Cronulla Sharks cult hero Thomas Hazelton may finally be approaching a call on his future, but the debate over where he'll land is still continuing at a rapid pace.
The prop, who said during the week that his preference is to remain with the Sharks, and that a decision is approaching, has been linked with as many as seven clubs during recent weeks.
The Dolphins and Newcastle Knights were the early front-runners, while the St George Illawarra Dragons then appeared to all but have the deal over the line.
Hazelton then visited New Zealand, before the Sharks finally came back into the picture.
Speaking on Zero Tackle's new rugby league show The Offload, analyst Darren Parkin labelled the situation 'fascinating' and admitted the Dolphins would be the most suited club for Hazelton if he was picking.
"It has been fascinating. I think the favourite to land his services has changed every couple of days," Parkin said.
"You favour the incumbent if he has put his hand up and said he wants to stay, but the Dolphins were favourite, the Dragons are right in the mix, the Warriors are one that have been jumping to the front of the queue over the last few days, and I think he'd be an ideal fit at a number of those clubs."
"If I had to pick one personally maybe it would be the Dolphins, but the fact he has put his hand up and said he hopes to remain where he is, how much do we pay stock in that?"
Hazelton's comments regarding his desire to stay in the Shire weren't lost on the panel, and certainly weren't lost on fans of the Sharks when they dropped mid-week.
Zero Tackle founder Matt Clements said the decision would be more complicated than that, given his career stage, and even his role at the Sharks, where he will be kept on the bench thanks to the arrival of Addin Fonua-Blake from the New Zealand Warriors.
"Generally speaking, I think all players want to stay at the club they are at, particularly if it's a successful club and they are doing well," Clements said on the show.
"I think he would take a slightly smaller contract to stay at the Sharks, but then, is he the kind of guy who wants to keep coming off the bench? Does he want to move into the starting pack? These sort of questions need to be answered as well.
"At the end of the day, money talks. If someone is offering you an extra $200 grand more per season for the next four seasons, that's $800 grand. That's a lot of money to turn down to stay with the club you want to.
"He isn't getting any younger. He is 26. This next contract might be one of his last. He is a big fella, a try-scoring prop. That is worth a lot of money in the game these days.
"I think he will stay with the Sharks, but that said, I wouldn't be surprised if he takes the money and goes somewhere else."
Hazelton has no need to rush into a decision, but has said he is keen to make it this week, meaning an official announcement could be made in the coming days.
