He has stated publicly that he has not asked for a release and now Jarryd Hayne has sought to reassure his Titans teammates that he will re-join them in 2018 with a private message stating his intention to stay.
Currently in camp with the Fiji team ahead of Friday night's crucial World Cup clash with Italy, Hayne has been the subject of intense speculation after a report emerged linking him with a return to Sydney to be close to his young daughter.
As soon as the story surfaced Hayne took to social media to deny he had held discussions with any Sydney-based teams and used the Titans players' WhatsApp group to tell his teammates of his intentions.
Surrounded by unfamiliar faces as the team was subjected to a punishing fitness session on Thursday morning, the Titans' longest-serving current player Ryan James said that he expects Hayne to return to the fold once his World Cup commitments are complete.
"I'm expecting him to come back," James said.
"He said on the WhatsApp that he hasn't spoken to anyone yet, so expecting him back whenever he is due back.
"He's just kept in contact with all of us. He spoke to all of us and let us know.
"I've got no doubts [he will come back] from what he's spoken to us about. Hopefully that's what happens."
With a high turnover of players over the off-season it's another new-look Titans team that has begun pre-season training, with Hayne and Konrad Hurrell away on World Cup duty and Jarrod Wallace and Anthony Don on injury rehabilitation programs.
To lose Hayne with so many of the NRL playing rosters now settled would be a major disruption to new coach Garth Brennan's plans for 2018 and James hopes that Hayne can bring the energy and enjoyment he is showing with Fiji back to the Gold Coast.
"Jarryd's a big part of our team and when he's firing there's not many people that can stop him," said James, heading into his ninth season in the NRL.
"He's been playing great for Fiji at the moment and he looks like he's having fun doing that as well so hopefully he can bring that back into the squad early next year."
