Melbourne Storm star Justin Olam is a step closer to becoming a Tiger, with reports he has now agreed to terms on the move to Concord.
The joint-venture, who are rapidly looking to rebuild both on and off the field under new coach Benji Marshall, and a new board led by Shane Richardson, have been in talks with the Storm and Olam for weeks.
Despite having three seasons remaining on his deal with the Storm, it's understood the Victorian club have no intention of forcing Olam to remain at the club after dropping him from their first grade set up throughout the 2023 campaign.
The Papua New Guinean centre was reportedly offered a move to the English Super League at one stage, but declined, believing he had more to offer in the NRL, whether that be with the Storm or another club.
It now appears that will be at another club, with The Sydney Morning Herald reporting terms have been agreed to on a three-year move that will see Olam see out his contract at the joint-venture, while forward Shawn Blore will go the other way.
The edge forward, who has struggled with injury throughout his career to this point, has reportedly signed with the Storm for 2025 (his contract at the Tigers ends at the end of 2024) and will be released a year early to faciliate the move of Olam to the Tigers.
Melbourne are looking to add depth to their forward pack after struggling through the finals, and Blore is seen as a method to move Trent Loiero into the middle third of the field, although there is no guarantee of Blore starting, with both Jack Howarth and Joe Chan snapping at the heels for a spot in first grade.
On the Tigers end, coach Benji Marshall has already flown to Melbourne to meet with Olam, and is keen on adding him to the joint-ventures backline that similarly struggled last year, and has for some time.
The Tigers are in a period of mass transformation though, with the club finally electing to move on from Luke Brooks for 2024, and making other changes around the joint-venture in an effort to avoid a third straight wooden spoon.
