Matthew Johns, a former premiership-winner with the Newcastle Knights has boldly predicted that the Gold Coast Titans could be set to lose another marquee star.
Last week, the Titans suffered a crucial blow to their forward stocks for next season after it was confirmed that David Fiftita would not trigger a player option in his contract and would depart at the end of the season.
Now, rumours have emerged that another Gold Coast Titans representative forward in Tino Fa'asuamaleaui may exit the club and return to his previous home.
Johns has predicted that the Melbourne Storm will attempt to lure Fa'asuamaleaui back to the club where he made his NRL first-grade debut.
“I have no doubt the Melbourne Storm will make a monumental play for Tino,” Matthew Johns said on SEN 1170's Morning Glory.
“When all this stuff was going on… there was talk around that the Melbourne Storm were circling then.
“They're desperate to bring him back.”
It was understood Fa'asuamaleaui had been offered a similar decade-long deal by the Storm before re-signing with the Titans.
However, Fa'asuamaleaui recently signed a ten-year contract extension with the Titans until the end of the 2033 season. But a clause in the contract could see him leave the club at the end of the 2026 season.
From 2027 onwards, Fa'asuamaleaui has a player option for every season until the end of the massive deal.
The club's captain, Fa'asuamaleaui, is currently on the sidelines with an ACL injury he suffered in Round 3 against the Canterbury Bulldogs and will play no more part this season.
While it is hard to see him leaving the Gold Coast, a departure could be in his near future if the club continues to struggle and miss out on the NRL finals.
Former NRL winger Denan Kemp added that he would love to see Fa'asuamaleaui at a club near the top of the table like the Melbourne Storm, which would see him achieve more success.
Recently, head coach Craig Bellamy revealed that he would remain in the top coaching gig for the 2025 NRL season, and the Storm have been looking to improve their forward stocks.
Over the past few seasons, they have lost Jesse Bromwich, Felise Kaufusi, and Kenneath Bromwich, among others and have been linked to Wests Tigers prop Stefano Utoikamanu and former NSW Blues front-rower Tevita Pangai Junior recently.
“I don't want Tino at a club with the Titans struggling for the rest of his career,” Kemp added.
“He's too good of a player to be battling 80 minutes at the bottom of the table for the next six years of his career.
“From a fan of Tino, I don't want to see his career just battling away at the bottom of the table.”