The Canterbury Bulldogs have reportedly thrown their hat in the ring for the services of Newcastle Knights’ prop Daniel Saifiti.
The seven-time New South Wales State of Origin prop is on contract until the end of 2026, but reports continue to suggest Newcastle are open to ways to fix their salary cap.
That could include moving Saifiti on, who is currently on a reported deal of around $800,000 per season.
The prop, who brought up his 150th NRL game last weekend against the Manly Sea Eagles since debuting for the Hunter-based club in 2016, could also be open to a change of scenery.
A talented youngster, his seven Origins have seen him become one of the better props in the game, although it has always been felt he hasn’t quite hit his potential.
News Corp are now reporting that change of scenery could be to the Canterbury Bulldogs.
It’s unclear how the Bulldogs themselves would have the salary cap available for the pursuit of a player like Saifiti, with the club set to bring Stephen Crichton from the Penrith Panthers in to bolster their backline following a heavy spending spree over the last 24 months to turn around their own fortunes, which had the Belmore-based outfit at the bottom of the ladder for years.
Under Cameron Ciraldo, the Bulldogs have shown signs of life this season, but are yet to make significant leaps, sitting in 14th spot with five wins from their twelve games.
That said, they are just six points off the lead of the competition, with the NRL ladder a logjam in what is the most competitive season in recent memory.
At the Knights, things aren’t going a great deal better, with the club just a single point ahead of the Bulldogs. Saifiti has found form this year though and is averaging 140 metres per game.
The constant speculation over the roster’s future insists there is fire from the smoke though, and the club could look at shaking things up, with Jacob Saifiti, Tyson Frizell, Lachlan Fitzgibbon and Bradman Best also mentioned as possible targets for rival clubs in recent times.
That said, the Bulldogs also are reported to have their eye on Payne Haas, who is allowed to sign with rival clubs from November 1 this year ahead of his deal expiring at the end of next season.
Haas could yet re-sign with the Broncos, but if the Bulldogs were to sign Haas, their ability to sign anyone else would be extremely limited – Haas is expected to sign a deal worth north of a million dollars per season, and that value could be on the rise with each passing week given his form at the Broncos this campaign.