Dolphins and Queensland Maroons star Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow has revealed he has no intention of leaving the club or entertaining a code switch.
The fullback, who can also play at centre or on the wing, is one of the game's most exciting players, but there has always been the lingering chance he could look to play another football code at the top level.
Growing up, he played both rugby union and Aussie rules football, but eventually settled on rugby league after progressing through the ranks at the North Queensland Cowboys.
The now 24-year-old was born in Cairns and was part of the Gold Coast Suns Academy before becoming a member of the Queensland Reds rugby union development squad.
He eventually signed with the Cowboys in 2017, moving closer to where he grew up, and he hasn't looked back.
The multi-sport talent revealed to The Sydney Morning Herald that he has no intentions of abandoning either the Dolphins or rugby league moving forward.
“My preference would be to stay here, but I'm not too worried about that. I'm just trying to get through each week, be with the boys and make this season a special one,” Tabuai-Fidow told the publication.
“I'm a league player for life now. It's something that I still love and still enjoy doing, and I think that's the most important thing … that's what keeps me grounded.”
Tabuai-Fidow, who took to rugby league instantly once he signed with the Cowboys and was part of the Queensland under-18 side, made his debut for the Cowboys in 2020, playing 50 games with the club through to the end of 2022.
He was set to become a long-term option for the club, but was shuffled down the pecking order in 2022 and made the switch to the Dolphins for their inaugural season in 2023, almost instantly becoming the most important player in the side then coached by Wayne Bennett.
His contract at the Dolphins - worth around $950,000 per season - is due to expire at the end of next year, and he will be free to negotiate with rival outfits from November 1 as a result.
There is a chance the PNG Chiefs or Perth Bears could come to the table as they look to increase their talent pools, with the Dolphins facing a tricky salary cap conundrum.
Already stretched, the team who are in their fourth season, have all of Jack Bostock, Selwyn Cobbo, Herbie Farnworth, Kulikefu Finefeuiaki, Tom Flegler and Connelly Lemuelu off-contract at the end of 2027 alongside the Queensland representative.
If all of those players seek upgrades, which they likely will with the exception of Flegler who has spent most of the last two years sidelined due to a shoulder problem that he finally overcame at the start of 2026, the salary cap simply won't be able to handle all of their re-signings.
The Dolphins have lost Jake Averillo out of their crowded backline for next year, while Kodi Nikorima has also decided to depart for the St George Illawarra Dragons, but will be replaced both in role and salary by the yet to be confirmed George Williams.
It could leave Kristian Woolf and his recruitment staff - who are set for a first finals charge this year - needing to make some difficult decisions about which players stay and which go at the end of next year.
It's a fair guess that Tabuai-Fidow will be a priority for the Dolphins though, given his stature as the club's fullback and best attacking player.
