โNot sure.โ
With two simple words uttered during his post-match press conference on Friday evening, Wests Tigers head coach Benji Marshall may well have confirmed the wheels are in motion for young dummy half Tallyn Da Silva to leave the joint-venture before June 30.
It was reported on Friday that da Silva had been given permission to negotiate his immediate release from the joint-venture despite being contracted until the end of 2026.
The hooker has made it clear he would prefer to stay at the Tigers, but that he wants to start in first-grade.
That simply won't happen if current club captain Apisai Koroisau is still at Concord, and while the duo were both set to be off-contract at the end of 2026, it's understood the club are now negotiating a contract extension with Koroisau to 2027.
That is not a timeline da Silva is prepared to wait for, and it's understood he could well force his way out before the June 30 player swap deadline.
If that doesn't happen - and there isn't much time for it to happen - then he could still leave at the end of the year.
He has already been linked to the Parramatta Eels, North Queensland Cowboys and Newcastle Knights.
All three clubs are looking for reinforcements at number nine, with the Cowboys in particular still not replacing Reece Robson, although it has been heavily implied they will chase Reed Mahoney, who is set to gain an early exit from the Canterbury Bulldogs following the signing of Lachlan Galvin.
Parramatta have been using youngster Ryley Smith in the number nine jumper, and also have Brendan Hands and Joey Lussick on the books, but could go with Smith and Da Silva as a one-two punch next year.
Newcastle, meanwhile, lose Jayden Brailey at the end of the year and could also go a one-two punch of da Silva and Matt Arthur, who they secured from the Parramatta Eels at the start of 2025.
Should da Silva depart, he would be the second to do so from the Tigers' junior ranks this year following Galvin's exit to Canterbury.
The speculation around da Silva's future will only intensify after he was kept on the interchange bench for the entire 80 minutes in a nearly spectacular comeback win for Benji Marshall's side on Friday evening against the now 12 and 3 Canberra Raiders.
Marshall said he never found an opportunity to put da Silva on amidst the comeback.
โWe needed to cover for Api as well if we needed a spell, but when the game is in the balance, you need your best players on the field,โ Marshall said.
โIf there was an opportunity to put Tallyn on the field I would have, but we needed Api on the field.โ
Should da Silva leave, youngster Tristan Hope will likely take his spot as the next in line for the number nine jumper at the club.
De Silva is only 20 & still struggles at NRL Level. He would be best to stay behind Api to learn his trade….