Canterbury has secured a major coup over local rivals St George Illawarra by signing rising star Finau Latu, a move that has left Dragons coach Shane Flanagan visibly frustrated just ahead of a pivotal Anzac Day clash.
As reported by Nine’s Danny Weidler, 18-year-old Latu has rejected a contract extension from the Dragons in favour of a three-year deal with the Bulldogs, said to be worth around $1.2 million. The Knights were also in the hunt for Latu, who is widely considered one of the top young forwards in the game and is edging closer to his NRL debut.
Latu joined the Dragons from Penrith’s junior ranks in 2022 and quickly made an impression, playing a central role in the club’s SG Ball premiership-winning campaign last year, including a commanding grand final performance against the Bulldogs.
Since then, he’s earned a regular spot in the NSW Cup and has established himself in the No.13 jersey for St George Illawarra. The NSW Blues U19s and Australian Schoolboys representative developed alongside teammates Loko Pafisiki Tonga and Jacob Halangahu—both of whom recently re-signed with the Dragons through 2026.
Although Latu has been included in Flanagan’s first-grade squad over the past two weeks, it wasn’t enough to convince the teenager to commit to a long-term future in the red and white.
Flanagan didn’t hide his disappointment when speaking to reporters on Thursday, taking aim at Latu’s management for how negotiations were handled.
“I wanted to keep him,” Flanagan said. “I’m really disappointed in how the whole negotiation process was managed—it was terrible.”
He continued, “Sometimes you lose a player because you can’t meet the asking price or because you’re not keen to retain them, but that wasn’t the case here. We absolutely wanted to keep him. We just never had a fair chance.”
The Dragons have recently locked in other promising talents, re-signing twins Toby and Ryan Couchman, along with emerging forward Dylan Egan, for two more seasons. But the loss of Latu will sting, especially considering the club’s role in nurturing his development over the past few years.
