Following the Wests Tigers' sensational move to give Jarome Luai permission to look elsewhere for next season, a report revealed by CODE Sports on Thursday, plenty of questions have risen about who the joint venture could spend its war chest on to replace him?
A shock candidate has emerged for a Tigers homecoming, with former NRL star Michael Ennis throwing Mitchell Moses' name into conversations to return to the club he made his NRL debut with in 2014.
Moses played 67 games for the Wests Tigers during the four years he was at the club, but a move to the Parramatta Eels in 2017 saw him unlock his potential and become one of the premier halves in the competition.
Plenty of speculation has emerged that the Tigers have given Luai permission to look elsewhere to free up the funds to extend promising brotherly duo Samuela and Latu Fainu, who are both off-contract at the end of 2027.
The former Manly juniors have plenty of potential and have shown glimpses of having a lengthy and illustrious career in Tigers colours, but injuries have stalled the beginning of their careers.
“The talk is Latu Fainu. They want to extend him. We haven't seen the best of Latu yet, there has been so much optimism around him,” Ennis said on Friday night's broadcast coverage.
“He was a schoolboys star (but) just hasn't been able to do that (at the Tigers yet). His body has let him down.
“I don't think they make this decision unless there's someone sitting in the background that they're looking to spend a fair chunk of this $1.2 million on to come in and do that.”
Despite Moses being contracted until the end of the 2029 season, Ennis is purely speculating that if the pieces fall into the right places, he may emerge as an option, but it's hard to see the Eels release him without something in return.
“Mitch Moses. I know, I'm throwing it out there,” he said.
“If you look at Parramatta at the moment, Mitch is 31 years of age. The romanticism about him coming back to where it all started.
“$1.2 million for me, that's in the ballpark of Mitch Moses and if you look at where Parramatta are at, Mitch might look at that roster at the moment and go if I can play with Api Koroisau … Jahream Bula and … Adam Doueihi.
“There are some really good pieces to a puzzle at the Wests Tigers that just need someone to be able to unlock that and you see how Moses steps up in the big game.
“You saw that the other night. I know I'm throwing it out there.”
Moses is ageing like fine wine, but has yet to taste premiership glory, which may play a role in where he would like to finish his career.
With the Eels heavily linked to securing Luai for next season, could a swap deal emerge as part of their contract agreement?
“Parramatta would love to have that halves pairing of Mitchell Moses and Jarome Luai,” Ennis continued.
“But looking at it today thinking Mitch loves winning, wants to win and to be fair I can't see it (happening at the Eels).”
It would complete a fairytale homecoming for Moses, who was part of a 'big four' at the Tigers including James Tedesco, Aaron Woods and Luke Brooks before the quadrant departed the club.
Although things didn't work out the first time around, with most of those players developing into elite talents elsewhere out of Leichhardt.
