Bulls favourite Stuart Fielden today moved to end talk of an early transfer to Oz insisting: "I'm here for the next two years."
Rumours abound the fearsome prop could imminently be heading to Sydney Roosters in a swap for Great Britain team-mate Adrian Morley.
Fielden has often stated he would love to play in Australia's NRL but it was generally thought that would happen further down the line.
He is still only 26, is contracted until the end of 2007, has just been rated the world's premier forward and is now seen as especially vital for the Bulls as they begin life without fellow forward giant Jamie Peacock.
Morley, 28, is currently preparing for his final year at the Roosters where he has been a roaring success since moving from Leeds.
He helped the Bulls to their Grand Final success last year during a short-term stint here and chairman Chris Caisley made it known he would like to bring Morley back for good in 2007.
But speculation has mounted that that date could be brought forward - with Fielden being sacrificed to seal the deal.
However, Fielden today admitted: "The rumours are as new to me as they are to everyone else.
"I've heard them through other people and read it in the papers but as regards me it's all new.
"I'm here for two years. I want to play in Australia - I've made no secret of that - but the questions of will it happen and, if it does, when, these are questions I'm not putting any thought into.
"I'm here for two years and as far as I'm concerned, I'll be here for both of them."
Fielden finished 2005 on a massive high after firing Bulls to Super League glory, starring in the Tri-Nations and then being voted third in the prestigious internationally-acclaimed Golden Boot awards.
"It ended up being probably one of my best seasons personally but the rest of the year
was probably the worst," he recalled, referring to the Bulls' nightmare start.
"The ending was one of the highest points of my career, coming from one of the lowest. There was a bit of a reversal but I'm pretty pleased with it and want to emulate that now."
Fielden will do well to top the form he showed while powering the Bulls to Old Trafford but
he insisted: "You can always get better.
"Anyone who believes they can't is probably believing in themselves too much. Even the best players - your Andrew Johns and Adrian Morleys - know they can, even if it is just by 0.5 per cent.
"I've got a lot to prove and am looking forward to the new
season."
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