The gifted 24-year-old, integral to the Mariners’ championship success last season and a tower of strength at the back once more in 2023-2024, spurned overtures from Sydney FC, Brisbane Roar, Macarthur and Newcastle to opt for the expansion outfit.

Hall, part of the Mariners side which cruised past MacArthur 3-0 to take the A-League top spot on Sunday night, represents a huge loss to a club uncannily adept at rebuilding at the end of each season.

He will be looking, though, to go out on a high with Mark Jackson’s team on the cusp of more glory.

With ambitions to one day test himself in one of Asia’s top leagues, be it Japan or South Korea, it’s understood Hall sees the switch to Auckland, lavishly backed by AFC Bournemouth-owning Texas billionaire Bill Foley, as the next logical step as his career unfurls.

Off contract in Gosford at the end of this season, Hall will join the likes of Melbourne Victory’s Jake Brimmer and Brisbane’s Marco Rojas across the ditch, with Auckland’s recruitment chief Terry McFlynn also believed to be courting Melbourne City’s perennial poacher Jamie Maclaren to add to a mix of predominantly Kiwi-bred talent.

Queenslander Hall has made 65 A-League appearances for the Mariners across four seasons, having graduated through the club’s acclaimed academy pathway.