‘Yeah, I’ll be on the market’: Tino to explore options away from Titans

Tino Fa’asuamaleaui has confirmed he’ll be testing the NRL open market once the Kangaroos tour is all wrapped up, emphatically declaring “I’ll be on the open market” even as Josh Hannay tries to convince him to stay.

Fa’asuamaleaui is signed with the Titans through to 2033 on a blockbuster deal, but has an ‘escape clause’ for 2027 that he’s now activated. That means he’s actually free to leave at the end of next season – should he decide there’s a better offer going away from the Gold Coast.

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“I’m not going to beat around the bush, but yeah, I’ll be on the open market,” he admitted.

The issue, Tino told travelling NRL reporters, is that he wanted to “see things improve around the place” a lot quicker. “I have tried to do that for five years, to try to win, and there have been a lot of ups and downs. I want to see improvements throughout the whole club and see it heading in a good direction. I would love to stay, but an NRL career is so short.”

“I would love to stay, but an NRL career is so short,” the star forward explained.

“I played three years at the Storm and am going into my sixth season at the Titans – how many more years do I have in me? As much as my heart is at the Titans – I love the Titans – you’ve got to be smart too; you have to always use your brain.

“The reason I went to the Titans in the first place was to win and do something that hasn’t been done before. I don’t want to walk out of that place without a win, and obviously that’s a premiership.

“I know it’s easy to say, but it’s going to take a lot of hard work.”

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Fa’asuamaleaui’s October comments give interested clubs around a week to prepare signing packages to formally table on November 1. Emerging suitors include St George Illawarra and Canterbury, as well as Melbourne, where Tino won a premiership in 2020. Expansion squad the Perth Bears are also licking their lips at the possible pick-up.

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The Bears are most likely to set the tone for the chase; the expansion team is understood to be preparing a $1.5 million-a-year offer for the 25-year-old star to lead them in their inaugural season. The argument is if they spend up big, others will want to come play with bona fide stars like Fa’asuamaleaui, and they can build out the roster from there.

(The Bears had also wanted Cameron Munster, but he’s staying at the Storm.)

The Dragons are the other club expected to submit a proposal for Tino right on November 1.