The Bulldogs have signed Sharks utility Connor Tracey as part of a player swap that takes effect immediately, sending rising gun Michael Gabrael the other way.
Tracey will be the Bulldogs’ 10th off-season signing, following a player swap between the Sharks and Canterbury-Bankstown, according to the Daily Telegraph.
A few hours later, the Bulldogs issued a statement announcing Tracey’s three-year deal.
The Sharks were initially hesitant to let Tracey leave, but have chosen Gabrael as the player to whom they wish to offer an immediate release from the final year of his contract in 2024.
Despite having 12 months left on his contract, Cronulla allowed Tracey to speak with competing NRL clubs.
He was likewise 27 years old.
The Sharks will free up $500,000 in salary contract space to sign Gabrael, who is seen as a future star in the outer backfield.
Tracey is unable to start for the Sharks because William Kennedy is ahead of him at fullback and Jesse Ramien and Siosifa Talakai are ahead of him in the centre pecking order.
Ronaldo Mulitalo and Sione Katoa have a mortgage on the wing positions, as do halves Nicho Hynes and Braydon Trindall.
Tracey has 27 tries in 66 NRL games for the Sharks since debuting in 2019.
Gabrael represented City’s under-18s against Country in 2023, as well as Canterbury’s SG Ball team.
Tracey’s release along with that of Matt Moylan to the Super League gives the Sharks salary cap space to go after Warriors enforcer Addin Fonua-Blake.
Tracey’s release, combined with Matt Moylan’s move to the Super League, offers the Sharks salary cap money to pursue Warriors enforcer Addin Fonua-Blake.
The Sharks have battled to replace the vacuum created by multiple retirements in their pack, and Fonua-Blake would be a major signing for the team.
However, Fonua-Blake is also being pursued hard by the Tigers, Bulldogs, and Dragons, prompting a bidding war for his services, after he was released from the final two years of his contract with the Warriors in 2025.
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