Leigh Leopards have announced the signing of former St George Illawarra Dragons man Alec Tuitavake. The prop has penned a two-year deal with the Leopards and his signing comes alongside Leigh’s confirmation that Ben Condon will not be joining the club as expected.
Condon had penned a deal to join Adrian Lam’s side for next year, but the club say the forward was involved in an accident which resulted in concerning injuries. As a result the plug has been pulled on the deal with Leigh moving to bring in Tuitavake instead.
The 23-year-old has never played first-grade down under, but he has spent the last four seasons playing in the New South Wales Cup, having represented Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles before the Dragons’ second string.
He’s made 54 appearances in total in the reserve competition and will make the switch to the north west of England after Christmas, linking up with the club in time to travel to Lanzarote on a warm weather training camp.
“We are delighted to get Alec’s signing over the line,” Leigh Leopards’ head of rugby Chris Chester said: “We have been looking to get a replacement for Tom Amone for several months now, and believe we have the right person to fill those boots.
“Alec is young, he’s only 23, and he’s hungry. He’s been through some good systems in Australia and has many good years ahead of him.
“I believe Adrian Lam will bring out the best in him and that Alec will become a firm favourite at the Leopards’ Den, just like Tom Amone was.”
Tuitavake said: “I have always wanted to make the move to Super League and I’m keen and excited to get to work. When my manager rang me and said Leigh Leopards had made me an offer it was one of the clubs that I had my eye on.
“I’ve followed Tom’s journey at Leigh, and I spoke to him before I signed. He told me how good it was at Leigh and made me want to take that step. Playing under Adrian Lam was another big factor in my decision.
“I know how passionate the Leigh fans are and 100 percent I want to make everyone proud of me. I can’t wait to get over, put my best foot forward and give it my best shot.”
On the situation surrounding Condon, Chester added: “It’s a blow to our preparations for next season to lose a signing of Ben’s quality. We had really high aspirations for him, and we hold that focus that it can happen in the future.
“Part of any signing involves due diligence and unfortunately after the unfortunate accident in which Ben was involved, we were unable to proceed. Ben is a really good guy and we wish him well.”
