Melbourne Storm bulldozer Solomone Kata tipped to join Brumbies
The next Ngani Laumape? An Australian rugby team is banking on it with a former Melbourne Storm star set to link with last year’s conference leaders on a two-year deal.
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Powerhouse Melbourne Storm centre Solomone Kata has quit the NRL to join Australian Super Rugby club the Brumbies.
The 104kg league star will be a huge backline addition to the reigning Australian conference champions.
Kata has chosen to sign with the Brumbies for the next two seasons through to the end of 2021.
Kata, 24, grew up in Auckland and attended the famous Sacred Heart College, from where Wallabies sensation Taniela “Tongan Thor” Tupou was plucked as a teenager by the Queensland Reds.
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But while Tupou has gone on to represent Australia, changes to World Rugby eligibility extending residency from three years to five to play for a country means Kata is unlikely to pursue a Wallabies jersey, and will likely seek international honours with Tonga.
That is why it’s believed there is no Rugby Australia top-up to Kata’s proposed deal. That means he could play for the Brumbies under the foreign-player dispensation, which alleviates come salary cap restrictions.
While the deal is yet to be finalised, it’s understood Kata will put pen to paper within days.
Kata is viewed with rugby circles as a similar prospect to Ngani Laumape, who went from the New Zealand Warriors to an All Blacks superstar.
Having played 93 NRL games, the bulk for the Warriors before he joined Melbourne in 2019, Kata has a size and strength to bring a similar physicality to the Brumbies’ midfield as that which Laumape does for the All Blacks and Hurricanes.
The breaking news comes in the midst of the Rugby World Cup in Japan in which several former NRL stars are featuring, including Sonny Bill Williams, Marika Koroibete, Semi Radradra and Sam Lousi.
The Brumbies defied most pre-season critics by easily winning this year’s Australian conference in Super Rugby, despite the NSW Waratahs and Melbourne Rebels boasting more star-studded rosters.
They’ll lose breakdown king David Pocock, playmaker Christian Lealiifano and towering lock Rory Arnold next season; three of their most experienced and influential players.
The expected addition of Kata will herald a move to a youthful squad under talented coach Dan McKellar.
Originally published as Melbourne Storm bulldozer Solomone Kata tipped to join Brumbies