Benji Marshall is set to return to the NRL this season after he and Blues coach John Kirwan agreed his switch to rugby union was not working out as they had both hoped.
Marshall, who has been given just 212 minutes of game time in eight Super Rugby matches this season, had been prepared to bide his time in the new code but negotiations are now underway to finalise the terms of a release that needs to be sanctioned by the board of New Zealand Rugby Union.
Marshall, 29, has instructed his manager Martin Tauber to open talks with NRL clubs.
While his lack of game time had sparked speculation that he was frustrated at the Blues, Marshall was determined to succeed in rugby union and accepted that it would take time to learn the new code.
But he decided to seek a release after a weekend meeting with Kirwan in which it was suggested he either play the rest of the season in the lower tiers to help prepare him for the 2015 Super Rugby competition or return to rugby league.
While he and wife Zoe enjoy living in Auckland, Marshall is aware that if he does not make a decision now he may miss the opportunity to find an NRL club before the June 30 deadline for registering players.
Cronulla, St George Illawarra, Parramatta, Melbourne and Brisbane are among the NRL clubs most likely to interested in a star playmaker of Marshall's calibre and experience.
The rule changes introduced in the NRL this season to speed up the game are likely to suit Marshall, who became disillusioned and decided to change codes after a dispute over a new five-year contract he believed the club had agreed to.
In the 11 seasons after joining the Tigers as a schoolboy in 2003, Marshall played 201 NRL matches and was considered the face of the joint venture after leading the club to the 2005 premiership.
He also played 25 Tests for New Zealand and spearheaded the Kiwis to victory in the 2008 World Cup before taking over the captaincy the following season.
Marshall's decision to seek a release from the Tigers and switch codes was hailed as a coup for New Zealand rugby union but he has had little chance to develop as he has started just one game for the Blues and been shifted between fullback and five-eighth in his limited appearances off the bench
