Sheffield Eagles star Corey Makelim is set to leave the club.
The USA international will return to Australia at the end of this month, with the club supporting his decision.
He joined the club midway through 2018 and made 43 appearances for the club, including their 1895 Cup Final victory at Wembley.
“My partner and I had to make the difficult decision to go home due to a number of reasons that were out of our control and also feeling homesick through this time,” he said.
“I’d like to firstly thank Tubbs (Mark Aston) for giving me the opportunity to come over here and be a part of the Eagles in 2018.
“Big thanks to the boys and backroom staff for making my stay here memorable and have definitely made friends for life.
“Thanks also to the Claydon family for not only their sponsorship but their ongoing support and treating my partner and I like family.
“And finally a huge thank you to all the fans that made my partner and I feel welcome and our stay here a lot easier.
“Wembley was certainly my highlight, an unreal experience that I will cherish forever. I feel very grateful that I was able to experience this with everyone that was involved. Thanks again, stay safe everyone and we’ll miss you all.”
Aston added: “Of course we are deeply saddened to be losing Corey, but we are fully behind his decision.
“We’ve spoken in length about this over the past few weeks and it’s been a difficult time for him so completely understand why he’s chosen to head home.
“His partner is now out of work; they are missing their families back home and we can’t give a definitive date when lockdown will end so have no real idea when training and playing will recommence.
“I’ve no doubt this was a tough decision for him, he is a great bloke and excellent character to have around the place and he will leave a hole that will be difficult to fill.
“However, he must do what’s best for him and his own health and wellbeing and we support his move albeit tinged with sadness that we’re losing him.
“He would be welcomed back with open arms and hopefully if he wishes to do so he can carry on playing rugby league to a good standard back in Australia and on the international stage for America.”
