Off-contract Gold Coast Titans forward Herman Ese'ese is reportedly considering a shock switch to the Dolphins for their inaugural season.

The forward, who stands at 186 centimetres tall and weighs in at 107 kilograms, played just 13 games for the Titans this year, with all of those appearances off the interchange bench.

Despite that, his form at the back end of the season was strong, not missing a game after Round 18, and reports suggest the Titans are looking to clear salary cap space in a bid to keep the six-time Samoan representative and one-time New Zealand player at the club in 2023.

News Corp however, are reporting that Ese'ese could ultimately decide to make a switch to the Dolphins, who are preparing for their inaugural campaign at Redcliffe under Wayne Bennett.

Ese'ese previously played under Bennett during the first two full years of his career at the Brisbane Broncos in 2016 and 2017, having played a single game for his debut at the Canterbury Bulldogs in 2015. He played 30 games across those two seasons and was rewarded with his international selections on the back of his early career form.

A shift to the Newcastle Knights between 2018 and 2020 saw Ese'ese play another 62 games, but struggle to hit his stride, before he managed just three games last year - his first at the Titans.

The shift away from the Gold Coast is an understandable one should Ese'ese elect to go down that route given the opportunity to play under the coach who seemingly got the most out of his ability.

However, the reports suggest he would need to take a pay cut to move to Redcliffe, although it's understood that is something Ese'ese is willing to do with finals offers from both teams being placed on the table.

Ese'ese would be the second Titans' forward to move north should he depart the Gold Coast, following veteran Jarrod Wallace, while the Auckland-born prop would also link up with the likes of Kenneath Bromwich, Jesse Bromwich and Mark Nicholls at the club.

It's understood he will make a final call on his location for 2023 within a week.