Speculation is continuing to build around the future of Newcastle Knights representative forward Daniel Saifiti.
The Knights may be fresh off a run to the semi-finals, but Saifiti, as the forward leader at the club, hasn't lived up to the billing set by his enormous contract in recent times.
In 22 games this season, Saifiti only averaged 127 metres per game, and tackled at 93 per cent. While he added 10 offloads and 26 tackle breaks, he was well short of the game's elite props.
At a rumoured $750,000 per season with that to increase to just south of $900,000 next year though, his contract value demands he be one of the game's top-tier props, a mantle that is currently held by the likes of Payne Haas, Joseph Tapine and Addin Fonua-Blake, who all had far and away better numbers than the Newcastle forward this year.
Speculation over Saifiti's future did quieten down during the second half of the year given Newcastle's dramatic winning streak and run to the semi-final. That dying down happened in the same way that pressure on coach Adam O'Brien, who at one point appeared to only be a few losses away from his demise, released.
O'Brien's future now appears as if it'll be settled soon, but the same can't be said for Saifiti.
He is contract until the end of 2026, but The Sydney Morning Herald are reporting that the club are weighing up the idea of moving him on immediately.
It comes with brother Jacob off-contract at the end of 2024. It means he is a free agent from November 1 this year to freely negotiate with other clubs, and it's also believed he may move on from the Hunter.
That alone could be enough to convince Daniel to make an exit from the Knights.
Even if he doesn't, the report suggests multiple clubs are watching and waiting to see exactly what the Knights will do with Saifiti.
Given he was at one point liked to the Canterbury Bulldogs and a host of other clubs were reportedly showing interest in the under contract forward who has 160 games for the Knights, seven Origins for the Blues and three Tests for Fiji under his belt.
The Newcastle-born 27-year-old would likely need the Knights to chip in with some of his salary to make a move away from the Knights however, with the report suggesting no other club would take the entire dollar value of his current deal.
