Dragons eye huge play for million-dollar man Fifita
The Dragons are preparing to make one of their most significant transfer splashes in recent history in a bid to bring David Fifita to the club.
The NRL’s most expensive forward will be a free agent on November 1 and with most of the player movement frenzy concentrating on halves Cameron Munster and Matt Burton, the future of the Titans million-dollar man has barely rated a mention.
Given his hefty price tag and struggles to ignite the Gold Coast as they narrowly avoided the wooden spoon, it is unsurprising the Titans are yet to expedite negotiations with their highest earner before he potentially heads to the World Cup.
But according to sources familiar with the situation, the Dragons are positioning themselves to make a huge play to lure Fifita to the Red V for 2024 to help rejuvenate an ageing forward pack.
The 22-year-old fell out of State of Origin favour this year and couldn’t replicate the 17 tries he scored in his first season on the holiday strip in 2021 when he helped the Titans to an unlikely finals berth.
But it hasn’t deterred the Dragons from identifying one of the game’s most destructive players as a primary signing target before the final year of his deal at the Titans.
Titans star David Fifita is in the sights of St George Illawarra once he;’s a free agent in November.Credit:Getty
Fifita already has a connection with the club. He is dating St George Illawarra’s NRLW back-rower Shaylee Bent, who has been a leading light for Jamie Soward’s finals-bound team.
Newcastle have shown the Dragons the potential blueprint. The Knights signed Canberra’s Adam Elliott to a deal from next year after snaring the prized signature of his partner Millie Boyle to spearhead the Knights’ NRLW revival.
One of Fifita’s better displays of the season came with a try in a loss to the Dragons at WIN Stadium last month, and St George Illawarra can see Fifita making a permanent home in Wollongong.
The Dragons’ interest in former hooker and Cowboys star Reece Robson has been well known, and they will be able to table a deal to Robson from November if he doesn’t recommit to the Cowboys beforehand.
But the potential signing of Fifita would represent their biggest acquisition since Ben Hunt swapped the Broncos for St George Illawarra on a monster six-year deal in 2018.
Tonga coach Kristian Woolf last week named Fifita in an extended World Cup squad, and the back-rower has expressed an interest in playing for the Pacific nation in the United Kingdom.
Dragons coach Anthony Griffin has recruited a number of veterans including Aaron Woods, Andrew McCullough, Moses Mbye, Josh McGuire and George Burgess on cut-price deals, or others heavily subsidised by their previous clubs.
But they missed the finals this year and are in desperate need of roster surgery to complement young talents like Junior Amone, Cody Ramsey and Mat Feagai, who showed promise in the NRL this year.
Tigers hooker Jacob Liddle remains the only significant external signing for next season, brought in for depth at hooker despite McCullough still having another 12 months to run on his contract.
St George Illawarra are also closing in on another No.9 option in Queensland Cup hooker Haele Finau, who has been in the Storm system with the Brisbane Tigers.
The Dragons are expecting clarity on Hunt’s future within the fortnight. The Dally M Medal contender and captain is weighing up a two-year extension which would take him through until the end of the 2025 season.
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