The Waratahs have a Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii problem. The Reds are poised to farewell centres Josh Flook and Hunter Paisami. The Force are potentially one midfielder away from a genuine strike backline. It will be a Rugby World Cup year.
And there is a player by the name of Izaia Perese, a member of the Wallabies' doomed 2023 World Cup squad, who is off contract at Leicester and looking for a new home.
Perese could foreseeably fill a hole at the Waratahs, Reds and Western Force - and give Wallabies coach Les Kiss another midfield option to consider for the global showpiece on Australian soil next year.
While James O'Connor and Bernard Foley were both last week reported to be entertaining moves home, and back-rower Tom Hooper is weighing up an extension with Exeter, where he has already become a cult hero, Perese's future hasn't exactly been headline news.
But as one senior Super Rugby official expressed to ESPN, the "quality player" should be in the sights of multiple Australian clubs.
"Izzy has offered some great moments in big games and applies himself diligently during training," Leicester Tigers coach, and former Wallabies assistant, Geoff Parling said in farewelling Perese.
"He's been fantastic to work with, and I think that due to his carry being so impactful his defensive work at 13 goes unheralded. Izzy will always be part of the Leicester Tigers and we wish him and his family all the best for the future."
This season, Perese has played 13 games across all competitions, scoring five tries either at outside centre or after coming on as a replacement. He wore the No. 13 jersey in Leicester's Champions Cup thrashing away to Bordeaux-Begles, now finalists, picking off an intercept try in the 64-14 defeat. There were five-pointers either side of that game in the Premiership, too.
Perese's game is not without its faults, his tackle height has long been an issue, but at his best the Queenslander is hard-running midfielder capable of opening up defences either with his power or an offload.
At a time when the Waratahs are struggling for backline thrust, and on Friday night saw prized recruit Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii record only two carries for two metres, a play for Perese would offer NSW a centre partnership with incoming NRL recruit Angus Crichton, allowing Suaalii to the outside backs where many good judges believe he is better suited.
"You move him out of that position... we couldn't be proved more right surely?" Stan Sport analyst and former Wallabies centre Morgan Turunui said on Between Two Posts when asked about Suaalii's lacklustre performance in the Waratahs' loss to the Force.
"I think it's an easy switch, Jorgo got four carries... I don't think Jorgo [Max Jorgensen] should be the fullback there either," former Wallabies captain Michael Hooper added. "So I'd actually move Joseph to fullback and stick with Max Jorgensen... on the wing."
The Waratahs haven't been helped by a lack of midfield depth this season after Henry O'Donnell decided to step away from rugby this season, though Turunui added he would like to see utility Triston Reilly in the midfield.
The situation is complicated by the fact that Suaalii has been a lock at 13 for the Wallabies at Test level, though McKellar insists there has been no directive from outgoing Australia coach Joe Schmidt for the 22-year-old to be played at outside centre in Super Rugby Pacific.
Whether Kiss sees Suaalii's best position differently at Test level will be revealed later this year, but if the Waratahs were to make a play for Perese it would certainly ease the need for the former Roosters back to play in the midfield for NSW.
Alongside Crichton next year, it could also free up space for Suaalii and Jorgensen, who has been similarly quiet the past few weeks after a box-office start to the season earlier this year.
Meanwhile at the Reds, the departures of the in-form Flook and Paisami has left a significant hole in the midfield at Ballymore, even with the retention of Isaac Henry and rise of rookie Treyvon Pritchard, who has only been used on the wing to date.
Perese would also make a big impact at the Force, who are losing utility back Kuenzle to Scotland at the end of the season. Pairing Perese with former All Blacks winger George Bridge would offer Simon Cron's side a dynamic midfield pairing, even if Perese was to wear the No. 12 jersey.
It's likely Perese would have multiple options to continue playing in Europe or even make a switch to Japan, which has become a popular landing spot for players who want to be that little bit closer to home.
But the lure of a home World Cup cannot be understated, either.
Whether Rugby Australia would consider a top-up for Perese, when it has already come to the party for another NRL recruit in Zac Lomax, and has Len Ikitau and Angus Bell back on its payroll after sabbaticals, is also questionable.
But given his exploits at the Waratahs previously and contributions at Leicester the past two seasons there is no doubting that Perese would make an impact back in Australian rugby - and potentially finally free up its most expensive asset in Super Rugby Pacific.