Gus Gould, General Manager of the Canterbury Bulldogs, has finally explained what has been going on with Catalans Dragons Siua Taukeiaho, the prop forward who has been at the center of a transfer issue for months.
Taukeiaho joined the Super League club for the start of the 2023 season, but after only a few months, he requested to quit his contract early.
The Tongan international was hoping to return to Australia and the NRL, which Catalans wanted compensated for, leading to suspicions of a large transfer price.
Gus Gould and the Canterbury Bulldogs stepped in, with the team eager to strengthen its pack for 2024 and beyond, reportedly turning down a $1,000,000 offer over two seasons, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Despite such big sums, the story continued, as Taukeiaho recovered to fitness and began playing games for Catalans, even appearing in the Grand Final loss to Wigan Warriors.
However, it is possible that Taukeiaho will not make the move to Canterbury this offseason, with Gould speaking to Australian radio station SEN to discuss the facts of the agreement.
“He was a player that we were really keen to pursue,” Gould told SEN 1170 Afternoons. “He had a year to go on his contract in Catalans and they were looking for some sort of replacement if he was to come back to the NRL.”
“Any contract with us was subject to a medical, as they always are, albeit late in the season… He played with an ailment in the Grand Final, which only worsened by the time he got back here; he has a significant foot condition that requires surgery.”
After announcing the failed physical, Gould went on to indicate that Taukeiaho could miss a significant portion of the 2024 season as well.
“He wouldn’t pass any medical to get an offer from us, I’d imagine he’ll go back to Catalans to complete his contract, certainly in the short term he’ll need surgery and he’s going to have quite a lengthy rehab with that.”
It’s a huge setback for all parties involved, including the player who wanted to return to the NRL, Canterbury, who clearly wanted to improve their pack, and Catalans, who now have an injured player on their hands.
Gould went on to discuss how his team’s recruitment was going, emphasizing a concentration on forwards, with one outgoing forward, Luke Thompson, joining Wigan Warriors.
“We’ve probably got a little bit more than people see there, we’ve got a lot of young blokes who didn’t play a lot of footy, they’d be happier if they’d seen them play, we’re hoping they’ll get more time on the pitch next year.”
“We’re definitely looking, we have money, and we can make a spot available.”
“We recognize that it is a problem for us and are working on it, but I believe we are in a slightly better position than the average person (thinks).”
