In a move that may well have a hint of revenge to it, the St George Illawarra Dragons are looking to sign Parramatta young gun Blaize Talagi to replace Zac Lomax, who just agreed to join the Eels next season.
Talagi, 19, has been offered an Eels three-year deal worth around $1 million as Parramatta tries to keep its boom junior but is exploring his options.
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The Dragons have been closely monitoring the Talagi situation for some time and rate the 19-year-old very highly. The club’s powerbrokers are particularly interested in the fact the Westfield High product can play in the centres and simultaneously challenge Tyrell Sloan—who was just offered an extension—for the Red V fullback role.
The biggest hinge in the whole deal revolves around Talagi’s agent, Isaac Moses.
Moses manages Talagi as well as St George Illawarra coach Shane Flanagan and his son Kyle. On top of that, the NRL dealmaker (who returned to the game in 2022 after a suspension) had a huge falling out with Brad Arthur, leaving the two far from speaking terms.
The Dragons are interested in tabling a deal worth the same coin as the Eels, meaning they’d be paying Talagi $350,000-ish behind Sloan’s $500,000-a-year extension. Talagi would either replace Sloan—though that’s unlikely—or step in to play ahead of veteran Jack Bird as soon as the 2025 NRL season.
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Young Talagi does have a player option in his favour for 2025 on top of the Eels’ $1 million offer, but the 19-year-old rookie seems unlikely to take up either before the end of the year.
