Reports former Warriors skipper Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is keen to return to the NRL will spark a bidding war with no shortage of clubs who would be keen on his services.
The Warriors would make the most sense geographically and given his history with the club, but that would require some salary cap manoeuvring, while the Dolphins are desperate for a marquee man, but they are not the only clubs who could enter the sweepstakes.
Here are the clubs who could potentially sign Tuivasa-Sheck in 2024.
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DOLPHINS
The Dolphins have so far missed out on the likes of Kalyn Ponga, Reece Walsh and Cameron Munster and are desperate to land a marquee man to show they mean business.
The Dolphins are reportedly keen to make Stephen Crichton their fullback, but face stiff competition from the Panthers and the Bulldogs for his signature and may struggle to lure him away from his family unit in Sydney.
Should they miss out on Crichton, Tuivasa-Sheck would be the ideal candidate to fill the fullback and marquee man voids in one go.
Tuivasa-Sheck is familiar with Redcliffe after it was was the feeder club for the Warriors until the Dolphins joined the NRL and the New Zealand club were based there in the pandemic.
The Dolphins still haven’t filled their entire roster spots for their inaugural season, so they would arguably have the most salary cap room to offer Tuivasa-Sheck a substantial offer, which could be the last of his career.
Tuivasa-Sheck turns 30 next year and if he wants to maximise his earning potential over the back end of his career, the Dolphins could be the perfect fit.
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WARRIORS
The Warriors would be keen for a reunion with their former skipper, but it would require some changes to their current squad.
Tuivasa-Sheck originally moved to the Warriors in part to be closer to family and played six seasons with the club, winning a Dally M Medal and captaining the team in the final few years of his stay.
Geographically relocating to the Warriors would be the easiest switch for Tuivasa-Sheck and his family, but the club has moved on by signing the likes of Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad and Te Maire Martin.
However, Martin is tipped to play in the halves and Nicoll-Klokstad could switch to the centres if required to allow Tuivasa-Sheck to return to the No.1 jersey.
With Shaun Johnson coming off-contract in 2023 and tipped to retire or re-sign for much less there could be some more wriggle room in the cap to get Tuivasa-Sheck, but the Warriors would still need to likely let a player go to get him.
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BULLDOGS
The Bulldogs are heavily linked to Panthers centre Stephen Crichton and are trying to lure him to Belmore as a fullback for 2024 and beyond.
However, the Panthers are prepared to fight hard to retain the Origin star and could be helped by the rise in the salary cap when it is finally locked in.
Should the Panthers miss out on Crichton they will be in the market for a marquee fullback and there are not many available better than Tuivasa-Sheck.
Incumbent Bulldogs fullback Jake Averillo is off-contract in 2023, while Corey Allan has shifted to the Roosters, so the Bulldogs need a No.1 to build the side’s attack around.
Bulldogs boss Phil Gould is leading a rebuild of the Bulldogs’ roster and wants the best players in key positions after signing Reed Mahoney and Viliame Kikau.
Tuivasa-Sheck would provide a devastating partnership with five-eighth Matt Burton and winger Josh Addo-Carr.
However, the Bulldogs also desperately need a halfback, so it remains to be seen which position they will prioritise if they miss out on Crichton.
SHARKS
On the surface the Sharks may not need a fullback after finishing second in the regular season in 2022, but they were bundled out of the finals in straight sets.
William Kennedy has been one of the Sharks’ best in recent seasons, but his form dipped as he battled injury in 2022 and he is off-contract in 2023, so it remains to be seen if he is in Craig Fitzgibbons’ long-term plans.
Young gun Kade Dykes has been earmarked as a potential long-term solution at fullback for the Sharks, but he may be a couple of seasons away from his consistent best.
That could leave a window to sign Tuivasa-Sheck for the next few seasons to allow Dykes to work under him and learn from the former Dally M Medal winner.
The footwork and speed of Tuivasa-Sheck could be the perfect foil for last year’s Dally M Medal winner Nicho Hynes and help to the Sharks go from a top four team to genuine premiership contenders.
TIGERS
The Tigers currently have two fullbacks on their books in former Panthers Daine Laurie and Charlie Staines, but both are off-contract in 2023.
Laurie and Staines will likely both get a crack at the fullback role next season, but it remains to be seen if they are in Tim Sheens and Benji Marshall’s long-term plans.
Sheens has made no secret of his desire to get the best players available to help end the longest finals drought in the NRL stretching back to 2011.
The club is going hard for Eels halfback Mitchell Moses, but should he re-sign with the Eels, the Tigers will have money to spend to upgrade their spine, particularly if Laurie and Staines move on.
The Tigers also have Adam Doueihi coming off-contract in 2023, so there is plenty of room in their salary cap for 2024 and beyond as it currently stands.
The Tigers have an excellent pack building, but until they lock in an elite spine, they won’t challenge the top teams consistently and Tuivasa-Sheck would be the ideal man to build their attack around.
KNIGHTS
The Knights are desperate to lure a fullback to the club to allow Kalyn Ponga to make a full-time switch to five-eighth.
However, the club have missed out on a number of targets most notably Reuben Garrick, who re-signed with the Sea Eagles on a long-term deal.
The Knights need Ponga to get his hands on the ball more often, but they are reluctant to weaken the fullback position to strengthen the halves without a suitable replacement.
Tuivasa-Sheck would be the ideal candidate given he is a running fullback with speed and footwork and he would be devastating running off Ponga and Jackson Hastings.
The money the Knights had earmarked for Garrick could be a little short of what Tuivasa-Sheck could earn on the open market and it remains to be seen if he would uproot his family to Newcastle.
Still in terms of a football ft, the Knights would make a compelling case for Tuivasa-Sheck’s next destination.
DRAGONS
The Dragons are well stocked at fullback with Cody Ramsey and Tyrell Sloan battling it out for the No.1 jersey, while Moses Mbye can also play there.
However, after missing the finals the last two seasons under Anthony Griffin, the Dragons need to make some big moves with their roster if they want to return to finals contention.
The issue the Dragons would have in chasing Tuivasa-Sheck would be related to the salary cap and it would likely mean one or both of Ramsey and Sloan would leave.
However, the Dragons have been starved of success in recent years and if they want to push for premierships, they can’t keep rolling out the same solid squad year on year and expect to match the best teams.
Tuivasa-Sheck has the speed and experience to be a game changer for the Dragons, but again he may not be willing to uproot his family to Wollongong.
