THE Gold Coast Titans are clearing the decks to make a bold play for premiership winning representative forward Ben Te’o.

Te’o is in the first season of a two-year contract with Irish rugby club Leinster but is believed to be contemplating a return to Australia.

The 28-year-old left the NRL in the prime of his career last year following South Sydney’s grand final triumph.

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The Keebra Park graduate played 151 NRL matches for the Tigers, Broncos and Rabbitohs and seven Origin appearances for Queensland before signing a seven-figure contract to switch codes.

The Titans are looking to add some punch to their forward pack given captain Nate Myles will head to Manly next season and have made informal inquiries with Te’o’s management about his availability.

media_camera Ben Te'o.

But any move to bring the hard-hitting backrower to the Titans will hinge on the Gold Coast’s salary cap position.

Backrower Ben Ridge won’t be re-signed while Dave Taylor has been given permission to negotiate with rival clubs which will free up $400,000 in their budget if he leaves.

An announcement on the signing of Catalans forward Zeb Taia, 30m who played 107 NRL games for ­Parramatta and Newcastle, is ­imminent.

Te’o is expected to fetch up to $700,000 if he returns to the NRL, a figure the Titans aren’t prepared to match.

He recently fuelled speculation over his desire to return to Australia on social media, but the club is genuinely interested in luring him home.

“Missing my old Sydney life!” he wrote on Instagram.

“The water, the sun, the boys. Best city in the world, just didn’t realize (sic) it when I was there.”

Te’o started his NRL career at Wests Tigers in 2007 after graduating from Keebra’s league nursery.

media_camera Ben Te'o during South Sydney Rabbitohs training session.

The Auckland-born forward was shunned by the Warriors as a junior and Keebra coach Greg Lenton said he was far from a spent force in the NRL.

“His performance in the grand final last year was the best game he’s played,” Lenton said..

“He’s defensively one of the best players I’ve seen and South Sydney are missing that.

“He’s the ultimate professional because he’s your classic mercenary.

“If you offer him $500,000 and the mob down the road offers him $500,010 he’ll go there. He understands it’s a business.

“Playing union will be (for financial reasons), give the body a rest for a year and have a holiday in Europe. He’s a very shrewd operator.

“He’d have plenty left in him. I’ve got no doubts that he’ll come back.”