Former Catalans Dragons man Siosiua Taukeiaho will not be joining Manly Sea Eagles after seeing his move to the NRL club collapse.
That’s according to the Daily Telegraph down under, who claim the prop has priced himself out of a deal to join the Sea Eagles, despite being unattached after seeing his contract terminated by Catalans back in July.
The Tonga international is said to be seeking around $500,000 a year in wages and that’s more than Manly can or are willing to pay in order to secure the ex-Sydney Roosters man’s services.
Taukeiaho does have other options, though, with Canterbury Bulldogs said to be keen, but it remains to be seen if the NRL club can meet the forward’s wage demands while staying under the salary cap.
It comes after the 32-year-old saw a switch to the Bulldogs fall through before the start of the 2024 campaign after failing a medical. Taukeiaho had agreed his release from the Dragons, but a troublesome foot injury saw him return to Perpignan for a second season in Super League.
After joining the club ahead of the 2023 season, it’s fair to say Taukeiaho never really got going under Steve McNamara. He made just 10 appearances for the French outfit, with injuries getting the best of him following his switch from the Roosters.
He did score a try on his debut for the club and he went on to play in last year’s Grand Final, which the Dragons lost to Wigan Warriors, but that was about as good as it got for the prop, who never made an appearance in 2024.
His time with the club came to an end in July, with Taukeiaho being one of three players released by the club with immediate effect following an incident that was deemed to be highly unacceptable.
A club statement read: “Following a disciplinary process, the Catalans Dragons have decided to terminate the contracts of three of their players with immediate effect. The players concerned are Siua Taukeiaho, Jayden Nikorima and Damel Diakhate.
“All players were involved in an incident deemed to be highly unacceptable by the club and contrary to the club’s values.”