There is little doubt around the improvement Canterbury Bulldogs' centre Jake Averillo has shown over the first nine rounds of the 2023 NRL season.
After being bumped around from position to position during the early part of his career, the now 22-year-old was moved away from fullback for the start of this season to find a permanent home in the centres under Cameron Ciraldo.
The ex-Panthers' assistant said before a ball was kicked this season that he believed Averillo could become one of the game's best centres, and so far, it's hard to fault the comment.
In nine games, the centre has scored 4 tries, added another 4 try assists, made 22 tackle breaks, 7 line breaks, 114 metres per game and has defended very healthily, his game improving week on week.
His two-try effort in Wollongong for an undermanned Bulldogs against the St George Illawarra Dragons saw more praise heaped on Averillo, with the Bankstown Sports and Moorebank Rams junior running for 241 metres in a blistering performance.
That saw Ciraldo heap more praise on him, but media reports suggest it's also seen other clubs take a substantial interest in his future, with Averillo off-contract at the end of the year.
It's understood the Bulldogs would like to keep him, as well as fellow off-contract centre Paul Alamoti, but with the arrivals of Bronson Xerri and Stephen Crichton next year, both money and the fight for places in Canterbury's back five will be tight.
Contracted for 2024 alongside Xerri and Crichton are Josh Addo-Carr, Jacob Kiraz, Hayze Perham and boom NSW Cup talent Jeral Skelton.
Taking that Crichton, Addo-Carr and Kiraz lock up spots in the back five, that leaves Xerri, Perham, Skelton and potentially Averillo and Alamoti fighting for two spots in the centres.
The interest in Averillo is hardly a surprise, but here are the five clubs who should be immediately getting on the phone to try and snare the Bulldogs' centre.
Keep in mind this is purely hypothetical and the Bulldogs could yet retain his signature - and as mentioned, the rumour mill suggests they are keen too.
4. Newcastle Knights
The Knights have a locked in centre pairing in Bradman Best and Dane Gagai... But what if it wasn't?
Best is going nowhere, but Gagai continues to get to the back-end of his career, and is equally as adept on the wing as he is in the centres.
With the Knights in general struggling for depth in the outside backs, there is an easy school of thought to be made that if the Knights could make a signing of Averillo's quality, then they'd be better off with he and Gagai in the team - and that would mean Gagai shifting to the wing.
Keep in mind here that by the time 2024 rolls around, the Knights need a new winger. I've stated before they should be banging the door down for Daniel Tupou to replace Dominic Young in what would effectively be a like-for-like swap between the Hunter-based club and the Roosters, but there is no reason Averillo wouldn't work just as well.
Cows would be fine for him, if he is fine with living in the far north.
Depends a lot on his personal life, so he may not go to the obvious club.