Newcastle Knights' backup centre Gehamat Shibasaki will head to Japanese Rugby in 2022.
Making his debut for the Brisbane Broncos and playing 13 games over a two-year period in 2018 and 2019, Shibasaki signed with the Newcastle Knights ahead of the 2020 season on a three-year contract.
It's understood the third year of the deal was a player option however, with Shibasaki struggling for game time during his tenure in the Hunter.
The Newcastle Herald are now reporting Shibasaki will link up with former Wallabies' coach Michael Cheika at the Japan top league side NEC Green Rockets, also known as the Green Rockets Tokatsu. They play in Abiko and have three other Australians in the squad in Sam Jeffries, Pat Tafar and Andrew Kellaway.
Shibasaki reportedly saw the writing on the wall surrounding his future at the club after being left out of the 30-man squad to head to Queensland.
He has played just 14 games in the two seasons at the Knights, stuck behind the likes of Bradman Best, Edrick Lee, Enari Tuala, Kurt Mann, Starford To'a and young Englishman Dominic Young for a spot in the back five.
That said, his form has never been good enough to see him stick in the top team, scoring five tries in 11 games last year and just one in three this year, while having a high error rate.
All three games this season came between Rounds 3 and 5 this season, his final appearance being against the Gold Coast Titans after a horror night for the 23-year-old.
While the Knights are yet to confirm the move of Shibasaki, it's understood the move will be immediate, with pre-season for the 2022 Top League season in Japan set to commence in the coming weeks ahead of a potential season start date in February.
