Manly Sea Eagles front-rower Matthew Lodge has reportedly met with a rival NRL team as he looks to continue his career beyond this season.
Lodge, who is currently sidelined with a bicep injury, remains without a contract for next season, and there has yet to be any indication that he will remain at the Northern Beaches with the Manly Sea Eagles.
Coming off a ruptured ACL injury in his right knee, Lodge was promoted to the Top 30 roster earlier this season after signing with the Sea Eagles from the Sydney Roosters on a train-and-trial contract that earned him around $1000 per week.
As he looks to continue his rugby league career, the 29-year-old has met with St George Illawarra Dragons head coach Shane Flanagan about a possible move, per News Corp.
The Dragons are free to negotiate with him due to him being off-contract at the end of 2024, but it is being reported that the meeting was more of an informal chat about seeing if a move would work out for both parties.
A potential move to the Dragons would make it the sixth NRL team he has played for since his debut for the Wests Tigers in 2014. He has previously had stints at the Brisbane Broncos, New Zealand Warriors and Sydney Roosters
It would also be the eighth club he has been involved in, having been a member of the Under-20s teams at the Penrith Panthers and Melbourne Storm.
Shane Flanagan has made it no secret that the Dragons are in the market for a front-rower for next season and have continually been linked with the Knights and Blues prop Daniel Saifiti.
Saifiti is still under contract with Newcastle for the next two seasons, but the Knights have granted him permission to explore his options.
On a salary of approximately $800,000 a season at the moment, it is understood that the Dragons are considered the favourites to land his signature.