St George Illawarra chief executive Peter Doust said he was caught off guard by news Mark Gasnier was contemplating a move to play rugby union in France because he believed the Test centre was a happy Dragon.

Doust came under fire yesterday after admitting he was stunned to learn Gasnier was exploring his options.

This was despite the fact Doust was the chief executive who signed off on the five-year contract, which includes a get-out clause in each year of the deal.

The Dragons boss said he was fully aware of the clause, but admitted he never thought it would be exercised by the club captain.

"He is happy with us - that's the surprise. I didn't have any inkling of it occurring," Doust said.

"I knew (the clause was there, but) it was obviously in his contract last year too, wasn't it?

"It's there because of the term of his contract being five years and it's a commercial term that one didn't ever expect would be applied."

The Dragons have already had former skipper Trent Barrett walk out on the club midway through a contract and prop Jason Ryles contemplate doing the same despite being less than six months into a three-year contract.

Given these events, one could suggest that Doust should not have been so surprised to see Gasnier consider exercising his option.

Gasnier on Sunday admitted he had explored his options in France, but circumstances of his situation remain murky.

The 26-year-old said he'd "been confronted with a situation that I have to react to and I'm doing it in my best interests".

The Nine Network last night claimed Gasnier was owed hundreds of thousands of dollars because of disputes relating to the non-payment of deals with sponsors.

Neither the club nor his manager George Mimis returned calls to address the issue.

Gasnier's possible defection could also rob this year's Rugby League World Cup of its promotional face.

The Test centre is the headline act of the tournament's marketing campaign.