The Melbourne Storm have confirmed they are confident that star dummy half Harry Grant will re-sign with the club, despite it emerging he has a player option for 2028.
Grant's original contract announcement simply said he was signed through to 2028, but it has emerged in the last week or so that he in fact has a player option for the last year of that deal.
It means he is technically off-contract at the end of 2027, and could go to the open market from November 1 where rival clubs, including the PNG Chiefs, can make offers for him.
The dummy half position has been one of the biggest challenges to fill for the last two expansion teams, while other clubs have also at times struggled to find the players they want at hooker.
Grant is one of - if not the best - in the game, and the Chiefs would almost certainly want to talk to him if he landed on November 1 without a deal as head coach Wilie Peters and head of football Michael Chammas look to build a roster that will be competitive from Day 1.
Grant, now 28 years of age, is still in the prime of his career, having 141 NRL games, 17 State of Origins and 14 Tests under his belt.
He is a certainty to be selected in the Kangaroos squad for the Rugby League World Cup that starts on October 15, and will regardless of contract result remain the captain of Melbourne heading into next year.
Speaking to News Corp, Storm owner Matt Tripp revealed he is confident Grant won't get to November 1.
“I don't think he'll go to November 1, but he has got that option,” Tripp told the publication.
“I don't think he wants to go anywhere. I think he had in his head a bit like a lot of them – that it'd be interesting to test the market.
“I just said, ‘Let me convince you otherwise'.
“So, that's what I was trying to do.”
The big issue for the Storm may well be that Grant will be selected for the World Cup, taking away crucial negotiation time over the coming weeks.
Grant could also simply accept his option which buys he and the club 12 months before he can negotiate with rivals, in which time a longer-term deal could be worked out.
Melbourne's salary cap could yet come back into the picture during the coming weeks though.
They have already been forced to shave plenty off Cameron Munster's valuation on a contract extension beyond the end of 2027, and are understood to be moving other pieces around as they look to accomodate their current squad alongside off-season signings Bronson Xerri and Jamayne Isaako.
Grant will be a priority though.
The Storm are already likely to lose Craig Bellamy to retirement at the end of 2027, and the last thing the club will want is coach and captain to leave at the same time.
The last thing the club needs is yet another distraction, with Bellamy's retirement likely to take plenty of attention throughout the course of 2027.
The supercoach will need to not only be replaced, but farewell properly by the club he has served at for more than two decades, becoming one of the game's most successful ever coaches.
Grant and Bellamy leaving at the same time would leave a leadership vacuum for the Storm, particularly if Munster, who has been linked to the Chiefs, also decides against taking a contract extension for the men in purple.
