The Newcastle Knights are at a crossroads on Dominic Young's immediate future after the English winger inked a four-year deal with the Sydney Roosters beginning in 2024.
While Young is in Newcastle's plans for the 2023 season, the Knights are open to trading away the international outside back early in a bid to get something in return for the 21-year-old.
Reports emerged earlier in the week that the Knights had requested Egan Butcher in return for the winger before turning their attention to brother Nat, however the Tricolours rejected both approaches, on top of an approach for young forward Siua Wong.
However there's one avenue that Newcastle are seemingly refusing to go down, and it's shaping up as their best option - Sitili Tupouniua.
The 25-year-old is sidelined until midway through this year with an ACL injury, though the club shouldn't be making a swap deal focused on 2023, but instead their future beyond this season.
A certain starter for the Roosters before his injury, Nat Butcher has cemented his role as a starting forward since Tupouniua went down against the St George Illawarra Dragons midway through last season, ending his 2022 prematurely.
Newcastle's director of football, Peter Parr, told The Newcastle Herald that while a swap deal is looking unlikely, he hasn't ruled out the prospect of a trade completely as of yet.
"I've just about ruled it out, but haven't completely ruled it out. You never say never, but it would have to be something that is beneficial to us, and if that eventuated it could be a silver lining," Parr said on Wednesday.
"The flipside of that is that we have planned for Dom to be in our team, planned for him to be on the right wing and it's very difficult for us to change those plans so close to the season starting.
"I wouldn't say that we have ruled it out completely, but nor would I say that it will happen."
While the Roosters have already offered the forward to the Knights, The Newcastle Herald's Barry Toohey reports that the club have already rejected the approach from the Roosters.
It's simply madness from the club.
Despite the Roosters being yet to release a statement announcing Young's signature, head coach Trent Robinson spoke of the Englishman's impending arrival in 2024 on radio station Triple M confirming the news.
“We wanted to secure Dom and we have liked his style for the last couple of years,” Robinson told Triple M's The Rush Hour.
“He is only 21, and we wanted to recruit those tall athletic outside backs, and he fitted that mould. We look forward to him coming over and playing next year.”
As optimistic as Newcastle can be, 2023 isn't shaping as an extremely positive season for the club on the field, however it can be used as the perfect building block for their future.
They've recruited well in Lachlan Miller, Jackson Hastings, Adam Elliott, Jack Hetherington, Tyson Gamble and Greg Marzhew, while Kalyn Ponga's long-touted move to five-eighth is finally underway.
Kai Pearce-Paul and Will Pryce will also join the club from the Super League ahead of the 2024 season.
While they're building for the future well, this isn't the season they return to finals football or contend for a premiership, so why construct a deal based on this season alone?
Tupouniua won't return to the field until the cusp of the Origin period and it's highly doubtful the back-rower will be anywhere near his best for the remainder of this year, but it's worth it.
Newcastle can happily dig their heels in and keep Young for the rest of 2023, and after a bottom eight finish, they'll lose the English international and receive nothing in return, further developing the winger for the Chooks.
Tyson Frizell turns 32 at the backend of this year and is currently off-contract at the club, while neither Lachlan Fitzgibbon or Brodie Jones have grabbed the left-edge spot by the scruff of the neck during the trial match losses to Cronulla and Parramatta.
WWOS reported back in November that the Knights were shopping Frizell to rivals as well as David Klemmer as Newcastle looked to free up funds, indicating that Tyson doesn't have a long-term future in the Hunter.
Sitili Tupouniua is just 25-years-old and has crossed for 19 tries in his last 40 NRL games, and while there is certainly work to be done on the edge forward's defensive game, the Tongan international has a bright future.
Toni Tupouniua, Sitili's younger brother, has joined Newcastle's reserve grade side from Penrith this off-season, just another factor that would suit Sitili's move.
He's shaping up as one of the better hole-runners in the competition, and with the Kalyn Ponga's pass selection, Tupouniua could be the perfect second-rower to run off the fullback-turned-five-eighth's hip.
The Knights' 2023 fortunes are building as a bitter pill to swallow for loyal Novocastrians after winning just four of their final 22 games last season.
While the club will go far this year, in retrospect there's little difference between a 10th and 14th placed finish when all is said and done, so why hold onto Dom for nothing?
The Sydney Roosters aren't going to release a young forward with bright potential simply to secure Young a year early, and would instead rather further develop their talent for a season while Newcastle do their job for them with Young.
Angus Crichton is taking some personal time away from the game as he comes to grips with his bipolar diagnosis, while Nat Butcher has the right-edge sown up, leaving Tupouniua out of their starting side regardless when he returns.
It's a baffling decision from Newcastle.
Likening it to the NBA, if you have a superstar that you know wants a change of scenery and will sign elsewhere when free agency begins, you may as well trade him during the season if you're not contending for the championship.
Why lose a star for nothing when you can get an asset in return?
Newcastle are still looking elsewhere for a trade deal, with Penrith Panthers emerging as an option for a split second, but with the more rejections the club makes and takes, a swap is looking less and less likely.
Tupouniua has reportedly been offered up and rejected by the club, however if they don't swap Dom Young for Sitili soon, they'll be kicking themselves for the decision in 2024.
