Wests Tigers have today confirmed the signing of representative forward Joe Ofahengaue.
Ofahengaue will join Wests Tigers on a three-year deal, effective immediately, after he was granted a release from the final two years of his contract with the Brisbane Broncos.
The 25-year-old — who is capable of playing at prop, lock or second row — joins Wests Tigers having played 105 first-grade games since his first-grade debut in 2015.
A former Junior Kangaroo, Ofahengaue has also achieved a number of senior representative honours with two State of Origin appearances for Queensland in 2019 and six Tests for Tonga between 2015 and 2018, as well as Tonga’s historic win over Australia in 2019.
Wests Tigers Coach Michael Maguire said Ofahengaue’s experience and versatility would be a strong asset for the club’s forward pack moving forward.
“Joe has a tremendous hunger and determination to produce his best football with Wests Tigers and we’re excited to see him on the field with us in 2021,” Maguire said.
“At 25, Joe is already an experienced forward in the NRL who has played at an extremely high level in his career and I know he will add a lot to our team in the years to come.”
Wests Tigers CEO Justin Pascoe welcomed echoed Maguire’s welcome to Ofahengaue.
“On behalf of all at Wests Tigers, I’d like to welcome Joe to the club and say how pleased we are to have secured a player with his talent and ability,” Pascoe said.
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“Joe is a representative forward and another high-level addition to our squad for 2021. We identified that Joe’s athletic ability and power can add great value to an already impressive group of young forwards and having another State of Origin representative player join the club further signals the positive direction that Wests Tigers is heading in.
“We’re all looking forward to watching Joe excel in the Wests Tigers colours.”
In addition to Ofahengaue’s signing, Wests Tigers have also confirmed that Josh Aloiai will depart the club effective immediately after being released from the final year of his contract. As part of the release, Wests Tigers have also agreed to an undisclosed commercial settlement with Josh’s new club.
