Sitili Tupouniua, a Roosters backrower, is expected to depart the club with three years remaining on his contract and join the Bulldogs next season.
FoxSports.com.au can reveal Tupouniua met with Canterbury coach Cameron Ciraldo on Monday to discuss a potential signing with the club in 2025.
The Roosters offered Tupouniua, who is now under contract until 2027, access to speak with other teams after believing they had signed Titans backrower David Fifita.
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But Fifita backflipped at the last minute, and the Roosters not only missed out on the representative star, but they may also lose two backrowers.
The Bulldogs are seeing a turnaround under Ciraldo and appear to be on track to compete in the finals for the first time since 2016.
Ciraldo is looking to bolster his pack and is interested in signing 27-year-old Tupouniua, who has played for Tonga but has been in and out of the Roosters this season.
The Roosters are legitimate title contenders this year, but coach Trent Robinson might lose half of his starting lineup at the conclusion of the season.
NSW backrower Angus Crichton stated he was taken aback by the Fifita deal and expressed his displeasure with the club for pursuing a player of his position.
Crichton, who was linked with a move to rugby union earlier this season, returned to career-best form in 2024 and has yet to sign anywhere for next year.
The Chooks are still in a strong position to keep Crichton, but if he chooses to leave, he will join other players Joey Manu, Joseph Suaalii, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, and Luke Keary.
Daniel Tupou was also due to leave, but the experienced winger is expected to sign a one-year contract extension after the Roosters missed out on Knights centre Dane Gagai.
Furthermore, Brandon Smith is anticipated to be released at the end of the season unless his attitude improves considerably.
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Robinson is set to have a rebuilding season next year, but it will not be his first and might yield significant benefits.
Robinson joined the Roosters in 2013 and promptly won the competition, as well as three consecutive minor premierships.
However, after failing to advance to the finals in 2014 and 2015, the coach realized their chances of winning the championship were over.
He informed the Roosters’ powerbrokers that the club would have to hit rock bottom in 2016 in order to rebuild a premiership-winning roster.
Robinson had the runs by that point, so the management supported him and accepted a second-last result in 2016.
They advanced to the preliminary final in 2017, before becoming the first team in NRL history to win consecutive titles in 2018-19.
‘It’s about time he hardened up’: Sharks star’s hilarious Hynes rant after Origin heartbreak
Nicho Hynes was all smiles during Sharks training on Monday, even taking a huge shot from fullback Will Kennedy, as the star playmaker attempts to rebound in his first game since being dropped out of the Blues’ team for Game 2.
The former Dally M Medal winner was replaced in the No.7 shirt by Mitch Moses for the must-win match in Melbourne, with Hynes one of several changes following the Blues’ 38-10 defeat in the series opener after being reduced to 12 men.
Hynes has the perfect opportunity to reply on Friday night when the Sharks face the Bulldogs, and his teammates are certain he’ll be fine after being dumped by the Blues a year ago.
“I really don’t mind. “I’m licking my lips hoping Queensland gets the job done,” Sharks winger Ronaldo Mulitalo stated.
“He’s back for us, and that is all that matters. Life does not revolve around being picked in a Blues jersey. There are many difficult things in life.
“He’s paid to come in and play football, throw a ball around, and hang out with his best friends. That’s the best part of life.
“You have to look at it from many perspectives, which I am sure he is doing right now. Life is excellent for him, and I enjoy seeing him get bashed (by Will) on the training paddock. It’s about time he took a carry and toughened up a little.
“He’s pleased, and he’s returned to himself. I believe he learned a lot of lessons from last year, therefore it is not harming him.”
Teammate Siosifa Talakai understands the anguish of being dropped from the Origin arena, and he’s backing his team’s “leader” to manage the decision and move on quickly for his club.
“It’s a huge stage. There’s a lot of pressure on each and every player,” he explained.
“If I were in a same predicament as Nicho, I would strive to make amends. But if it doesn’t happen, so what? Life goes on, and you simply keep chipping away.
“He’s a grown man, so I’m not going to act like his father. “He knows what to do.”
The Sharks are fresh off a bye week and eager to retaliate after being punished for a sluggish start against the Dolphins, in which they went behind 22-0 after 25 minutes before rallying to nearly send the game to overtime.
It’s not the first time they’ve fallen behind this season, but coach Craig Fitzgibbon has emphasized the significance of getting out to a good start against a Bulldogs team vying for a playoff place.
