Tony Williams may have played his last NRL game after he was dropped from the Canterbury side to take on Wests Tigers on Sunday.

Williams was named on an extended six-man bench but Fairfax Media can reveal he will be one of the two players to make way. There has been ongoing speculation about the future of the man dubbed 'T-Rex' for some time due to his inability to consistently reproduce the form that earned him NSW and Australian honours. However, the backrower has shown only glimpses of his best form since shifting from Brookvale to Belmore and coach Des Hasler has finally lost patience.

Williams was demoted to the interchange in Canterbury's last game, a loss to Parramatta, in which he played for 33 minutes, made 11 tackles, one error and 42 metres from six runs. However, he has now been axed altogether and is likely to run out for the Bulldogs' Intrust Super Premiership clash against Wentworthville at Belmore Oval on Saturday.

Williams is in the final year of a lucrative contract but will need a huge turnaround in form, and a significant pay cut, to continue his NRL career. Hasler is hoping Williams will bounce back in first grade when several stars - including Josh Jackson and David Klemmer - are unavailable during the State of Origin period.