Don't be surprised if out-of-favour Bulldogs playmaker Kyle Flanagan ends up back were it all began for him – at Cronulla – in 2022.
Dumped by the Roosters last season, Flanagan has already been axed by Bulldogs coach Trent Barrett, who has set his sights on Broncos youngster Tyson Gamble for next season.
If Gamble does join the Bulldogs, there is simply no point in Flanagan staying.
And the Sharks are desperate for a playmaker, with Chad Townsend moving to the Cowboys and Shaun Johnson, Matt Moylan and Braydon Trindall all off contract and likely to leave.
Flanagan worked with incoming Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon at the Roosters last year and is still held in high regard in the Shire.
A move back to his roots could be just what Flanagan needs to achieve his undoubted potential.
REALITY SETS IN AFTER TOUCHING MOMENT
Another young halfback with a big decision to make is rookie Eels fill-in Jake Arthur.
Arthur's try on debut against the Warriors on Sunday – and the reaction of proud dad Brad in the coach's box – was the emotional highlight of Magic Weekend.
The youngster looked top shelf in his first outing in top company but knows that for the next couple of years at least, he will be in reserve grade behind the established pairing of Mitchell Moses and Dylan Brown.
Arthur comes off contract at the end of 2022 and at around this stage of next year, will have to decide whether to stay on board with his father or seek a first grade spot elsewhere.
GUN FORWARD MAY LEAVE DOGHOUSE
Rampaging forward Renouf Atoni may be lost to the Bulldogs next season – because he is sick of losing.
Atoni has looked good in a struggling Canterbury side this year and he is in the sights of at least three clubs – the Sharks, Dragons and Cowboys.
The 25-year-old Kiwi-born prop is happy enough at the Bulldogs, who are keen to re-sign him.
But Atoni has won just 11 of the 39 games he has played – and the lure of that winning feeling may see him pack his bags and leave in 2022.
FORGOTTEN STAR CAN THRIVE AT BRONCOS
Grand final-winning centre Brenko Lee has been the forgotten man of the Storm's 2020 premiership triumph.
Lee is a typical Craig Bellamy success story – he went from fringe first grader and league nomad to premiership winner and State of Origin player in a few short months.
But a hamstring injury has laid Lee low this season and he has yet to play an NRL game.
And with Justin Olam and Reimis Smith going great guns in the centres, Lee has seen the writing on the wall.
Last week he signed for two years with the Broncos, who will be his sixth club in eight years.
The young Broncos are after experience and with a premiership ring and State of Origin win behind him, the 25-year-old certainly has plenty of that.
With Kotoni Staggs set to shift from centre to five-eighth next season, Lee shapes as the perfect player to replace him out wide.
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