Former Parramatta Eels outside-back Waqa Blake has found a new club after departing the Eels at the end of last season.
Released by the Eels at the end of the 2023 season, the Fijian international has played over 150 games in the NRL, including a stint with the Penrith Panthers from 2015 to 2019.
However, it has now been confirmed that he will be aligning himself with St Helens RLFC in the English Super League on a one-year contract for the 2024 season.
The decision from the outside back follows rumours that he was considering a code switch to rugby union after reportedly talking with the Super Rugby club, Western Force, in the middle of last year.
A Perth native, Blake represented the Joondalup Giants and Perth Pirates in Western Australia before making the move to the Panthers at the start of 2012. Here, he would work his way through the club's junior grades before earning his debut in 2015.
โI can't wait! I was excited to get over as soon as Paul [Wellens] and Mike [Rush] gave me a ring to say it was done, especially to a great club like St.Helens," Blake toldย saintsrlfc.com.
"I'm looking forward to switching from the heat to the cold!
โTo come to a club like St.Helens where they've always been in the top four or top two, and then such a big thing winning four-in-a-row, I'm hoping I can fit in, and we can win another one.
"Just looking at all the players that they have there, all the strike, I'm keen to get to work.โ
Speaking to saintsrlfc.com,ย Blake admitted he was excited to get going for the upcoming season and explained about what he has heard regarding the Super League competiton.
โI think it's getting better [Super League], I saw St.Helens beat Penrith last year in the World Club Challenge, no one would have thought it," he added.
"The quality of football is getting better and you can see that in the England side that played Tonga.
โI've played with Kevin Naiqama and he killed it at Saints, and I watched the Grand Final where he won Man of the Match.
"He told me a lot about Super League when we were in Fiji camp, how special it is over there, and that Saints are a great bunch of boys, so I'm looking forward to it.โ
St Helens RLFC head coach Paul Wellens commented on the signing of Waqa Blake and believes he will be instrumental to the club moving back to the top of the table in the 2024 season.
โWe have been on the lookout for some time now and we had other bits around the salary cap that we needed to sort; in retaining our own players which is always important," Wellens said.
"But this has also been at the forefront of our minds, and we are so pleased to bring in a player of Waqa's quality into the squad.
โHe is making a big commitment in coming over to the other side of the world and we're confident he will settle in well and like it over here.
"We have great success in terms of our overseas players doing that and going out on the field to perform well. From our end, he's going to come highly motivated and come to prove a point which will only help him and his performances, as well as our group.โ
