The South Sydney Rabbitohs have reportedly decided Josh Schuster, Fletcher Myers and Shaquai Mitchell will not receive new deals for 2026.
At the same time, the club are in the process of negotiating with Jayden Sullivan and Jye Gray over their respective futures.
Schuster will be the most followed of the three to leave, with the former Manly Sea Eagles young gun handed an NRL lifeline by South Sydney this year.
That came after he left the Sea Eagles, but his 12-month deal at the Maroubra-based club has only seen him play a handful of reserve grade teams.
A second-rower or five-eighth with enormous potential, he has been taking time away from the game to deal with mental health issues, and it's now unclear if there is any path back to competitive rugby league for him.
Myers has played three games with the Rabbitohs this year after coming to the club ahead of the 2024 season where he played five NRL games, making his debut at the Rabbitohs.
The outside back, originally out of the Newcastle system, has no current deal for next year.
Mitchell, the third of the trio set to leave according to the News Corp report, has played 20 NRL games and is the brother of star fullback and New South Wales State of Origin player Latrell.
His journey to first-grade was a long and tumultuous one, but he, too, now has no deal for next year, and at 29 years of age without a first-grade game this year, it's questionable whether any clubs will enter the race for him.
The report also suggests the club are currently looking to extend the contract of Jye Gray before November 1, and that Jayden Sullivan is also currently in negotiations with the club.
Sullivan is on loan at the Rabbitohs this year from the Wests Tigers, and the joint-venture has made it clear he is free to stay if a deal can be worked out.
At last report, it was believed the two clubs had failed to reach an agreement on who would pay what of his salary should he remain part of Wayne Bennett's squad in 2026.
The Tigers have Sullivan under contract until 2027, while the Rabbitohs have an extremely tight salary cap situation, expected to worsen with the re-signing of Cody Walker, which is, according to coach Wayne Bennett, going to happen.
That situation could yet ease if they release Lewis Dodd, who has been a bust in his first NRL season and is earning approximately $700,000 per year. Gray, on the other hand, is priority number one for the Rabbitohs.
Potentially the future of the club's number six jersey once Walker does hang up the boots, but with the ability to also play fullback, he has filled in across both roles this year with excellent performances.
Likely in for a bumper pay upgrade, the Rabbitohs have exclusive negotiating rights with him until November 1, but from then, rival clubs, including the Perth Bears who will enter with a blank cheque book and 30 contracts to hand out, can negotiate with the young gun.
