Wests Tigers captain Aaron Woods suspects every chief executive in Sydney will be scrambling for ways to lure NRL superstar Cooper Cronk to their club in 2018.
And Canterbury skipper James Graham agrees, saying Cronk's bombshell announcement that he's leaving Melbourne at season's end to live happily ever after with his Sydney-based fiancee "has certainly thrown a spanner in the works".
"I think all the eight, nine clubs in Sydney will be working some things out administratively, talking to their head coaches to see if they can do something," Graham said on Fox Sports' NRL 360 program.
"(They'll be) weighing up the knock-on effect of bringing in a 32, 33-year-old to play out the end of his career.
"Is that worth it? Is that worth sacrificing a younger half? To bring him in for two years, what that younger half is going to go on to do?
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"So there's some big decisions to be made."
Personally, though, Graham wouldn't trade off-contract stalwart Josh Reynolds or halves partner Moses Mbye for anyone, not even for Cronk.
"In relation to our club, Cooper Cronk's probably one of the best halfbacks of the generation," Graham said.
"I think it's easy to sit here and say that when you look at what he's done. I imagine they (the Bulldogs board) would certainly be looking at him.
"But as far as I'm concerned, my halves at my club were good enough last week, they were good enough yesterday and they were good enough today as well."
Tigers halfback Luke Brooks' reported two-year contract extension on Wednesday would reduce the chances of the club being interested in Cronk.
But Woods said Cronk would be a valuable asset to any NRL side.
"I'm similar to Jimmy. I love the halves in my club, but in a real world he's a world-class player, Cooper Cronk," Woods said.
"If he gets on the market, as Jimmy said, all the Sydney teams are going to have a look at him and think of ways around (to get him).
"It's going to be two years you're going to get out of him, but what's the progression you're going to get from the young guys coming through and the skills they're going to learn underneath him?
"He's a world-class player and he's coming from a club like Melbourne, where there's a really good culture.
"So if he can bring that to your club, I'm sure any club would go looking for him."
