Canterbury coach Cameron Ciraldo says he is “monitoring the situation” with Stefano Utoikamanu, following suggestions the Bulldogs had been linked with the Wests Tigers prop, who is set to make a decision on his future as soon as next week.
Utoikamanu had been prominently linked with a move to the Storm, but reports this week say the Bulldogs have made a late push to get the huge prop, who has been handed a five-year, $4 million deal to stay with the Tigers.
The Bulldogs have already signed Roosters forward Sitili Tupouniua for the next four seasons, and they have room in their cap to add a big player like Utoikamanu, who might compliment their dynamic pack, which has outworked opponents in terms of effort, ball movement, and superior fitness.
“I think we’re in a really good position as a club where we’ve got a lot of good kids coming through and we’ve also got space for potential guys to come in if they’re the right person and right fit for our club,” according to Ciraldo.
“Stefano is a great player. He has a lot of promise, and we are keeping an eye on the issue. If he wants to come here, we’ll welcome him with open arms.
“We’re quite pleased with the folks we’ve got here. We’ve added Sitili for next year, and several of our players are developing.
