Bulldogs bring Seumanufagai back to NRL, Stephen Crichton to re-sign with Penrith | Daily Telegraph
The Bulldogs have handed Ava Seumanufagai a lifeline by agreeing to sign the former Tigers and Sharks prop for the rest of the season.
Seumanufagai left the NRL after one year with the Sharks in 2018, having played 105 top grade games at the Tigers. He spent the past two seasons playing for Leeds in England and was part of their Challenge Cup win against Salford last year. Seumanufagai was released from the final year of his deal with Leeds to return home for family reasons.
He will provide some much needed depth in the middle of the field for a Canterbury pack who is already dealing with a troublesome casualty ward.
Former Tiger Ava Seumanufagai is coming back to the NRL to play for the Bulldogs. Picture: Gregg Porteous
Adam Elliott (shoulder), Joe Stimson (shoulder) and Dylan Napa (knee) have slowly returned to pre-season training while Raymond Faitala-Mariner (ankle) has had an interrupted pre-season because of surgery.
The uncertainty surrounding their forward pack was a contributor factor for the Bulldogs’ reluctance to release Napa or any other forward to the Panthers in exchange for half Matt Burton. English international Luke Thompson will also miss the first month after being suspended for biting ex-Panthers skipper James Tamou in the final match of the regular season last year.
Canterbury have been the most active in terms of recruitment but it has largely focused on their backs. Ex-Panther Jack Hetherington and former Manly back-rower Corey Waddell join Seumanufagai in additions to the forward pack.
The club’s new head of recruitment Peter Sharp arrives on Wednesday.