St George Illawarra Dragons close in on Jaydn Su’A as Canterbury Bulldogs and Tigers chase big men
The NRL Transfer Market is showing no signs of slowing down with the Bulldogs, Dragons and Tigers all eyeing off big moves.
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St George Illawarra has emerged as the frontrunner to sign Maroons back-rower Jaydn Su’A as the Wests Tigers shift their focus to Dale Finucane leaving Canterbury in the box seat to land Tevita Pangai Jnr.
The NRL’s lockdown has not slowed up player movement discussions with a host of clubs continuing on with their recruitment plans for this year and beyond.
The Dragons are locked in talks with Su’A and it is understood they have tabled a three year deal to have the Queensland representative join the long list of former Broncos at the club.
Su’A has had an indifferent season with his Origin I appearance made in the middle of stints in reserve grade. He has not been able to nail down a spot with South Sydney this year and the Rabbitohs indicated to the 23-year-old that they do not have the salary cap space to keep him on a long-term deal and did not table an offer to Su’A.
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Brisbane spoke about having Su’A return to the club but instead opted with Maroons teammate Kurt Capewell. The Dragons are confident they will add Su’A as they continue to bolster their forward stocks.
The Dragons could feature an all Origin pack next year with Su’A potentially joining Tariq Sims, Jack de Belin, Paul Vaughan, Andrew McCullough and Josh McGuire. The Dragons have also signed Maroons prop Francis Molo.
While the Dragons focus on signing a back-rower, the Tigers have pulled out of the chase for Pangai Jnr. Instead the Tigers are now locked in discussions with Melbourne Storm co-captain Finucane.
Finucane is chasing a three year deal but the Tigers are concerned about the length of the contract. The Cowboys have tabled a two-year offer to Finucane.
With the Tigers no longer interested, Canterbury looms as the most likely destination for Pangai Jnr if he moves on from Brisbane.
The Dragons have no interest in Pangai Jnr who still has another year left on his Broncos deal. Brisbane coach Kevin Walters said earlier this week that Pangai Jnr and Matt Lodge would see out the season only for Lodge to link with the Warriors just days later.
Meanwhile, club bosses were briefed by the NRL on the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the end of season world cup during a phone hook-up on Friday morning. Clubs are hesitant for their players to take part in the tournament as Covid-19 restrictions mean the game’s elite will not return to pre-season training until February.
The NRL has written to tournament organisers detailing concerns and a long list of the precautions needed to be undertaken to ensure player safety. The tournament organisers said they hoped the tournament would go ahead.
“We are realistic about the complex challenges we are facing in these unprecedented times, including the international travel arrangements and quarantining of athletes and staff from the Southern Hemisphere,” a World Cup statement read. “In the interests of delivering clarity and certainty to everyone involved in staging the tournament, a final decision will be made as soon as possible. However we have made it clear that our decision making will not be dictated by deadlines if further consideration is required.”
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