NRL Market Watch: Phil Gould ups ante in race for Warriors prop Addin Fonua-Blake

Phil Gould has admitted the Bulldogs are short of quality forwards and indicated he will enter the race for Warriors ace Addin Fonua-Blake.

Phil Gould has indicated the Bulldogs will enter the race for the signature of Warriors enforcer Addin Fonua-Blake.

The Canterbury general manager of football confirmed the club were on the hunt for an “experienced middle forward” following the decision to pull-out of a deal with veteran prop Siosiua Taukeiaho.

Fonua-Blake has requested a release from his contract at the Warriors for 2025 in order to return to Sydney for personal reasons.

The Dragons and Wests Tigers are also preparing to make a play for Fonua-Blake, widely considered one of the top-five props in the game.

Gould showered Fonua-Blake in praise when asked if the Dogs were interested in signing the hard-running prop.

Surprisingly, Gould also hinted that the Tongan International was preparing to also change his allegiance to the green and gold of Australia.

Phil Gould is keen on Addin Fonua-Blake. Picture: Julian Andrews

“Yeah, Addin is a quality player,’’ Gould told SEN radio.

“I spent a little bit of time with Addin at the Warriors and got to see him first-hand, he’s a quality player.

“He’s not cheap though. I’d imagine there’d be alot of interest in Addin.

“He’s got to return home to Australia for family reasons, which he’s working through with the Warriors.

“He’s going to spend another year in New Zealand, I believe he’s making himself available for Australia in 2025.

“There’ll be a lot of people lining up for his signature that’s for sure.’’

Addin Fonua-Blake is the hottest prop on the NRL market. Picture: NRL Photos

Gould added that the Dogs forward pack was short of quality forwards.

“I think everyone knows that and sees that,’’ Gould said.

“The problem is that there’s nothing really on the market to buy.

“We don’t want to rush out and just spend the money.

“We’ve probably got a little bit more than people see. We’ve got some young blokes there that didn’t play a lot of football this year, and they (fans) would feel a bit better if we’d seen them play.

“We’re certainly looking (across the market), we’ve got money available.

“We realise that’s (forward pack) an issue for us and we’re working towards it, but I think we’re a bit better placed than what the average person is looking at there.

“Internally we’re confident that we’ve got some bloke there that can get the job done for us. No doubt we’re looking for an experienced middle forward though.’’

Originally published as NRL Market Watch: Phil Gould ups ante in race for Warriors prop Addin Fonua-Blake