A swarm of jostling player agents are feeding conflicting advice to Sydney Roosters superstar Latrell Mitchell, clouding his judgement about his long-term NRL future.
So claims prominent News Corp journalist Paul Kent, who admits he is worried for Mitchell as he approaches a crucial period in his career.
While Mitchell is locked down at the Roosters until the end of 2021, speculation has already begun that he is being targeted by rival clubs.
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The Rabbitohs have been repeatedly tossed up as one potential suitor and it's all but certain that a fleet of other teams will come knocking with big-money offers.
Mitchell recently separated from his manager Steve Deacon and is reportedly being courted by agents that desperately want him in their stable.
The agent he sides with could determine which club he signs to once his current deal is up.
"The thing about this, his performance on the field has shown the spotlight now on what's happening off the field," Kent told The Matty Johns Podcast .
"So potentially this is going to be a much bigger story now because Latrell's being pulled in a dozen different ways.
"All the managers are coming at him and he's split from Steve Deacon, who has done a great job looking after him.
"All managers know he's available, they're all coming at him and, as you know, you're getting 12 different sets of advice and some's good, some's bad.
"He's 21 years old, he's got family in one ear as well. And what's he's doing, he's struggling to determine the good advice from the bad advice.
"I'm really fearful for Latrell where he's at right now. There's a potential that he could make a really dumb decision."
Kent recounted the cautionary tale of another NSW and Australian centre as evidence that maximising your earnings can end in complete catastrophe.
He referred to Mark McGaw, who played 155 matches for the Sharks in the mid-80s and early 90s.
"McGaw was a centre playing back in the times when centres played next to each other, played with Andrew Ettingshausen at Cronulla," Kent said.
"And it got to a point where he demanded to Cronulla that he wanted the same money as Ettingshausen. They said, 'No, Ettingshausen's the gun. You're not far away but he's the better player; he's getting more.
"McGaw didn't like that, so eventually he said, 'You know what, stick it up your backside'. And he took a deal and he went to Penrith."
After moving to the Panthers, McGaw never played for his state or country again. He lasted one year at Penrith before moving on to South Sydney before retiring two seasons later.
"That was the end of his career essentially [moving to Penrith]. He never recovered from that," Kent said.
Johns pointed out that Mitchell's impact could diminish at a new club with different structures and ideals in place.
The Roosters' set-up is all Mitchell knows – he's been at the club since his SG Ball under-18s days and progressed through the juniors and into first grade.
"When you come through in a system, you learn the way they play, and part of who you are is the way that your side plays and how you've been educated," Johns said.
"You never know [what can happen at a new club]."
Kent threw in his two cents regarding what Mitchell should do when he comes off-contract.
"At the moment, I think the Roosters are handling him perfectly," Kent said.
"And my advice to Latrell is go out and get all your offers from around the place, then come back to the Roosters with what you've got, take the best that they can give you and stay there."
Fox League reporter James Hooper pointed out that Mitchell's existing agreement is great value considering when it was inked.
"Everyone's blowing up about the money he's on and [saying] 'How's he only on $450K. Well he did that deal a couple of years ago and he's only just turned 21," Hooper said.
"That's pretty good money."