Star New Zealand Warriors forward Josh Curran is reportedly set for an immediate exit from the club after a difficult 2023 campaign.
An off-field issue early in the year hampered Curran's pre-season and his form afterwards was well below his usual standards.
Whereas Curran had been a cemented starter in years gone by, a majority of his 2023 matches in Andrew Webster's side came from the interchange bench.
In his 23 games for the eventual preliminary finalists, Curran only started on six occasions, with most of his games off the bench carrying low minutes. His production was considerably down as a result, with the forward who can play on the edge or in the middle only averaging 61 metres per game, despite the fact he had 29 tackle busts, 4 tries and 11 offloads.
His form in seasons gone by had him in the discussion for a State of Origin debut, and it's that form which has rival clubs interested, with Wide World of Sports reporting that at least two Sydney clubs are ready to strike for Curran should the Warriors release him.
If Curran isn't part of the Warriors' plans in 2024 then the club will likely move to make the call on Curran sooner rather than later to free up salary cap space as they attempt to juggle a rapidly improving squad with a number of additions over the last two seasons.
Curran was born in Sydney and a return home could be all the ammunition he needs to return to the top of his game, where he was one of the top echelon forwards in the competition.
The 24-year-old, should he not be released, is contracted to the Warriors until at least the end of the 2024 NRL season, so would be free to negotiate with rival clubs from November 1 regardless.