How the NRL’s transfer puzzle fell into place for Kieran Foran, Aaron Woods and James Tedesco

HERE’S how the three transfers that will have huge ramifications across the NRL fell into place. But will the Bulldogs’ pick ups give them the edge in 2018? VOTE and have your say.

THE main pieces in the NRL’s multimillion-dollar player-signing jigsaw puzzle have finally fallen into place.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal Warriors five-eighth Kieran Foran is heading home to Sydney to play for the Canterbury Bulldogs.

And Wests Tigers skipper Aaron Woods will join him at Belmore.

The Bulldogs will announce their signings next week.

At the same time the Bulldogs have missed out on champion Wests Tigers fullback James Tedesco, who is off to the Sydney Roosters, barring a last minute backflip similar to when he signed with the Canberra Raiders three years ago.

Tedesco was all but “over the line” at the Bulldogs before the Roosters stepped in to trump their offer, ending weeks of the most frantic contract negotiations.

The Wests Tigers were still unaware of the latest developments on Thursday, giving Tedesco and Woods a deadline of Friday to reveal decisions they have in fact already made.

It’s understood Woods and Tedesco have already informed some Tigers teammates of their decision to leave the club.

The signing of three of the NRL’s biggest names has massive ramifications for the Bulldogs, the Newcastle Knights, the Wests Tigers and St George Illawarra.

Foran’s decision ends months of speculation. (Photo by Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images)

● The Wests Tigers are now on the scrapheap with the poorest roster in the club’s history.

● The Bulldogs now have to offload players to the value of more than $2.5 million, leaving the careers of several of their biggest stars hanging in the balance.

Skipper James Graham, fullback Will Hopoate, halfback Moses Mbye, lock Greg Eastwood and interchange heavyweight Sam Kasiano are all in the firing line.

It is believed they now want to keep Josh Reynolds to play outside Foran in the halves.

FRUSTRATION: Why Woods finally gave up on Tigers

ANALYSIS: NRL triple signing winners and losers

STRUGGLE: Knights dump skipper Hodkinson

● The Newcastle Knights have now missed out on Matt Scott, Jack Bird and Foran, and are running out of opportunities in the rebuild they desperately need. They are also at huge risk of losing Origin centre Dane Gagai.

● St George Illawarra will now struggle to keep Josh Dugan and Gareth Widdop now that the Wests Tigers have the biggest chequebook in the competition and need a fullback and five-eighth.

Melbourne Storm also want Widdop now that Foran has knocked back the opportunity to play there.

Foran rejected the Storm and the Newcastle Knights for the same reason — to be closer to his young children on Sydney’s northern beaches.

Otherwise there would have been no point leaving the Warriors, who he is grateful to for giving him the opportunity this year when no other club would after his troubled departure from Parramatta.

Canterbury met Foran and his manager Sam Ayoub on Tuesday to convince him to move to the Bulldogs.

Interestingly they backflipped after board members originally didn’t want him because of his well-publicised dramas last year.

Coach Des Hasler convinced them otherwise in phone conversations with chairman Ray Dib over Easter.

Aaron Woods was ready to say goodbye to Leichhardt. Photo: Mark Evans

The Woods deal at Canterbury is understood to have been completed weeks ago.

He has been disgruntled for a long time, especially at the club’s management over 18 tumultuous months of player and coaching instability.

The load of captaincy under a bungling management added to his unhappiness.

The NSW State of Origin front-rower is also close to several Bulldogs players including Dave Klemmer and Josh Jackson, as was shown by the exclusive photo in The Daily Telegraph of the stars sharing a coffee on Wednesday in Roselands.

Tedesco will stay with the Tigers for the rest of the season. Photo: Mark Evans

As for Tedesco, he is 99 per cent certain of playing for the Roosters in 2017.

Like Woods, he was all but done at the Bulldogs just a fortnight ago before making contact with the Roosters himself through Anthony Minichiello and meeting coach Trent Robinson.

Unlike teammate Mitchell Moses, who wants an immediate release to the Eels, Woods and Tedesco will remain at the Tigers for the remainder of their contracts.

The game’s next big signing blitz will now involve the unwanted Bulldogs stars.

The Roosters too will almost certainly have to offload players to get Tedesco on board in a $1 million plus contract. Shaun Kenny-Dowall, Daniel Tupou and Maroons Origin forward Aidan Guerra are the most likely casualties.

Centre Blake Ferguson is also off contract at the end of the season and needs to improve on recent performances to be guaranteed a new contract.