Daniel Saifiti likely to join the Dolphins in 2025, Knights to chip in $200K per season
The Roosters are playing a dangerous game with star halfback Sam Walker, while the Dolphins have poached a Knights star to add some muscle to their forward pack. See the latest transfer news.
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Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson couldn’t have been more emphatic in declaring all contract talks with star halfback Sam Walker are unlikely to be resolved until after this year’s grand final.
Walker’s future has become headline news with the playmaker yet to commit his future at the powerhouse club beyond 2025.
He is free to negotiate with rival clubs from this November 1 with the likelihood that his next salary will be in excess of $1 million per season.
However, in a clear indication of the tunnel vision focus of Robinson and the Roosters’ premiership drive, the head coach communicated clearly why negotiations have gone quiet.
“There’s no more movement for us in the next six to eight weeks,’’ Robinson said.
“I’d like it to be in eight weeks, get it done, but for me, I don’t care right now.
“To be honest, I’ve said it each week, in the nicest possible way, I do not care at this point in time.
“He (Walker) knows exactly how I feel about him. I care about Sunday (playing against the Titans).
“That’s all I care about. We are really clear about how we want to play week on week and all of those things (contract talks) are finished.
“There’s no more movement for us in the next six to eight weeks.
“I’m not involved in the conversations and so therefore that’s not in my line of sight.
“My line of sight is Sunday. It’s about the (training) session that we’ve got tonight. It’s about the players we’ve got here, right now and so that’s all I care about right now.’’
—David Riccio
PHINS UP: DOLPHINS POACH ORIGIN STAR FROM KNIGHTS
The Dolphins have emerged as the most likely landing spot for Newcastle prop Daniel Saifiti after the former NSW big man flew to Queensland to meet with Dolphins officials.
It comes as the Wests Tigers have also been linked to Canberra Raiders prop Corey Horsburgh.
It is understood that Saifiti is on the verge of agreeing to a long-term deal to leave Newcastle and join the Dolphins from next season.
The final stumbling block will be the two clubs agreeing on a financial commitment from the Knights, given Saifiti still has two years left on his rich deal worth about $850,000 a season. Newcastle are expected to tip in about $200,000 for the next two seasons for Saifiti to play elsewhere.
It is understood Saifiti travelled to Queensland on Thursday to meet with Dolphins officials.
He knows incoming Dolphins coach Kristian Woolf from his stint at Newcastle – first as Nathan Brown’s assistant and then as interim coach for the final two games of the 2019 season.
The Dolphins have been on the lookout for a marquee prop to add to their forward pack for next season. They went close to securing Melbourne-bound Stefano Utoikamanu and have remained interested.
The Dragons also spoke with Saifiti and he underwent a medical with the club. However, the Dragons and the Knights were unable to agree on financial terms to get the deal done.
The Dagons have since turned their attention to Reagan Campbell-Gillard but have rejected Campbell-Gillard’s hopes of three year deal to get him to move away from Parramatta.
Saifiti’s potential move is the first big step in Newcastle’s plan to help rebalance their salary cap. They gave Saifiti permission to explore his options, as well as hooker Jayden Brailey, as they look to get a better balance in their roster.
Newcastle have already poached NSW under-19s hooker Matt Arthur from Parramatta on a three-year deal after he was allowed a release from the final year of his Eels contract on “compassionate grounds” following the sacking of his father and head coach Brad Arthur.
The Knights signing of Arthur is problematic given that starting hooker Brailey and back-up dummy-half Phoenix Crossland are both contracted through until the end of 2025 and 2026, respectively.
The Dolphins have already added rising Cowboys back-rower Kulikefu Finefeuiaki. They have earmarked Saifiti to replace the retiring Jesse Bromwich.
The Dolphins will welcome back injured representative duo Tom Gilbert and Tom Flegler next year too.
Meanwhile, the Tigers are keen to land Horsburgh, who has met with Canterbury and Brisbane in recent weeks. However, it is unlikely that either clubs have the salary cap space to get a deal done.
The Tigers however have the money for Horsburgh and want to land the one-time Queensland Origin player, who has fallen out of favour at the Raiders.
COWBOYS END RCG TALK
Eels enforcer Reagan Campbell-Gillard won’t be going to the Cowboys.
North Queensland have ruled out making a play for the 31-year-old after ‘RCG’ was shopped to the Cowboys by his management.
The Cowboys are keen for a front-rower but don’t have the salary-cap room to accommodate Campbell-Gillard, who is off-contract at the end of next season.
The Eels have given Campbell-Gillard permission to leave to ease salary-cap pressures.
The former Test prop had his first boxing bout in Townsville last year, but won’t be returning to the tropics in Cowboys colours.
With the Cowboys out of the running, the Dragons and Bulldogs are favourites to snare his signature.
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