Battle of the Bridge:St George illawarra Dragons & Sydney Rooter’s Coach Suspended by World Rugby For…
The St George Illawarra Dragons have made their second signing in quick succession, with Christian Tuipulotu joining Raymond Faitala-Mariner in Shane Flanagan’s ranks.Manly have agreed to allow the winger to pursue other options after breaking down the pecking order at the Northern Beaches and the Dragons have now struck after Corey Allan’s season-ending injury.
Christian Tuipulotu signs with Dragons after leaving ManlyTuipulotu, who was under contract with the Sea Eagles until 2025, requested an immediate release to work with Flanagan after reportedly forming a close bond with the new head coach during his time as assistant at Manly.MORE: NRL predicted round 1 team lists – All the latest news ahead of the new seasonThe Dragons have been on the lookout for new players since Flanagan took over after Anthony Griffin’s troubled tenure ended last year when the 22-year-old signed a two-year deal.
They targeted a number of stars, including Addin Fonua-Blake and Tom Dearden, to try to strengthen their squad after years of underperformance, but most failed.
However, the opportunistic signings of Faitala-Mariner and Tuipulotu represent a welcome boost with less than a month to go until the start of the new season.
“Christian is a great player who can add some goals out of the backfield and will be a valuable asset to the club,” Flanagan said.
“We have some good outside backs coming to the Dragons, but after losing Corey Allan this season it was important for us to add some NRL experience to the backline for this year.”
Tuipulotu has made 32 appearances for the Sea Eagles after joining them from the Sydney Roosters in 2020, scoring 13 tries.However, the Tongan international looked to be on the verge of losing his place on the wing after Manly recruited several wing backs for next season.
Jaxson Paulo and Tommy Talau have both joined Anthony Seibold’s squad, while Jason Saab appears to have secured a place after previously signing a long-term extension. After his breakthrough year in 2022, where he scored eleven tries in 19 games, Tuipulotu found things much more difficult in 2023 as he could only make twelve appearances, crossing for two four-point shots.
Tuipulotu’s departure has opened up a place in Manly’s top 30 squad, with experienced agent Nathan Brown believed to be the recipient of an upgrade after completing a training and trial contract in the off-season.
“We thank Christian for all his efforts at the Sea Eagles and wish him all the best in the next chapter of his career,” said club CEO Tony Mestrov.
