KIAMA Knights junior Josh Morris messaged Canterbury teammates on Monday afternoon to tell them he'd leave the NRL club at the end of the year to take up a contract at Cronulla.
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The deal, believed to be for two years, will see Morris extend his NRL career into a 14th season and adds to an attacking Sharks' roster that already includes Matt Moylan, Josh Dugan and Valentine Holmes.
Unfortunately though for those at Belmore, Morris' message is one that has become all too familiar in recent weeks.
Morris is the third big-name player to confirm his departure from the club in the past month.
Moses Mbye and Aaron Woods left immediately while Morris will at least get an end-of-season farewell as the club battles to get its well-known salary cap problems in order.
"You don't want it to happen," prop Aiden Tolman said.
"You don't want to see players like Aaron Woods and Moses - who has been here a long time - or J-Moz who has been here for 10 years. You don't want to see those players go.
"But that's professional sport. He had an opportunity at another club and he's got a young family so he took that up.
"It's disappointing because he is such a quality player and he's a good person so to lose a player like that. But he had to do what's best for himself so he is going to a great club."
Morris' departure will help free cap space, but stings in that he is one of just three players to have scored 100 tries for the club.
He was also a part of their 2012 and 2014 grand final teams, having played 208 games for the club since arriving in 2009.
"He's one of the reasons why I came to the club personally," centre Kerrod Holland said.
"To learn off a bloke like that, he's been tremendous.
"He's renowned as one of the best defensive centres in the game and he's obviously got the attack there too with over 100 tries."
But Bulldogs players know there is a light at the end of the tunnel and the pain the club's currently enduring is one they have to go through.
Coach Dean Pay spoke at the weekend about a more relaxed mood being around the group since the June 30 deadline passed, and in that time they've beaten Newcastle and only succumbed to Canberra late on Saturday night.
"The management, the board and coaching staff have a plan they are putting in place," Tolman said.
"This year has been tough but if they execute it right next year we can buy some players and be on the improve.
"We're a proud club here and we know we've got people in place to turn it around."
