The South Sydney Rabbitohs' recruitment strategy has come under scrutiny after the club reportedly declined a loan offer for Melbourne Storm playmaker Jonah Pezet.
According to The Daily Telegraph, the deal would have secured the 22-year-old halfback on a one-year deal, with the potential for a longer-term buyout.
Instead, Souths reportedly walked away, which for many, highlights deeper questions about the club's ability to identify elite talent.
MORE: Can the Storm still win the premiership without Jahrome Hughes?
Pezet is no ordinary prospect. A New South Wales Under-19s representative and son of former South Queensland Crusher Troy Pezet, he has already shown flashes of big-game pedigree.
His breakout 2023 season included a try on debut and a starring role in the Brisbane Tigers' Queensland Cup title run.
Even an ACL rupture in 2024 hasn't dulled his reputation. Melbourne re-signed him until 2029, a statement of faith in his long-term upside.
That context makes Souths' rejection difficult to reconcile, especially given the club's uncertain halves depth moving into 2026.
Lewis Dodd is unsettled and could return to the Super League. Jonah Glover and Jamie Humphreys remain largely untested at NRL level.
Cody Walker is 36 next season, presumably nearing retirement, while the contract situations of Ashton Ward and Jayden Sullivan are up in the air.
In contrast, Pezet offers exactly what Souths lack: a steady game manager with an elite kicking game, attributes that rugby league legends Andrew Johns and Billy Slater have both praised.
The nature of a loan suggests that the upside was completely structured to Souths' benefit - low risk, high reward. Turning it down signals a Rabbitohs recruitment staff that is either highly confident or complacent.
South Sydney's spine has already been destabilised since the exit of leaders Adam Reynolds and Damien Cook.
Melbourne, meanwhile, keep hold of a halfback many see as their long-term successor to Jahrome Hughes.
After a dismal season in Redfern, questions must be asked of the Rabbitohs' front office. What is the vision going forward, and is rejecting Pezet part of a broader, unseen strategy?