The St George Illawarra Dragons have reportedly completed a deal to sign Christian Tuipulotu from the Manly Sea Eagles on an immediate switch.
Rumours of the move first sparked late last year, but at the time, it was revealed the Sea Eagles had blocked the winger from being able to negotiate.
Manly have a logjam of outside backs though, with it relatively unclear where Tuipulotu would fit into the puzzle this year, even with the reported move of Reuben Garrick into the centres after signing the likes of Jaxson Paulo and Tommy Talau during the off-season.
That saw Manly provide him clearance to negotiate his future for an immediate move a few weeks ago, and now News Corp is reporting a deal has been done for the winger to move to the joint-venture.
The move will see Tupiulotu immediately enter the frame to play first-grade at the Red V, who themselves have plenty of questions about the way they will line up when they open their season away from home against the Gold Coast Titans.
While Mathew Feagai played on the wing for much of last year, brother Max and late 2023 debutant Sione Finau are both in the running for a wing spot, while recent comments suggesting Jack Bird could play in the centres means Zac Lomax may also be in line for the wing spot.
Still, Shane Flanagan had signed Corey Allan, suggesting he wasn't comfortable with the Dragons' backline depth. The move for Tuipulotu comes after the club lost Corey Allan to a season-ending knee injury just weeks after he joined pre-season training in Wollongong.
Tuipulotu, who has played 33 NRL games, is understood to have signed with the Dragons until at least the end of 2025 and will become the final player in the club's Top 30 for 2024.
