Déjà vu as Dragons set to chase outside back again

Reports suggest the St George Illawarra Dragons have offered Manly Sea Eagles centre' Moses Suli a new deal.

The Dragons were previously keen on signing Suli after his breakout 2019 season with the Sea Eagles, but the centre rejected the club outright in signing a new long-term deal to stay on the Northern Beaches.

It appears the Red V are ready to go after the now out of favour centre once again though, with Suli struggling to break into a consistent first grade spot this season.

Suli has played just 12 games thus far in 2021 though, with Des Hasler preferring to go with Brad Parker and Morgan Haprer as his first choice three-quarter line.

More concerningly for Suli, of those 12 appearances, last week's came as 18th man following the sickening high tackle from Matterson on Parker, while a further four of those have come from the bench (with one recording no minutes) and another two on the wing.

All up, Suli has only started five games in his preferred centre position, although will get another chance on Friday night against the Canberra Raiders as he replaces Parker, who failed to pass head injury assessment protocols.

When Suli has played this season, he has struggled for form, scoring just three tries and assisting another.

The Dragons though, are reportedly set to offer Suli roughly his current contract value of around the $500,000 per season mark, according to Sydney Morning Herald journalist Adrian Proszenko.

He told SEN Radio on Wednesday that Suli is frustrated with his lack of game time and willing to explore other options for 2022 and beyond, with the Sea Eagles reportedly set to allow him to negotiate with other clubs.

“The Dragons have tabled Moses Suli a three-year deal after Manly gave him permission to explore other options,” Proszenko said.

“My understanding is that deal is worth somewhere in between $500,000 to $600,000 per season for each of those three years.

“Moses Suli can’t get a start in the Manly backline when everyone is fit... he’s obviously frustrated by the lack of opportunities that he’s got there under Des, so he appears to be one that’s destined to be at the Dragons and could probably do with a change of scenery.”

Suli's breakout 2019 season saw him play 22 games, scoring six tries and assisting another three, while he also averaged 116 metres per game, turning himself into one of the best centres in the game.