Former Wests Tigers' prop Thomas Mikaele will return to the NRL with the Gold Coast Titans less than 12 months after exiting the competition.
Mikaele moved to England in May of last year to link up with the Warrington Wolves on a two-and-a-half-year deal after being granted a release from the remainder of his contract with the joint venture.
He has since played 17 games for the Wolves but has now been released from the remainder of that contract to return to the NRL, where he will link up with coach Justin Holbrook and the Titans.
The 25-year-old had played 66 NRL games during his time with the Tigers, having made his debut back in 2019.
An in-form Super League forward, Holbrook said he was thrilled Mikaele would be joining the Titans.
“We're thrilled that Thomas has agreed to join us and that he will return to again play footy here on the Coast,” Holbrook said in a club statement.
“If you've seen any of the Super League this season, you'll know that he is one of the form forwards in the competition and has been playing some great football with Warrington.
“Having a player of Thomas' skill and experience to bolster our middle forward stocks is a great result for the club and we know that he will have a big impact for us this season.”
Born in Auckland, Mikaele earned a reputation as a solid forward during his time in the NRL, and has played junior football during his schooling days with Tanah Boyd, David Fifita and Moeaki Fotuaika, so won't be a stranger at Robina.
Mikaele previously represented the Queensland under-18 team on two occasions before moving to the Tigers in 2017 where he progressed through the ranks until his NRL debut.
He will go into competition for spots in the forward pack from next week when the Titans play the St George Illawarra Dragons in Round 6. While Moeaki Foutaika, Tino Fa'asuamaleaui, Isaac Liu and Erin Clark are in no danger for their spots as part of the engine room, Mikaele could immediately feature from the bench.