Warriors halfback Shaun Johnson has admitted he's been in talks with other NRL clubs as the race to sign the in-demand Kiwi heats up.
The off-contract 26-year-old would like to have his future locked down within the next few weeks,and although he loves his current club, he would be stupid to ignore interest from outside of Auckland.
"I've had chats with a club or two and so I know exactly what's there," Johnson told Newstalk ZB.
"I won't say what clubs, but I'm in a position where you're going to have to see what's out there, aren't you?
"There's pros and cons to everything you do and this just seems to be where I'm at, at the moment."
Johnson however is excited about what the Warriors are doing in regards of future planning, with the 2018 signing of Melbourne Storm forward Tohu Harris and the club's pursuit to lock new standoff Kieran Foran into a long-term contract.
Johnson said balancing that out, with his desire to be a one-club man against potentially winning a premiership in a short turnaround with a big club in Australia is weighing on his mind.
"They're putting the pieces of the puzzle in the right spots to create something, not just for one year but for multiple years, and I want to be a part of all that.
"But the other side of that is, if that success doesn't happen, am I happy going my career without winning a comp?
"So moving clubs, winning a comp with other clubs, does that mean as much to me as winning one at the Warriors? That's something I really have to think about."
The arrival of Foran has created excitement both within the club and its fan base. Johnson said the acquisition of his Kiwi teammate is what the club has been missing since the loss of James Maloney in 2011.
"It's opened my eyes to we've really missed - another established halfback and another established voice that has that will to win, has that competitive nature, that can really drive and lift a side.
"And that's no disrespect to the halves that are coming through. But if you look at the sides that win comps, they've got a spine with halves that are really established."
The uncertainty around Foran's playing future is a separate conundrum that the club is currently dealing with. The former Kiwi captain has two young children living in Sydney and wants to be close to them - this has all of the big Australian clubs circling around the 26-year-old.
Johnson was glowing in his admiration for his teammate and said his own contract decision would be an easy one if Foran committed to the Warriors beyond 2017.
"Just having both of us out there echoing the same thing, you want to be a part of that.
"I want to play with the best players, you want to play with your mates, and Foz (Foran) ticks those boxes.
"I'm not saying that if Foz leaves that I'm definitely gone. It's not about that at all. But certainly, Foz, we'd be very happy to keep him.
"Foz and I have had plenty of chats about what we want to do next year and whether we're going to be able to do it or not.
"That will all pan out over the next couple of weeks."
The Warriors host Foran's former club, Parramatta on Sunday at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland, with both clubs chasing a third 2017 NRL season win.
Newshub.
