Market Watch: Dragons launch $1.3m poaching bid for Sharks prop Tom Hazelton

The Sharks are facing a fierce battle to retain Tom Hazelton, with Sydney derby foes the Dragons launching a million dollar poaching bid for Cronulla’s cult hero.

The Sharks are facing a fierce battle to retain Tom Hazelton with Sydney derby foes the Dragons launching a $1.3 million poaching bid for Cronulla’s cult hero.

This masthead understands the fight for Hazelton’s signature is a race in three with St George Illawarra upping the ante to edge out Queensland rivals the Dolphins to prise the man mountain away from the Sutherland Shire.

As revealed by this masthead last weekend, the Dragons are closing in on signing the big prop and have tabled a three-year deal to Hazelton worth around $450,000 a season as coach Shane Flanagan looks to add size and depth to his middle rotation.

The Dragons, who finished 11th last year, are keen to sign Hazelton until the end of 2028.

A fourth club, Newcastle, has also offered Hazelton a three-year deal, but they have no interest in winning a bidding war amid speculation the Sharks bookend is seeking in excess of $600,000 a season.

Tom Hazelton is being chased by the Dragons. Picture: Graham Denholm/Getty Images

The 116kg prop, who scored the opening try of the 2025 NRL trials against the Warriors last Friday, is off-contract at season’s end and the Sharks are well and truly in the fight to keep him.

Hazelton showed he was serious about testing the open market last week when the Cronulla front-rower flew north to Queensland to inspect the $100 million headquarters at the Dolphins.

The 26-year-old held promising talks with new Dolphins coach Kristian Woolf, who is keen to bolster Redcliffe’s forward stocks amid concerns over chief enforcer Tom Flegler’s longstanding shoulder injury.

Flegler underwent nerve-transfer surgery at the end of last season and is not expected to return to the playing field until June or July – if at all.

The Dolphins remain hopeful the Maroons enforcer will play again but the pursuit of Hazelton is evidence the NRL’s 17th team is considering an engine-room safety net should Flegler be forced into a medical retirement.

Woolf is also in the market for English forward Morgan Knowles and if the Dolphins land his signature, they could abort their pursuit of Hazelton.

That would further open the door for the Dragons, who are emerging as the greatest threat to the Sharks given their proximity to the Shire, where Hazelton has family ties.

The Knights were open to dialogue with Hazelton at the right price but Newcastle’s interest has cooled, leaving the Dragons and Dolphins as the primary contenders for his signature.

The Sharks haven’t given up hope of retaining the baldheaded prop despite having outlaid $4 million to lure marquee enforcer Addin Fonua-Blake from the Warriors.

Hazelton had a breakthrough season for the Sharks last year, playing 25 games and fashioning a reputation as a Cronulla cult figure after scoring seven tries, including a four-pointer in three consecutive games.

Most props would be lucky to score three tries in their entire career and for that reason, the Sharks are desperately hoping to stave-off a bidding war for the late-blooming Goulburn product.

The 198cm Hazelton has played 44 games since his NRL debut in 2022 and would be a handy pick-up for the Dolphins or Dragons, who both went within one win of making the finals last season.

Originally published as Market Watch: Dragons launch $1.3m poaching bid for Sharks prop Tom Hazelton