James Tedesco will consider asking teammates Mitchell Moses and Luke Brooks to forfeit more money elsewhere and remain loyal to the Wests Tigers to replicate Melbourne's big three as the joint venture faces a recruitment scramble heading into the 2017 season.
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In the first sign the NSW fullback and the Tigers' much publicised halves are keen to remain together in the long term, Tedesco has openly floated the idea of sitting down with his 21-year-old playmakers to discuss the idea of remaining together beyond next season.
All three are off contract at the end of 2017 – Brooks and Moses rebuffed rival offers to ink one-year extensions earlier this season – and the trio will be the hottest property on the NRL market over summer.
Asked whether he would consider talking to Moses and Brooks about turning down a massive payday at a rival NRL club to stay together, Tedesco said: "We haven't crossed that bridge yet, but I think we probably could talk about that.
"You see a team like the Storm with [Billy] Slater, [Cameron] Smith and [Cooper] Cronk who have been able to stay together their whole careers and they've really built something special down there. It's an opportunity for us and we'll just have to see how it goes with management.
"All three of us know we play our best footy when we're all together and footy wise it would be best if we can stay together. Obviously, it's going to be hard, but with how we've been going the last few weeks it's pretty clear there's something special going on here and if we can keep that going for the next few years that will be good for us."
Tedesco is no stranger to rejecting cash to prioritise his rugby league happiness, backflipping on a more lucrative three-year deal he signed with the Canberra Raiders for 2015 to remain at the Tigers.
And now he is open to asking Moses and Brooks to do the same as him when he was 21.
Moses, in particular, has been a revelation for Jason Taylor's side in the second half of the season and they can potentially inch back into the top eight with victory over Jarryd Hayne's finals-chasing Gold Coast on Saturday.
And having shouldered much of the playmaking burden in Brooks' absence with a knee injury, Moses is hellbent on dodging any contract talk after turning down an 11th-hour bid from the Roosters earlier this year.
"I'm pretty happy with the footy I'm playing at the moment and I'm really liking where I am at the moment," Moses said. "There's a good vibe around the club at the moment and you really enjoy coming to training every day.
"The group of boys here are all pretty close and a tight group. I'm pretty excited for the future, but that will all sort itself out if I keep playing the footy I am."
Tedesco, too, hinted he will open negotiations with the Tigers in the off-season but will have no shortage of suitors given his astonishing form which led to a first Blues jumper.
Brooks engaged in some light running at Tigers training at Campbelltown Sports Ground on Wednesday and is hopeful of playing some part in the Tigers' run-in.
Tedesco's public declaration he wants to remain with Moses and Brooks is a show of faith in Taylor's turnaround at the Tigers after admitting some players felt uneasy about the coach's game plans early in his tenure.
"I think that's fair [we didn't buy in straight away]," Tedesco said. "It's hard when a new coach comes and most teams have trouble early on.
"I think now we're all believing in what he's telling us and it's showing on the field. We're just happy to be out there playing and enjoying each other's company ... I think that's a big thing for us."
