Elliott Whitehead in the middle of NRL drama ahead of Super League move

Elliott Whitehead, who will return to Super League next year after nine seasons away, it at the centre of drama Down Under.

Whitehead played over 100 times for Bradford Bulls before a big move to Catalans Dragons in 2013.

He played in an NRL Grand Final in 2019, where his side, Canberra Raiders, were defeated 14-8 by Sydney Roosters. It was the club’s first appearance in the final for 25 years.

The 34-year-old has also had a long England career, playing in two World Cups, alongside four Great Britain representative appearances in the Southern Hemisphere tour.

He recently made his 200th NRL appearance, and has scored 44 tries from second-row as he’s become a mainstay for the Raiders.

Now, Catalans Dragons have confirmed that he has returned to the club for the 2025 season.

However, he’s not done yet in Australia.

Elliott Whitehead in the middle of NRL drama ahead of Super League move

Canberra Raiders defeated Sydney Roosters this weekend 14-12, which stopped the Roosters from taking second place in the table.

During the game, Whitehead was sin-binned for a hip-drop tackle on Roosters hooker Brandon Smith – a tackle which caused an MCL injury for Smith, it seems.

After the game, via The West Australian, Whitehead said: “I didn’t mean to do Brandon. I know he’s come up with a bad injury and stuff, and I’m sorry to him for that.

“I went over to ask about Brandon and Trent Robinson (the Roosters head coach) had a go at me.

“I went to apologise, and he’s turned on me, so the way he’s done that I thought (he) was out of order.”

Trent Robinson himself didn’t hold back post-game, saying: “He came up and just wanted to ask how Brandon was, and I just said it was too many times. The hip-drop’s been pretty common in his game for a long time, and I just said it’s too many times. It’s cost us a player.

“He said it was an accident, and I just said ‘Look, you’ve done it too many times’. That was it.”