The St George Illawarra Dragons are showing genuine interest in acquiring the out-of-favour Andrew Fifita from the Cronulla Sharks.
The Australian journalist Brent Read appeared on NRL 360 and has revealed that Dragons head coach Anthony Griffin has met with Fifita.
"The Dragons are keeping a watching brief on Andrew Fifita," Read said.
"He’s got a relationship with Anthony Griffin. He coached him at Tonga. They caught up a couple of weeks ago when Andrew played for Newtown.
"The Dragons have got interest there."
The former International and State of Origin star forward has battled knee and weight issues over the past few seasons and although Fifita has lost reportedly lost around 20kg this season, he has found himself left out of the first-grade side for a third week in a row.
It seems that Sharks head coach John Morris has concerns with his ability to play in the current, faster-paced game which has lead to him being relegated to Canterbury Cup, even though he is earning $800k for this season and the next.
There lies the major issue with the move, whilst the Dragons find themselves under the salary cap, they would still require the Sharks to cover part of Fifita's contract.
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Fifita is believed to have been in contact with several Dragons players, while also recently speaking out against the suspension of Corey Norman.
The Dragons are severely lacking another big-bodied forward to get their sets rolling and with the talent they possess along the backline, the addition of the 118kg wrecking ball could make them a finals contender.