Wests Tigers star Luke Brooks has dropped a bombshell on the club after informing them of his plans to leave at the end of the season.
Brooks had a two-year extension on the table from the club but it is understood he informed Tigers assistant coach Benji Marshall on Sunday morning that he would not be taking up the deal.
It means Brooks will head to the open market, where he is expected to attract offers from the NRL and Super League.
“Disappointed,” Tigers chair Lee Hagipantelis said.
“The fact that we made an offer indicated that the club’s intention was to retain Luke. Our desire was to retain him.
“It would have been very nice to have seen him play out his career at the Wests Tigers. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be.
“He is a seasoned professional, he has been with the club for quite some time, we made an offer which we believed to be a fair market offer, a genuine offer.
“The offer wasn’t acceptable which is fair enough. He is perfectly entitled to make that decision to go out and test the market.”