Tohu Harris is being lined up as the new Warriors captain, allied to a long term deal that will probably see him finish his career at the Auckland club.
That's the indication from a report which says Harris will benefit from the departure of the highly paid Roger Tuivasa-Sheck to rugby union next year.
Tuivasa-Sheck's decision to pursue his rugby dream is a performance and PR disaster for the Warriors. Along with the likes of Simon Mannering and Stacey Jones, he is in a very small band of elite players to have made a special mark at a wobbly club.
And it remains to be seen what effect his impending shift away has on their 2021 bid to make the NRL playoffs, despite all the efforts to brush the significance of his league snub away.
But Tuivasa-Sheck's farewell will allow the Warriors to re-balance their salary distribution. The timing looks perfect for Harris, the club's 2020 player of the year, to negotiate an extension up to 2024.