Reports in Australia have stated that St George Illawarra Dragons have released prop forward Emre Guler, with the 28-year-old set to join Wakefield Trinity with immediate effect.
Guler, who is one of several signings that Trinity have confirmed for 2027, is set to become the second Wakefield signing in under 12 hours, with the Belle Vue club confirming an immediate deal for Catalans Dragons’ Zac Lipowicz on Tuesday night.
News of Guler’s release by the Dragons came in the early hours of Wednesday morning, first reported by The Daily Telegraph, with the prop’s release allowing him for an immediate move to Wakefield Trinity.
At the time of writing, neither club have confirmed that but it’s a decision that makes sense for both sides as St George, who had named Guler to start this weekend, have nothing to play for, sitting four points adrift at the foot of the NRL table and with an 89.8% chance of the wooden spoon.
In contrast, Wakefield still have plenty to play for and Guler could well be the impact signing that makes the difference in the play-offs.
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Wakefield Trinity to bring in 2027 signing early
Releasing Guler allows the 28-year-old to get a head start at Wakefield and the timing of this release is key for a number of reasons, the first being that the Super League transfer deadline is this Friday. Wakefield have now beaten that and can get their new man in for the remainder of the regular season and the play-offs.
A second key reason is the fact that Trinity are now short on forwards after a difficult couple of weeks. The club released Seth Nikotemo so that he could return down under for personal reasons, but they’ve also lost both Jay Pitts (bicep) and Isaiah Vagana (shoulder) to injury.
The latter of those could be done for the season, whilst Jazz Tevaga has picked up another ban and will miss Friday’s trip to Wigan. Guler is not expected to arrive in England in time to play that game, though Tuesday night’s signing Zac Lipowicz could.
Instead, Guler will likely be available from next week when Wakefield take on York Knights before two crunch matches against play-off rivals Warrington Wolves and Leigh Leopards.
Guler has over 125 NRL appearances to his name, 16 of which have come this year, and he’ll now add punch to a Wakefield pack that have needed reinforcements.
When announcing his signing back in early June, the club’s director of rugby Ste Mills explained to fans what they will be getting in Guler: “Emre is a strong, all-round middle forward who will add real quality to our pack through his ability to play big minutes, carry the ball effectively, and maintain a high defensive work rate.”
He’s expected to arrive in the UK in the coming days.
