DANIEL Saifiti has confirmed that he is preparing to leave the Newcastle Knights at season's end after being asked by the club to explore alternative options with rival outfits.
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Despite being contracted to Newcastle for two seasons after this one, the 28-year-old was recently advised that the Knights would like him to move on to help ease salary-cap pressure.
There has been speculation that other Newcastle players, including co-captain Jayden Brailey, have received similar taps on the shoulder as the club strives to re-shape its roster.
Saifiti said while he had hoped to play out his career alongside his twin sibling Jacob, as one-club stalwarts, he understood the nature of the business.
"Whatever happens, happens," Saifiti told the Newcastle Herald. "My perspective has changed.
"I've got two young kids now - we had a daughter just over a week ago - and my family comes first.
"I always wanted to be a Newcastle Knight for my whole career, but if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen.
"I'll always be part of the Newcastle Knights - I'm a life member here - but if I'm here, I'm here, if I'm not, I'm not.
"My family comes first."
The Knights re-signed Saifiti to a lucrative long-term contract extension in 2021, when he was an incumbent State of Origin representative who had helped NSW win two interstate series.
He is understood to be Newcastle's highest-paid player other than skipper Kalyn Ponga, and if there is no viable interest in the marketplace, he is entitled to see out his deal at the Knights.
But the more likely outcome is that the Knights will offer him a partial payout and he will sign for one of their competitors, in what could be the last significant contract of an NRL career that kicked off in 2016 and has delivered 173 top-grade games.
"I think Stevie Wonder could see that our salary cap is not in the best position," he said.
"But they've been up front and honest, and I have to respect that.
"If I wanted to dig my heels in and stay, I could stay.
"But I love this club too much, if that's the way they want to go ... I'll do what's best for myself and my family, but I also have this club's interests at heart as well.
"The club has always been really good to me and [twin sibling] Jacob. But at the same time, I think we've been good for them, too."
If Saifiti does find a suitable club at which to make a fresh start, he is likely to find himself playing against Jacob for the first time since their childhood days in the backyard, which he admitted would be "weird".
"We've always played in the same teams together on the weekend," he said.
"We'd play against each other in the backyard. We used to tear in and had a few run-ins, which I think made us better players.
"But we're grown up now. Jacob's married, I've got two kids, so we've got our own families to provide for."
Promoted to Newcastle's starting line-up when Leo Thompson was a late withdrawal before last week's clash with Parramatta, Daniel responded with a performance that suggested he had a point to prove.
Playing against two fellow ex-NSW props in Junior Paulo and Reagan Campbell-Gillard, Saifiti carted the ball 126 metres, made 18 tackles and popped a quality offload that created Newcastle's opening try, scored by rookie five-eighth Will Pryce.
"I felt good," he said.
"I feel like my best games this year have been when I've started.
"It was an opportunity for me to start with Jacob.
"I know Leo has been doing a great job, but as soon as I found out I was starting with my brother, I was excited."
Having previously stated numerous times that he felt Thompson and Jacob had "earned the right" to be Newcastle's starting front-rowers, Daniel admitted he is now hoping to retain his position in the run-on team.
"Jacob and Leo have been setting the tone all this year, and last year as well, and whether I'm off the bench or starting, I'll do my job," he said. "But everyone prefers to be starting."
Knights coach Adam O'Brien confirmed that would be a possibility for Sunday's clash with the Raiders in Canberra again.
"I'm considering starting him again," O'Brien said, adding that the 121-kilogram prop came up with some desperate plays late in the game, when the result was still hanging in the balance.
"I thought he was exceptional," O'Brien said.
"Especially for those that enjoy stats, he was quite high with his work-rate - I think he was 16 or 17 carries, and good metreage.
"And I thought he was nice and sound ... there's just parts of his game that probably go unnoticed by people, but they don't by teammates and the coaching staff."
Meanwhile, the NRL is reportedly investigating an incident in which Paulo was allegedly abused by a spectator after Saturday's game.
