The Brisbane Broncos might still be in negotiations with Billy Walters, but it has been suggested the Gold Coast Titans are monitoring the situation at Red Hill closely.
The dummy half is off-contract at the end of the season, but is yet to confirm a new deal with the Broncos.
It was revealed over the weekend that he is close to locking up a new two-year deal with the club, but with pen not yet put to paper, there is still scope for the situation to change.
Walters is viewed as the Broncos' best dummy half, and the club have missed him in a big way while he has worked his way back from an ACL injury sustained during the qualifying final last season against the Canberra Raiders.
The issue now for Brisbane is a roster balance one.
Four options to play at dummy half are already secured for 2027, with young guns Cameron Bukowski and Blake Mozer, who has slipped well down the pecking order during his own injuries, to be forced into a scrap for minutes against the duo of Ben Hunt and Cory Paix.
Walters re-signing would increase the fight for minutes, and while he and Hunt could also be considered for roles in the halves, Brisbane have Ezra Mam, Tom Duffy and the arriving Jonah Pezet already fighting for the number six and seven jumpers.
Michael Maguire's side being no guarantee to re-sign Walters is maybe no surprise, but News Corp are now reporting the team just to their south, the Gold Coast Titans, are ready to pounce if negotiations fall through with Walters.
As it stands, the Titans will lose Sam Verrills at the end of the season, with Josh Hannay's side deciding not to offer him a new deal.
While Verrills was seen in talks with Phil Gould of the Canterbury Bulldogs during Magic Round, and was also floated as an option to head to the Perth Bears before they signed former Brisbane and current Super League rake Tyson Smoothy, he does not have a deal for 2027 at this stage.
That is a surprise in itself, but Verrills has slid well down the pecking order on the Glitter Strip this year, with Oliver Pascoe fast becoming one of the game's more consistent number nines.
The talk of the Titans going after Walters may well alarm him given his form this year, but the duo could also become a handy one-two punch for Hannay's side as he looks to rebuild and move up the ladder at the start of 2027.
The Gold Coast have shown positive signs at the back-end of this year, and while they aren't consistent, their roster is slowly coming together.
There is no doubt the experience and talent of Walters would make for an excellent addition in the hooking role if he can't find a new contract with the Broncos.
There has been no suggestion Brisbane don't want to re-sign Walters, but their salary cap is also in significant distress, making the challenge tougher if other clubs do come to the table.
Walters, for his part, has remained adamant he wants to remain at the Broncos, where he was a big part of the 2025 premiership-winning squad before missing the preliminary final and grand final with his ACL injury.
