Aaron Carpenter has revealed he would have considered taking a pay cut to stay with Plymouth Albion.
However, the Canadian World Cup player, who has a wife and young child to look after, said Albion left it too late in the day to try and keep him. Instead, Carpenter will be plying his trade at Albion's Championship rivals Cornish Pirates next season.
Carpenter agreed a deal with the Pirates a couple of weeks ago, and it was officially announced by the Cornish club yesterday.
The 30-year-old captain of Canada is now looking forward to next season and hopefully challenging at the top of the Championship with the Pirates, but he insists he did not want to leave Albion.
"It is disappointing for me as I would have liked to have stayed at Albion, but it did not work out that way," said Carpenter, who has spent the last three years at Albion.
"The Pirates came along and offered me something. Over the last few years they have been a top-four team and knocking on the door of the Premiership.
"It is also not too far away from my friends."
Albion announced in November that back-row forwards Herbie Stupple and Sean-Michael Stephen had been offered and signed new deals.
The club also said at that time they hoped to announce further re-signings in the forthcoming weeks.
However, that did not happen and Albion went on a four-month league losing run following that announcement.
Carpenter said: "When they signed those two, I was a little confused as why I had not been talked to and so I approached the club.
"I did not want to leave. I gave Albion first opportunity [to sign me] months ago. They said at the time they were not in a position to offer me anything."
Carpenter added: "There is something to be said for loyalty, but they did not give me that option until it was too late.
"It is tough for the club at the moment without a director of rugby. They do need someone to direct it."
Albion hope to unveil Nat Saumi's replacement in the next couple of weeks and it is believed former player and current Old Albanian boss James Shanahan has emerged as favourite to take over in the Brickfields hot-seat.
Shanahan, who had a short spell at Albion during the 2002-03 season before moving on to Exeter and then the Pirates, has spent the last eight years as a player-coach at lower league level. He guided Cambridge to promotion to National League One before joining Old Albanian in 2010. He also coaches Cambridge University.
