The Brisbane Broncos are in danger of losing another youngster, with the club's mass exodus of talent set to continue.
While Brisbane have added the likes of Adam Reynolds to their roster for next year, the latest exit appears set to be fullback and centre Tesi Niu.
The 19-year-old has, at times, struggled to secure a spot in Kevin Walters' starting 17 this year, although has held the fullback mantle solidly over the past four games.
Those four outings mean Niu has now made ten appearances for the year, with five at centre early in the season and one on the wing.
But now, on Channel 9 News, Ben Dobbin has reported that Brisbane are yet to offer the young gun a new contract due to salary cap restraints, and plenty of clubs have begun to sniff around for the off-contract star.
Widely touted as one of the best youngsters in the game, Niu has raw speed and strength which has seen him score four tries and average 135 metres per game this season, although that average is up to 167 in his four outings at fullback.
“Tesi Niu, a revelation over the last four weeks playing fullback is in serious doubt to remain at Red Hill for 2022,” Dobbin said.
“He is off-contract at the end of the year and the Broncos due to salary cap restraints at the moment haven’t been able to formally table an offer.
“They see him as a long-term centre although he has been a fullback this year, he has been very much the back-up fullback for them.
“I have been talking to the club today and they would love to keep Tesi Niu, but they are very aware of the interest that is coming from other clubs."
While the Broncos would undoubtedly like to keep Niu, stopping another star from walking out their doors, they have spent plenty in the past weeks, with Adam Reynolds, Brenko Lee and Corey Jensen headed to the club.
Their exodus of youngsters is a cause for concern though, with all of David Fifita, Reece Walsh, Tom Dearden and Sam Walker exiting the club in the past couple of years, raising questions around their retention strategy.