BY DAN

The Canberra Times has suggested that Hohepa Puru might be on the way out the door. It’s no surprise, but it’s also not definite. At this stage all that’s being reported is conjecture and probabilities. That doesn’t make it wrong but it does mean we wait a few days for our final farewells.

Let’s start with what the Times is reporting. The article from the Times suggests Puru has been exploring his options and may leave the club. It implies that lack of playing time is the reason for Puru looking elsewhere. It notes his brother Niwhai Puru just signed a deal with the Cronulla Sharks. It does not suggest a deal has been made with Hohepa to join him, as yet at least. Cronulla does have space in its roster, but I’ve not seen anything definitive about the club approaching Hep.

So we should be clear about what we have. Puru’s departure, while likely, isn’t an announced fact, but rather the speculation of a journalist joining some dots. As far as those dots go they haven’t actually changed. Niwhai was playing in the Sharks system before today, and will be after. His committing there may or may not be a determinative factor to his brother wanting to join. It may not be enough to ensure a deal.

Outside of Hohepa still having an option for next season with Canberra, we have nothing certain but plenty point in one direction. It seems likely the Puru boys want to play footy together. Hohepa may be on the Sharks radar, or he may be trying to be. But a deal isn’t done, and so Hep holds his 2025 option with the Raiders like a fall-back plan.

It hurts to be someone’s “settling” option, but Canberra have been intriguingly and confusingly ambivalent to Hohepa during his time in the capital. Yes they gave him a debut, but only after the club’s middles had been overwhelmed by injury. Then he sat behind a host of other players, and didn’t get another option in 2024. Even if he sticks around for 2025 the situation that caused this mess remains. Deep sigh man. Deep, deep sigh.

I’ve repeatedly made the case he should have been given more opportunities in first grade. His unique set of skills could have opened up the Milk’s playbook. His passing could have added critical width to an attack hampered by substandard passing from the ruck. His creativity with the ball would have added another facet to how Canberra attacked. His ability would have further allowed the Raiders to play with a pace they are so often forced to eschew. Workrate. Leadership. The list of things we saw in him was voluminous.

But I am but one crazy voice conversing with itself. Real people who make real choices thought better. Even if Puru ultimately stays in Canberra, the risk that has been taken with this talent has been confusing, and the fear of properly utilising it won’t go away. I hope the powers that be were aware of the gamble they were taking. Bit of eyes up roster management.

If it comes to this the silver lining is that Canberra can go back to the free agent market. They’ve seemingly had to wait for a domino like this to fall and open up a roster spot before they could move. This news might not be definite, but it could fast track other conversations. Players are starting to move thick and fast around the 1 November deadline. Terrell May and Josh Addo-Carr both got sacked while I was writing this article. I should keep going and see if we can spill someone useful. Danny Walker is still out there.

I’m hoping all this is premature, so I’ll leave the final farewells for another day. Journalists sometimes speculate without prior knowledge, seeking to fill pages with the kind of ‘fantasy football’ nonsense that gets easy clicks and doesn’t require too much thought. But they also do so as a mechanism to pass on information they know, but cannot verify through traditional means. Hep is hardly going to publicly announce he’ll leave if he can. It would make for an re-entry to the clubhouse that would make George Constanza blush. But he, his management, or even the Raiders, could let a journo inside the tent. Th

This might be that. Or it might just be speculation. We’ll know for a fact (or at least, for a stronger rumour) soon.

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Feature image courtesy of Keegan Carroll