Another day, another story circulated about Titan's marquee man David Fifita potentially moving away from the club.
Wayne Bennett has reportedly "confirmed interest" in one of the game's most damaging forwards.
Hardly a surprise given what Fifita can do on his day.
It seems as though Fifita has constantly been linked with a move away from the club ever since the day he signed his mega-money Titans deal.
Moved into the centres recently before being relegated to the bench, Fifita's impact has be inconsistent all season.
Perhaps this is a chance for the Titans to accept an "out" and move Fifita's reported eye-watering salary off their books to re-invest into problem areas?
Whether or not the Titans should jump at the chance or fight tooth and nail to keep their star, albeit underperforming, asset is a matter for another day.
Assuming that Wayne Bennett and the Dolphins do manage to lure Fifita up the coast, the Titans would need to move on... and quickly.
How do you replace a player who was brought to the club to lead the new era? A player who, on his day, can bust 15 tackles and score a try that few other players in the game can replicate?
Easily enough, funnily.
Here is how I can see the Titans not only covering the loss of Fifita but using the potential move as a positive moving forward.
3. Flash the cash
Contracts mean less and less with every given year. That's just the cold hard truth.
The Titans, if they don't sign Fifita to a contract extension, would be flush with cash. The high rollers.
What's to say they can't just replace Fifita with Angus Crichton?
The Dogs salary cap is reportedly busting at the seams. Viliame Kikau comes in and Tevita Pangai Junior, again on his day, is probably the closest potential replacement for Fififta.
If the Dogs were looking to offload their big money asset then the Titans have more than the money to pay full freight. I'm not sure many other clubs could match that.
A like for like replacement shapes as the most natural action although it likely lands the Titans right back in the same situation; with a big money second rower who is commanding cap that could probably be better spent elsewhere.
Angus Crichton is the only player I can name who can justify anywhere near that million dollar figure as a second rower. For the record, I would top out at the mid 7's but sometimes you need to overpay to get the deal done.
My guess is that the Titans would rather not lose Fifita and will play every card to fight off the advances of the Dolphins, but there are options.
It's certainly not the end of the world and I would argue that there are positives despite the looming, potential darkness.
If I were running Recruitment & Retention for the Titans, I would want him out of there ASAP. He may be brilliant on his day, but his days are few and far between. Playing him at Centre or off the bench shows that the coach has got no idea what to do to get the best out of him. Shuffling a guy round who isn’t costing much (like Sifa Talakai) is not a problem, but shuffling round a guy on around $1.1m is a big problem.
So, if they can persuade the Dolphins to take him, then great ! If they can persuade the Dolphins to take him without having to throw in more than $100K that will be even greater!
For the player, a new coach and team, on anything above $750K must be appealing. Especially if it’s a potentially successful club with a great coach. The best outcome for all three would be for him to move to the Dolphins on $800K, with the Titans throwing in an extra $100K for 2023.
As for who to sign to replace him, well – as you say – there are plenty of good quality guys coming off contract, and the Titans could pick up a pair of them for a million.