Interim Tigers chief executive Shane Richardson has revealed the merger club have pulled out of the race to sign Warriors superstar Addin Fonua-Blake.
The Dally M Prop of the Year dropped a bombshell on the New Zealand club by requesting an immediate release to return to Sydney.
After a meeting with Warriors powerbrokers it was decided he would remain for 2024 before negotiating a deal with a Sydney-based club ahead of the 2025 season.
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The Bulldogs, Sharks and Dragons remain in the hunt for Fonua-Blake’s services but the Tigers won’t be tabling a deal.
Richardson revealed the club believes their forward pack is already strong enough and will strengthen internally with juniors.
“I’ll give you an exclusive, we’ve actually withdrawn our offer for Addin Fonua-Blake,” Richardson said on SEN.
“I think he’s a great player, he’s one of the top three front rowers in the game.
“Our forward pack is really strong, and we can add to that with our young players coming through.
“We need flexibility in our cap to be able to do things we need to do to make us stronger now.
“From that point of view, it’s my opinion and also Benji’s (Marshall) because I wouldn’t do it without Benji, it’s not anything to do with that it’s got everything to do with where we need to focus our attention on.”
‘Wests fans just want to win games!’ | 01:20
RAIDERS RECRUIT PANTHERS GUN
The Raiders are reportedly set to land the services of Panthers backrower Zac Hosking in a huge coup for Ricky Stuart’s Canberra outfit.
SEN is reporting the 26-year-old toured the Raiders facilities on Wednesday afternoon and could reportedly angle for an immediate release.
Hosking is currently off-contract and is free to negotiate with rivals for the 2025 season.
He enjoyed a solid campaign for the Panthers in 2023, featuring in 21 games in the backrow, centres and off the bench.
Hosking’s place on the pine was taken by Luke Garner during the finals period and Penrith have several star players in their edge forward stocks.
Liam Martin and Scott Sorensen will start in the backrow, while Luke Garner and Riley Price could also push for a spot.
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BRONCOS’ HUGE MAM COUP
The Broncos are set to lock up Ezra Mam with a monster $3 million contract extension that will tie him to Red Hill for the next four years at least.
The Daily Telegraph reported Mam is set to reject interest from six NRL rival clubs including Wayne Bennett’s Dolphins to ink a $1 million a season contract extension through until the end of 2027.
The 20-year-old has scored 24 tries in 38 NRL games for the Broncos since his debut in 2022, including three in Brisbane’s heartbreaking 26-24 Grand Final defeat last season.
The deal will reportedly be one of the richest in the Broncos’ 35-year history.
The new extension allays fears the Broncos would struggle to compete with rich offers form NRL rivals for Mam’s services.
The Broncos are also trying to upgrade and extend star fullback Reece Walsh, who is also in the sights of a number of NRL rivals.
However, the club offloaded Kurt Capewell to the Warriors and will free up money from skipper Adam Reynolds, who is bidding to take a pay cut to stay at the club for 2025 before moving into a coaching role at the club.
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The Broncos also have salary cap space after failing to retain Tom Flegler and Herbie Farnworth, who switched to the Dolphins, while they haven’t been active in the player market with just Fletcher Baker and Jaiyden Hunt joining the club in 2024.
The Dolphins were seen as the biggest threat to luring Mam to Redcliffe after successfully signing Farnworth and Flegler, but it appears the Broncos have won the race.
The Broncos are flexible on the length of the deal, but have tabled a four-year deal worth $3 million that will at least match what rivals are trying to offer to lure him away from Red Hill.
Mam is yet to officially accept the offer, but the Broncos are hopeful of securing his signature by Christmas.
With the NRL salary cap having risen 25 per cent this year, plus further incremental increases for 2024 and beyond, Mam’s salary at the Broncos will gradually increase to reach the $1 million a season mark.
Mam is set to join Anthony Milford and Payne Haas as the club’s only $1 million a season players before Walsh joins him in the future.
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