Kevin Naiqama has all but locked in his NRL return, with the Sydney Roosters set to announce the signature in the coming days.
Naiqama, who has played 19 matches for Fiji during a career which saw him represent the Newcastle Knights, Penrith Panthers and Wests Tigers, before heading to England in 2019 where he would play 65 matches in three years for St Helens.
However, the pandemic and restrictions saw him cut his time at St Helens short, gaining a release from the club at the end of the 2021 season following a successful English Super League campaign.
Still a strong performer, Naiqama developed something of a cult hero status during his time in the NRL, where he played a grand total of 113 games across his three clubs.
The Daily Telegraph are now reporting that Naiqama will sign with the Sydney Roosters, in part thanks to his close friendship with coach Trent Robinson.
It had been previously reported that the Wests Tigers were also keen to sign the returning Naiqama, but the Roosters have beaten them out.
Naiqama may have come into consideration for a first-grade spot at the Tigers, however, he has picked a role as a depth signing at the Roosters.
The Roosters, who are set to re-sign Joseph Manu in the coming days, have an exceptional back five, even following the departure of Matt Ikuvalu to the Cronulla Sharks.
James Tedesco will line up at fullback, while Daniel Tupou and Joseph Manu will certainly take spots at wing and centre respectively. Paul Momirovski will line up at the other centre spot following his exit from premiers the Penrith Panthers, while the final spot will come down to a battle between Adam Keighran, Billy Smith and Joseph Sualii, with Naiqama also joining in that mix.
Naiqama is likely to spend plenty of time at the North Sydney Bears, however, following a season of injury crisis - particularly in the backs - it's hardly a surprise to see Robinson and the Roosters looking to increase their stocks of players who can fill spots.
