LucasFitzo
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Sio Siua Taukeiaho is on the verge of a shock return to the NRL with Phil Gould’s Bulldogs launching a $1 million poaching raid for the former Roosters premiership enforcer.
Telegraph Sport
This masthead can reveal Taukeiaho plans to sever ties with French Super League club Catalans Dragons at season’s end to help spearhead coach Cameron Ciraldo’s Bulldogs fightback next year.
Taukeiaho has interest from several NRL clubs, with Canterbury’s Sydney rivals the Dragons and Wests Tigers also expressing interest in the Tongan Test powerhouse.
But it is understood the embattled Bulldogs are the front-runners to win his signature, with Ciraldo and football boss Gould having held talks with Taukeiaho as they look to break Canterbury’s 20-year premiership drought.
Taukeiaho’s move from France to Belmore could have major ramifications for the Broncos in the battle for NSW Origin superstar Payne Haas.
The Bulldogs have been heavily linked with Brisbane’s star prop Haas but the impending signing of Taukeiaho, a fellow front-rower, further erodes Canterbury’s spending capacity under the salary cap.
Taukeiaho has not officially signed with Canterbury, but the Bulldogs are confident they have got their man.
Canterbury are in the advanced stages of finalising a two-year deal worth around $500,000 a season to secure Taukeiaho, continuing an aggressive recruitment drive that has netted Bronson Xerri, Liam Knight and Stephen Crichton.
Former Titans playmaker Toby Sexton also shifted to Belmore a fortnight ago and Ciraldo views Taukeiaho’s title-winning pedigree as a critical plank in his blueprint to revive the Bulldogs as a finals force.
Taukeiaho, who turns 32 in January, has told officials at Catalans he is keen to return to the NRL after fielding fresh offers in recent months.
The veteran of 168 NRL games only defected to the Super League this season after a successful eight-year stint at Bondi where he won back-to-back premierships with the Roosters in 2018-19.
Catalans are currently leading the Super League premiership after 19 rounds and while Taukeiaho is contracted to the French club for another 12 months, he is ready to return to Australia next year to resurrect his NRL career.
The Tigers have discussed a three-year deal for Taukeiaho, but Canterbury’s offer is more lucrative.
Catalans are pushing for a transfer fee or a player swap to match Taukeiaho’s standing before they release him from the final year of his deal.
The player does not necessarily have to come from the Bulldogs but the French outfit wants to be compensated before they formally release Taukeiaho.
The Eels paid a transfer fee of $50,000 to fast-track Joey Lussick’s release from St Helens just this week.
He only joined Catalans on a two-year contract this year following a decorated stint at the Roosters.
The Bulldogs also hatched a plan to sign Taukeiaho’s Catalans teammate Tyrone May earlier this year but quickly withdrew their interest.
The acquisition of Taukeiaho is another boost for the lowly Bulldogs. A veteran of 13 Tests for Tonga, Taukeiaho brings skill, toughness and experience to a Canterbury club under pressure to climb out of the NRL cellar.
Telegraph Sport
This masthead can reveal Taukeiaho plans to sever ties with French Super League club Catalans Dragons at season’s end to help spearhead coach Cameron Ciraldo’s Bulldogs fightback next year.
Taukeiaho has interest from several NRL clubs, with Canterbury’s Sydney rivals the Dragons and Wests Tigers also expressing interest in the Tongan Test powerhouse.
But it is understood the embattled Bulldogs are the front-runners to win his signature, with Ciraldo and football boss Gould having held talks with Taukeiaho as they look to break Canterbury’s 20-year premiership drought.
Taukeiaho’s move from France to Belmore could have major ramifications for the Broncos in the battle for NSW Origin superstar Payne Haas.
The Bulldogs have been heavily linked with Brisbane’s star prop Haas but the impending signing of Taukeiaho, a fellow front-rower, further erodes Canterbury’s spending capacity under the salary cap.
Taukeiaho has not officially signed with Canterbury, but the Bulldogs are confident they have got their man.
Canterbury are in the advanced stages of finalising a two-year deal worth around $500,000 a season to secure Taukeiaho, continuing an aggressive recruitment drive that has netted Bronson Xerri, Liam Knight and Stephen Crichton.
Former Titans playmaker Toby Sexton also shifted to Belmore a fortnight ago and Ciraldo views Taukeiaho’s title-winning pedigree as a critical plank in his blueprint to revive the Bulldogs as a finals force.
Taukeiaho, who turns 32 in January, has told officials at Catalans he is keen to return to the NRL after fielding fresh offers in recent months.
The veteran of 168 NRL games only defected to the Super League this season after a successful eight-year stint at Bondi where he won back-to-back premierships with the Roosters in 2018-19.
Catalans are currently leading the Super League premiership after 19 rounds and while Taukeiaho is contracted to the French club for another 12 months, he is ready to return to Australia next year to resurrect his NRL career.
The Tigers have discussed a three-year deal for Taukeiaho, but Canterbury’s offer is more lucrative.
Catalans are pushing for a transfer fee or a player swap to match Taukeiaho’s standing before they release him from the final year of his deal.
The player does not necessarily have to come from the Bulldogs but the French outfit wants to be compensated before they formally release Taukeiaho.
The Eels paid a transfer fee of $50,000 to fast-track Joey Lussick’s release from St Helens just this week.
He only joined Catalans on a two-year contract this year following a decorated stint at the Roosters.
The Bulldogs also hatched a plan to sign Taukeiaho’s Catalans teammate Tyrone May earlier this year but quickly withdrew their interest.
The acquisition of Taukeiaho is another boost for the lowly Bulldogs. A veteran of 13 Tests for Tonga, Taukeiaho brings skill, toughness and experience to a Canterbury club under pressure to climb out of the NRL cellar.
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