After reports emerged that playmaker Mitchell Pearce will leave his current club the Catalans Dragons at the end of the season, there has been an update on his future.
With his future unknown, there has been plenty of speculation on where Mitchell Pearce will end up next year.
News Corpย understands that Pearce is likely to retire instead of re-joining the NRL next season as he will be available on the open market as a player. However, this will not rule him out of working in a potential coaching job, whether as an advisor or assistant coach.
Earlier this season,ย Sydney Roostersย head coachย Trent Robinson previously stated that Pearce could eventually find himself back at the club in some capacity, if not in a playing role.
"He is obviously a lifelong Rooster and we are obviously supporting him from afar. Catalans are playing good footy. They are on a bit of a roll over there with lots of ex-Roosters," Robinson said.
"He will be back at the Roosters doing something at some point, so we are looking forward to that when he is done at the Catalans."
Pearceย played the first 238 games of his career for theย Sydney Roostersย before going past the 300ย NRLย game mark with theย Newcastle Knightsย in a four-season stint. The halfback would ultimately request a release to move around overseas at the end of the 2021 season to join the Catalans Dragons in theย Super League.
He would also appear in 19 State of Origin matches for New Southย Walesย but never representedย Australiaย in an era that includedย Johnathan Thurstonย andย Cooper Cronk.
Earlier this season he was linked with a move to the Sydney Roostersย andย Wests Tigers, having confessed interest in a return back to theย NRL.
โI'm still open (to coming back), I'll wait and see what happens.โ Pearce toldย SEN 1170 Breakfastย at the beginning of May.
โObviously (I'm) getting older so you get to appreciate every season you playing at this stage, you enjoy it, I still feel like I've got some footy in me, I'm committed fully to this season and I'll see what happens after that.โ
News Corpย has also reported that the Roosters were always planning to leave a free spot on their top 30 roster for Pearce just in case he wanted a farewell swan song back at the Roosters and in the NRL. While he wouldn't have been the primary halfback at the club, there was a plan in place to use him coming off the interchange bench.
