A departing NRL player could be making the switch to Super League, after a failure to agree terms with current club Manly Sea Eagles has left him without a guaranteed future for 2026.
The Sea Eagles let go of nine players at the end of the season just gone, including Wakefield Trinity-bound Jazz Tavaga and future Warrington Wolves prop Toafofoa Sipley. The duo could well be facing one of their teammates from this year in the upcoming season, in what could be another overseas player making the move to the Northern Hemisphere.
Tommy Talau, the 25-year-old centre, is thought to be the latest NRL player to join Super League, having found game time hard to come by this year. The one-time Samoan international has struggled with injury over the past year, limiting him to just 13 appearances for the Sea Eagles.
A former Wests Tigers player, Talau has links with the Super League, with his father, Willie Talau, playing eight seasons over here in the 2000’s. He was part of St Helens’ 2006 treble winning squad, and scored a try in that year’s Grand Final.
Following a breakdown in talks with Manly, the younger Talau now finds himself without a club for next year, and Australian media outlet ZeroTackle have reported a move overseas could be his next option.
The centre, who has 83 NRL matches to his name, did an interview with The Daily Telegraph back in August, stating his intentions to keep playing rugby next season. After an injury-hampered season, Talau is ready to get back to regular first team action, wherever that may be.
He said: “I’m just really focused on trying to play good footy. That’s all I’ve been trying to do this year. I’ve had a bit of a rough run with injuries and not being in the team and whatnot.”
“I feel healthy now, and being back in the team is also really good for me. It’s obviously been a different year, a bit of a challenging year for myself… I know I’ve got a lot of good footy in front of me. Hopefully I can get my body right and back to playing good footy.”
Whilst no club has been officially linked with his signature, he is certainly one to watch, and would bring value and star quality to whichever team he ends up moving to.
Serious About Rugby League has launched a brand new podcast which can be watched in full on our YouTube channel here.
