The Wests Tigers have completed their roster for 2021, with young development player Kelma Tuilagi handed a promotion.
The 22-year-old already has a contract to join the top 30 next season, but having travelled to Queensland as part of the side's NRL bubble, the Tigers opted to promote Tuilagi early.
Tuilagi was rewarded for his consistency at reserve grade level with the Western Suburbs Magpies when he debuted last weekend against the New Zealand Warriors.
The 192-centimetre, 108-kilogram second rower played just 16 minutes in the loss, but was impressive in his short stint with a pair of tackle busts and six tackles.
He will retain his spot in this weekend's line-up to play the Canterbury Bulldogs on Sunday afternoon, and can expect to potentially see more minutes as he builds into his career.
Joining the Tigers from the Melbourne Storm at the start of this year, Tuilagi has played 14 games in the New South Wales Cup for the Magpies, scoring six tries and making seven line breaks at reserve grade level. It comes after solid performances over the past two years at Queensland Cup level with Melbourne's feeder club the Easts Tigers.
He represented the Junior Kiwis in 2018 against the Kangaroos, with the 22-year-old playing alongside the likes of Isaiah Papali'i, Chanel Harris-Tavita, Hayze Perham, Mawene Hiroti, Emry Pere and Tom Ale, while the Kangaroos side featured Corey Allan, Enari Tuala, Zac Lomax, Sean O'Sullivan, Jake Clifford, Patrick Carrigan and Reece Robson.
