Junior Tupou, a young Wests Tigers winger, has allegedly agreed to a contract with the Dolphins, reviving his current club’s interest in a player swap for Melbourne Storm centre Justin Olam.
Tupou, who has impressed in his limited first-grade appearances for the struggling Tigers, is apparently being pursued by three rival clubs.
According to a News Corp report, the Dolphins, who will be coached by Kristian Woolf by the time Tupou reportedly makes the transition in 2025, have outgunned interest from the Canberra Raiders and Sydney Roosters.
The Tigers were said to want to keep the winger in the future, but they were also uninterested in engaging into a money war with any of the competing teams in the picture.
Tupou, who will still play for the Tigers in 2024, now has the NRL’s new ten-day cooling-off period to alter his mind, but if he doesn’t, he will be one of the first confirmed player swaps for 2025.
Tupou’s departure has reportedly rekindled the Tigers’ interest in Justin Olam.
Although interest had waned recently, new Tigers head coach Benji Marshall met with Olam about a month ago in Melbourne, and the club is now back at the table.
The Storm’s center has been out of favor since midway through the 2023 season, and despite an opportunity to join the Super League, the Papua New Guinea representative chose to stay and battle for his job.
A transfer to Sydney, however, could tempt Olam away from the Storm, with the Tigers reportedly in a position to give Shawn Blore – who is said to have signed with the Storm for 2025 anyhow – in a player swap to bring the centre to Concord for 2024.
After suffering through the 2023 finals series, the Storm are anxious to add to their forwards, and Blore’s arrival, which would allow Trent Loiero to slide into the middle, could be just what the doctor ordered.
The Dolphins, Tigers, and Storm have all declined to comment.
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