Out of favour with their respective teams, Brandon Smith, John Bateman and Matthew Lodge have reportedly been linked with a move to the same team as they look to salvage their NRL careers.
The futures of the three players have been in doubt for some time, with Bateman and Smith recently linked with exits from the Wests Tigers and Sydney Roosters and Lodge currently still uncontracted for next season.
As they look to continue their playing career in the NRL over the next few seasons, a surprising club from Sydney has emerged as the potential destination for the trio.
According toย Fox Sports, Bateman, Lodge, and Smith have all been linked with a move to the South Sydney Rabbitohs as they enter a new era, with Wayne Bennett returning to the club as their head coach.
This comes after they freed up space in their salary cap with Lachlan Ilias' departure to the St George Illawarra Dragons.
They are also attempting to receive compensation after skipper Cameron Murray was injured during the 2024 Pacific Championships and could be absent for up to the opening two months.
Moving to the Roosters at the start of 2023 after six seasons and 107 matches with theย Melbourne Storm, Smith has failed to live up to expectations and has yet to reach his full potential at the Bondi-based club.
Struggling to find consistency and on a contract worth around $850,000 per season, reports emerged that he is unlikely to remain at the Sydney Roosters beyond next season as the club looks to make several marquee new signings in the coming years.
He has already been linked with a potential move to the North Queensland Cowboys.
"There's a few clubs we've spoken to, and Cowboys wasn't one of them," Smith said on The Bye Round podcast.
"I don't think that option's really come up. (The Robson rumour) doesn't really change anything for me at the moment.
"I still want to be at the Roosters, still want to be around Sydney, still want to be on The Bye Round podcast, don't want to be in Townsville in this blistering heat. To be fair, they can't force me to go there."
Arriving at theย Wests Tigers at the start of the 2023 season, John Bateman's form has been well below par and has struggled to find consistency on both ends of the field.
There have also been continuous reports that Bateman has failed to get along with head coachย Benji Marshall, which saw him leave at the backend of the season to play underย Sam Burgessย for theย Warrington Wolves.
Despite being contracted for two more years at the Tigers on around $650,000 a season, it is understood that Bateman is highly unlikely to remain at the club - the Tigers could pay up to $300,000 a season to get him off their books.
Bateman is one of a host of players the Tigers would like to have off their books for 2025, includingย Jayden Sullivan,ย Brent Naden, andย Charlie Staines. It'sย also believed the club would not stand in the way of a move forย David Klemmer.
"I'm actually unsure, to be honest," Marshall replied on Thursday when asked about Bateman's immediate future in black and gold.
"What I will say, though, is what's been reported about is false, I haven't had a falling out with John.
"I've had honest discussions and in-house discussions around where John's future is. Those discussions will remain private, but the things that have been reported are not true."
The 31-year-old has played 285 top-flight games acrossย Australiaย andย England, with 34 of those coming for theย Canberra Raidersย and another 32 for the Tigers.
Uncontracted for next season, his future over the past couple of months has continually been up in the air, and there has yet to be any indication of where he will be, come 2025.
Despite only managing 12 games for Manly due to an ACL injury, Lodge brings a wealth of experience, with 121ย NRLย games under his belt since debuting for theย Wests Tigersย in 2014.
Previously linked with a move to theย Newcastle Knightsย due to his family connection with recruitment officer Peter O'Sullivan,ย these reports ended up being shut down.
He has also been shopped around to clubs in theย Super League competition, but no team has yet to confirm an interest in his services as he looks to find a long-term contract to continue his rugby league career.
However, it is understood that he has previously held discussions with Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett as he looks to continue his career in the NRL competition.
"Best-case scenario, someone believes in me and does a couple-of-year deal," he told AAPย recently in regards to his future.
