Saifiti to stay at Knights on big pay after Dolphins, Dragons balk

Talks between Daniel Saifiti and dual suitors the Dolphins and Dragons have fallen through over pay plan differences, meaning the former State of Origin prop is now likely to stay at the Newcastle Knights to see out his contract.

The Knights have been desperate to get Saifiti—and more importantly, his $800,000-a-season pay—out the door a year or two early; he’s signed through to 2026 right now.

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While it originally looked like Shane Flanagan and the St George Illawarra Dragons were going to take Saifiti south, those talks fell apart in early August as the two parties remained divided on how much the 28-year-old should be paid. The Dolphins then took to the negotiation table, though those talks have gone the same way.

The Sporting Base understands Saifiti won’t budge on his $800,000 pay packet.

That wouldn’t be the biggest issue for either the Dragons or Dolphins, but they were more interested in paying around $500,000 to $600,000 with the Knights chipping in the rest of the deal. Newcastle, The Sporting Base has heard, refused to budge on that with the club staunchly refusing to pay any freight if the prop moved away from the Hunter.

It’ll be a blow for the Knights to carry the $1.6 million through the next two seasons, especially considering Saifiti has struggled compared to his representative seasons—but the 28-year-old has made it very clear he won’t shortchange himself at any stage.

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“If the club think I am taking a pay cut to go somewhere else, it’s not happening,” Saifiti declared last month when he was deep in talks. “At the end of the day, the ball’s in my court and I can do what I want.”