Championship club sign former NRL great on short-term deal

Championship club Halifax Panthers have secured the services of former Wests Tigers and Salford Red Devils man David Nofoaluma. The 31-year-old has penned a deal until the end of the 2025 season in West Yorkshire with the Panthers said to have beaten off competition to take him to The Shay.

Nofoaluma will step straight into Kyle Eastmond’s squad for this weekend’s Championship clash with Oldham and he’ll be keen to impress enough to help Fax return to the top of the pile this weekend.

The winger, who has represented both Samoa and Serbia internationally, has been plying his trade in the French Super XIII competition for Pia, where he scored six tries in 13 appearances.

Before that spell in France, he had a stint with Salford last season but made just two outings for the club before moving on. He has also had 11 seasons as a regular in the NRL, racking up almost 200 games in the sport’s premier competition.

An overwhelming majority of those outings came in the colours of the Tigers, touching down 100 times for the Sydney outfit. He also made six appearances while on loan at Melbourne Storm in 2022.

As such, he arrives at The Shay with plenty of pedigree and Eastmond is thrilled to have him at his disposal moving forward.

“It’s a really exciting signing for us,” Eastmond told the club website. “We’re really glad to have him.

“He’s got a wealth of experience, plenty left in the tank and I’m pretty sure he’ll show his quality and experience for us. I’m really looking forward to it.

“He’s a brilliant player, that’s the first thing. He seems like an honest person who wants to get to know the group, and I know he’s already doing that and spending a bit of time with the lads. They’ve welcomed him in. And he’s experienced, you know, he’s played at the highest level for years upon years so it’s great for everybody involved.”