Salary caps, third-party agreements and the contentious Round 13 cut-off rule are just some of the reasons mid-season player movements and contract negations inside rugby league circles can often leave fans and players disillusioned and confused.
Daly Cherry-Evans, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Kieran Foran, Issac Luke and Nate Myles are just some of the high-profile names pledging their allegiance to rival clubs from season 2016.
With the current environment surrounding player movement akin to an endlessly revolving carousel threatening to send the game into disarray, the decision of off-contract Broncos forward Alex Glenn to hand the club "first dibs" at re-signing him provides a breath of fresh air for the game's stakeholders.
Glenn's management held talks with Broncos officials this week in a bid to lock down the 26-year-old at Red Hill beyond this season.
A veteran of 151 NRL games, Glenn's unwavering loyalty to his beloved Brisbane Broncos cannot be questioned.
He has been with the club since 2008 where he captained their under-20s side to a grand final appearance against Canberra with current teammates such as Ben Hunt, Andrew McCullough, Josh McGuire, Jordan Kahu and Mitchell Dodds.
He also captained the senior side on a number of occasions since 2012 during the Origin period, deputising for Sam Thaiday, Corey Parker and Justin Hodges since the retirement of former skipper Darren Lockyer in 2011.
"The club and my manager have been talking a fair bit in the last week so hopefully it's starting to get closer. I have to speak to my manager and he'll give me the verdict," Glenn said.
"Right from the start I thought I'd pay my respect and give the club the first opportunity. They looked after me right from the time I came here as a youngster and I thought it was the right thing to do.
"My manager has pretty much taken care of all that stuff, but I told him that I wanted to give this club first dibs.
"Fingers crossed that they want to keep me here and all goes well."
After receiving a timely wake-up by Wayne Bennett during pre-season in an effort to provoke a reaction from the former Kiwi representative, Glenn has responded in emphatic fashion to become one of Brisbane's most consistent performers this season.
The Northcote Tigers junior is the leading metre-eater amongst Brisbane's forwards this year, averaging 136 metres to compliment his 26 tackles and two tackle busts per match.
Glenn played in all of Brisbane's 25 matches last season but only averaged 119 metres playing on the left edge.
He is fully aware he can't rest on his laurels despite a positive turn of form in 2015.
"I have been happy with my performance and each week I know I can keep building and delivering more. I still reckon I have a lot more to offer and the way I've started the season is the way I've wanted to," he said.
"Last year I was a bit inconsistent and my focus coming into pre-season was to make sure I had a strong mentality and that has been my focus this year and I think I've been delivering so far."
Such was the eye-catching nature of Glenn's early season form, Broncos assistant and New Zealand head coach Stephen Kearney informed his fellow countryman that he would've been in the selection mix for the Anzac Test had a facial injury sustained in Round 7 against the Dragons not scuppered his chances.
"[Kearney] told me this week that I was in the running for the squad but I'm not disappointed. At the end of the day it's football and that stuff happens. You do get some unlucky injuries at times and mine is just one of those cases," he said.
Barring any unforeseen hiccups, Brisbane's re-signing of Glenn is expected to be announced within the next week, with the back-rower desperate to be involved in building a potential Broncos dynasty under the tutelage of Bennett.
"There's a lot of depth at this club. We went through a phase where we were rebuilding for a couple of years but I think that's all starting to come together now," Glenn said.
"We are still a young squad – I think the average age is 23 or 24 – so there's a lot of depth there and with all the boys playing to their potential with each other, it's a great thing for us and the fans as well for the long run.
"That's something that's in the back of my mind and I definitely want to be a part of it so it just comes down to my manager and club negotiating everything."
