South Sydney Rabbitohs halfback Jamie Humphreys is set to leave the club at the end of the year and become an inaugural member of the Perth Bears.
The halfback has been in negotiations over his future for many months with the Rabbitohs.
It was believed in the pre-season that an extension for the ex-Manly player was close to being worked out, but then kicked down the road by the signing of Payne Haas from the start of next year.
That dent in the salary cap for South Sydney, as well as the emergence of Ashton Ward, saw things delayed, and Humphreys has explored his options elsewhere.
He recently suggested his priority was remaining at the Rabbitohs, but speaking on The Continuous Call Team’s Offload Podcast, journalist Adrian Proszenko said a three-year deal was on the verge of being signed for Humphreys to head west, while the move for Jonathan Sua was also close to done.
“I’m hearing that Jamie Humphreys is very, very close to agreeing to a three-year deal to go to Perth,” Proszenko said on the show.
“A big body who could potentially play in the back-row, but my understanding is he has been signed as a half.
“Jonathan Sua is also close to signing.”
The move for Humphreys is a big one for Perth, and potentially would take them out of the market for Warriors’ halfback Luke Metcalf who has been given the green light to explore his options around the competition.
The Bears have currently signed Tyran Wishart and Toby Sexton as their options in the halves, but Wishart may be required at number nine, with the club still having not signed a first-choice player for that position.
Humphreys could play halfback, five-eighth, hooker or even in the forwards in a pinch, but his form at the Rabbitohs last year saw him become the surprise first-choice number seven before losing his spot to Ashton Ward last weekend.
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