Troubled former Warrior Kevin Locke has been released from his English rugby league club Wakefield and is now being linked to the Melbourne Storm.
Club chairman Michael Carter confirmed Locke's departure in the English media overnight after completing an investigation into an off-field incident concerning the former New Zealand international.
Locke was dropped by Wakefield earlier this month alongside team-mates Reece Lyne and Tim Smith. That came after Smith was charged by police with failing to provide a sample for analysis and driving without due care and attention following an incident in Hull. Lyne has since returned to the club but the club's investigation involving Smith is still ongoing.
Carter revealed that Locke has now left the club and is expected to take up a deal with Melbourne next year. The fullback had been at Wakefield on a short-term contract after originally signing with the Salford Red Devils after he left the Warriors.
"Kevin won't play for the Wildcats again," said Carter. "We've concluded the case involving him, shook hands and gone our own ways. He's now back home with his son; it was just one of those things, sadly. He picked up a shoulder injury anyway and would have been doubtful for the games he'd missed due to this matter, so we were focusing on playing without him anyway.
"I'm led to believe Kevin is back in Australia already, so let's face it, he was never going to be playing this weekend regardless."
When asked about the club's investigation into scrum-half Smith, Carter confirmed that the process is still to be concluded. "The situation with Tim is still ongoing, I believe he's in court on Wednesday and his case is still ongoing, so I don't think anything will be resolved from a club perspective before the weekend and the game against Bradford," he said. "It's still very sensitive and I'd just prefer to concentrate on what's ahead of us."