Paul Gallen will get a gauge on whether he has a future at Cronulla on Thursday as the NSW skipper contemplates the prospect of playing against his beloved Sharks next year.
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Gallen has made all of his 241 first-grade appearances for the club but is frustrated that a contract extension, which was all but agreed upon when Steve Noyce was CEO, is not yet forthcoming. A free agent at the end of the season, the 33-year-old's manager is to meet with Sharks officials on Thursday in the hope of resolving the impasse.
There are fears that, should the parties not come to terms, Gallen's exit may have the same catastrophic effect that Glenn Stewart's departure had on Manly.
Gallen only wants a one-year extension, but delays in making it happen have left the veteran forward concerned he may be forced to finish his Australian career playing against the Shire outfit.
"I am starting to get a bit concerned now," Gallen said. "You guys hear rumours, you guys hear rumblings. If you're asking me questions, where there is smoke there is fire sometimes.
"I'll get another club, I'm not concerned about not playing. But for me to go to another club, after everything I've done at the place, wouldn't be a waste of time but seems a bit of a waste."
Gallen has taken pay cuts to stay put and his decision to knock back approaches from Manly cost him up to $100,000 a season, as well as the chance to win two premierships
"It's a bit frustrating," Gallen said. "All the fans here talk about Steve Rogers, how he's a club great but he went to St George for all these years. That's something people say and I don't want that. I've been here since I was a kid and my biggest detractors couldn't fault me for the loyalty I've shown to the place.
"To not be here wouldn't be great but I'm going to make the decision for myself. At the end of the day, they're treating it as a business. For me, I've always treated this club very personally.
"I look at the times I could have gone to more successful clubs for more money but I stayed because I love the place. Now they come and treat it like a business now. I've missed my run to treat it like a business now … I want to stay at the club and I'm not asking for a two-year contract, I'm not asking for anything longer than a one-year extension."
Gallen said he wanted to continue to juggle his boxing and league careers in his twilight years and hoped that wouldn't count against him in contract extension talks.
"We're more than a quarter into the season now," he said. "Not only would I like to know what's going on but the club would like to know what's going on. They need to know what I'm going to be in the cap for and whoever else they sign will be in the cap for. It's getting to the point where we need to start making some decisions."
Gallen, who will be 34 in August, said he was interested in finishing his career in England. However, he felt age shouldn't be a factor in any negotiations for next season.
"I'm still going as good as I've ever played," he said. "Petero [Civinoceva] and Steve Price played for Australian until they were 36. It shows it doesn't matter about your age, if you're good enough you'll get picked in the side. I've got no doubt that it's not about your age. If you're playing good enough you'll get picked.
"I've got another couple of years in me, I want to go overseas and experience that while I'm still playing well. I've still got plenty to offer the NRL and I'm pretty sure I'll play [NRL] next year. Hopefully it's here."
The Sharks need to make tough calls on other senior players as Michael Gordon, Chris Heighington, Anthony Tupou and Jeff Robson are also coming off contract.
