He was the biggest signing of the off-season in Newcastle but Blake Ferguson has departed Kurri Kurri after just one match.
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A star for his hometown club of Wellington in the Peter McDonald Premiership last season, Ferguson's switch to Kurri Kurri created plenty of excitement.
But, the club and the former Australian representative have had his contract "terminated by mutual agreement".
Circumstances surrounding the situation remain unclear.
Kurri club officials declined to comment.
Newcastle RL general manager Adam Devich confirmed on Wednesday the Bulldogs and Ferguson had parted ways.
"Kurri have released him and his contract has been terminated by mutual agreement," Devich told ACM.
When asked about the overall impact of losing Ferguson from the Newcastle RL ranks for the rest of this season, Devich replied: "the competition is bigger than any one player".
Ferguson, who was announced as Kurri's key signing back in October, joined the Newcastle Rebels representative squad and last month helped the side successfully defend its NSW Country Championships title.
The 34-year-old had an immediate impact for the Bulldogs in round one - heavily involved and even spending 10 minutes in the sin bin during a narrow 25-24 loss to Wyong at No.2 Sportsground less than a fortnight ago (April 13).
He did not feature against two-time defending premiers the Pickers at Maitland Sportsground on Saturday and wasn't listed at fullback to meet Souths at Townson Oval on Anzac Day.
It's understood Kurri players were informed about the decision at training on Tuesday night.
Whether or not Ferguson ends up playing elsewhere this year remains to be seen.
He had most recently enjoyed a strong season with the Cowboys.
His return home whipped the Cowboys club and community into a frenzy and Ferguson went on to score 13 tries in maroon and white.
Ferguson notched up 249 NRL games with four clubs between 2009 and 2021, including a premiership for the Sydney Roosters in 2018.
Also a six-time Indigenous All Star, he made nine Origin and seven Test appearances.
Ferguson finished his professional career in 2022 after helping Leigh gain promotion to the English Super League.
He has endured several off-field controversies - sacked by the Raiders, dropped from Origin and jailed in Japan.
Josh Callinan
My name is Josh Callinan and I'm a sports journalist at the Newcastle Herald. I started with the newspaper in 2016 after a decade at the Maitland Mercury.
My name is Josh Callinan and I'm a sports journalist at the Newcastle Herald. I started with the newspaper in 2016 after a decade at the Maitland Mercury.
