leaving the club at the end of the year, Jock Madden is also in the system ensuring there are options.
Jamie Humphreys is also back on the open market and could become a candidate to replace Doueihi at Concord if he does put in a request to leave the club.
Assuming that may happen, here are the clubs he could play for in 2027.
3. South Sydney Rabbitohs
The Rabbitohs could well look for a halfback to complete their picture moving forward.
The salary cap is stretched at the Maroubra-based club, and they have re-signed Ashton Ward, but whether he is the best-choice as the number seven moving forward is still up for debate.
With the Rabbitohs likely to lose Jamie Humphreys at the end of the season, and with big questions still lingering around the future of Cody Walker, Doueihi suddenly becoming available and potentially not at full freight is the sort of move Wayne Bennett could well be interested in.
Doueihi, whether playing alongside Ward from five-eighth, or alongside Walker from halfback, would certainly improve the outlook for South Sydney heading into next year.
The signing of Payne Haas will already improve things, while the club will also be sweating on the fitness of Latrell Mitchell throughout next season.
