The Melbourne Storm and Newcastle Knights are reportedly locked in a two-way battle to secure the services of off-contract Gold Coast Titans forward Josiah Pahulu.
At one stage, it was tipped Pahulu, who has had a slow start to 2025 owing to concussion related issues, was going to leave the Gold Coast last year.
That came amid a messy fallout over a reported bonus payment which the club rested the forward to avoid paying in the final game of the season.
It has been clear ever since that Pahulu would not be re-signing with the Robina-based outfit, and while the Canterbury Bulldogs were believed to be the front-runners for his services for a long period of time, it is now reported by News Corp that he will wind up in either Newcastle or Melbourne.
It's understood Pahulu, who is seeking a long-term deal as he looks to set up his career, has already toured facilities in Newcastle, and will do the same in Melbourne shortly.
The Knights are launching head first into a rebuild of their squad in 2026, with a number of high-paid players off-contract led by Jackson Hastings.
The club have been in a pit salary cap wise for some time now, and even the release of Daniel Saifiti to the Dolphins prior to the start of 2025 couldn't ease pressure.
But 2026 paints a time the club can reset and head into the future, potentially with Pahulu on board.
Meanwhile, in the Victorian capital, the Storm's salary cap is stretched with the likes of Cameron Munster, Jahrome Hughes, Harry Grant and Ryan Papenhuyzen on big money deals, while a couple of key forwards are also not cheap.
Pahulu would present a cut price signing for the club, while also potentially taking over the role of Tui Kamikamica, who is yet to commit to the club with an option in his contract beyond 2025.
The Storm have a number of young forwards in their system, led by Lazarus Vaalepu, but there is a feeling Pahulu would add plenty, with the youngster one of the most highly regarded prospects in the competition.
