Shaun Johnson has had a fantastic career to date - but he is yet to break through and now finds himself at a career crossroads.
Without a deal at Cronulla for next year, the 30-year-old has reportedly been told he is free to look elsewhere according to The Daily Telegraph .
Johnson was once an excitement machine, but as he has gotten older he has matured as a player and a person.
The Kiwi international would bring plenty of experience wherever he lands in 2022 - but where that will be remains unclear.
He broke his silence in the lead up to round 14, saying that he would keep his fans updated on his next move.
A lot of noise atm, trust I’ll let you know when there’s something worth knowing. Until then don’t believe these reports - especially when it’s about 💰. Happy Monday fam 👊🏼
— Shaun Johnson (@Shaun_Johnson90) June 6, 2021
Johnson went on to kick the winning field goal against the table-topping Panthers, and proceeded to offer his services to any club in need of a halfback for 2022 .
As we did with Adam Reynolds before his move to Brisbane and have been doing with Matt Dufty ahead of his Dragons departure , we've ranked the five most likely destinations for Shaun Johnson next year.
See below for where we think Johnson could end up.
1. CANTERBURY BULLDOGS
They've got Matt Burton coming their way next year, but at this stage there's no front-runner to partner him and Johnson is a real chance of heading to Belmore.
Jake Averillo, Kyle Flanagan and Brandon Wakeham are all halves in the Bulldogs' system, but none of them have exactly set the world on fire this season.
Pairing an experienced player like Johnson with an exciting young half in Burton, who has been in red-hot form in the centres for Penrith, would be perfect for the Bulldogs.
Senior reporter Michael Chammas confirmed on Inside The NRL on Monday night that Canterbury are targetting the halfback.
2. CANBERRA RAIDERS
After the abrupt departure of George Williams, the struggling Raiders are a club that will be in the hunt for a marquee playmaker for next season - and have reportedly already earmarked Johnson .
With an elite ball-running five-eighth in Jack Wighton at their disposal, Ricky Stuart will be looking for an organiser - a role that Johnson could certainly fill.
Still only 30 years old, Johnson would be a great signing for the Green Machine and somebody that will bring a lot of experience to the club.
If they are to return to the heights they reached in 2019 and 2020, Canberra could do a lot worse than signing an international-level halfback.
3. SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS
The reason South Sydney didn't keep Adam Reynolds is because he wanted a long-term deal, and it's unlikely they would offer one to Johnson either.
But what could feasibly happen is that the Rabbitohs - who are without a halfback for 2022 - could offer Johnson a one-year deal, see how he goes and move from there, all while developing younger players like Lachlan Ilias and Blake Taaffe.
According to a report from The Daily Telegraph , Souths have expressed interest in the Kiwi star on a cut-price short-term deal for 2022.
A combination of Johnson and Cody Walker would be electric, and the Sharks playmaker would have plenty of attacking weapons at his disposal if he did move to Redfern.
4. ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
After being told he is free to look elsewhere by Cronulla, if Johnson wanted to stay local he could just drive across the Tom Ugly's Bridge and join the Red V.
Corey Norman has been told he won't be re-signed and while Anthony Griffin could look to promote within, the Dragons need some spark in their attack now that Matt Dufty is leaving as well.
Johnson presents a good foil for Ben Hunt - both players do like to run the ball, but the former Golden Boot winner has taken on more of a controlling role in recent years due to the impacts of his injuries.
St George Illawarra should have some room in their cap if they don't re-sign Norman and have let Dufty go, which makes them a genuine front-runner to sign Johnson if they wish.
5. BRISBANE BRONCOS
He had been linked with the Broncos prior to the club signing Adam Reynolds - but that doesn't rule him out of going there.
While it appears as though Kotoni Staggs will play five-eighth next year, it's not a position he has played a lot of and he is also yet to come back from an ACL injury.
If the Broncos wanted somebody with more experience in the halves and decided to keep Staggs at centre next year, Johnson would come into the frame straight away.