Entering the final season of his current deal with the Cronulla Sharks, forward Thomas Hazelton has reportedly attracted the interest of at least seven teams and even toured one of the club's headquarters.
Hazelton, a fan favourite of the Sharks, has been in incredible form over the past two seasons, cementing a regular spot in the team and even scoring seven tries in 2024.
A late bloomer, his game has evolved after earning a promotion to the Top 30 squad in 2023 and having been a consistent performer in the NSW Cup.
With plenty of size - at 198 centimetres and 116 kilograms - he has been with Cronulla's program since the end of 2017 and has played his way through the club's pathways system.
As reported by The Courier-Mail, Hazelton toured The Dolphins facilities on Monday and spoke with new head coach Kristian Woolf.
It is understood that he aims to secure $1.6 million in his next three-year contract - approximately a little more than $500,000 a season.
According to the publication, the New Zealand Warriors, Parramatta Eels, St George Illawarra Dragons and Newcastle Knights - and two more unnamed clubs - have also shown an interest in the forward's services.
The update on Hazelton's future comes after the Knights are likely to withdraw from the seven-club race because they did not entertain signing him at his "current asking price."
This comes after they had entered preliminary talks with him to secure his services beyond this season.
โTom's got a lot of interest,โ his management told The Courier-Mail.
โThe Dolphins are one club in the mix. They're not sure what the future holds for Tom Flegler so Tom could be an option for them.
โThere's seven clubs chasing him and I don't know if the Sharks can afford to keep him.
โSome of the clubs have offered in the vicinity of $600,000 and Cronulla have outlaid a lot of money for Addin Fonua-Blake.โ
The Cronulla Sharks also have four players off-contract at the end of the 2025 season which include Kade Dykes, Ronaldo Mulitalo, William Kennedy and Sam Stonestreet.
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With the arrival of Addin Fonua-Blake and a pay rise to Nicho Hynes, some of the players above will likely find themselves elsewhere and away from the Shire the following season.
โThe main thing for me is to play footy. I have a team around me who know what my ambitions are and what I want to do in this game," Mulitalo told The Herald after being linked with a switch to the Brisbane Broncos.
โI love this club, I've poured my heart into this place through the good times and bad times.โ
