David Fifita was officially released by the Gold Coast Titans on Wednesday ahead of a blockbuster move to South Sydney.
Fifita fell out of favour under axed coach Des Hasler and new boss Josh Hannay has allowed him to leave with a year left on his contract.
“The club wants to see David happy and playing football and a new opportunity will give him a chance to do that,” Hannay said. “The entire club wish him well moving forward.”
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Fifita joined the Titans in 2021 and played 90 games, but form and an ankle injury kept him to just eight appearances this year. At his best, the powerful edge backrower is a Queensland Origin player.
His move to the Rabbitohs now looks imminent, triggering a transfer domino effect with three teams involved.
Fifita is set to join master coach Wayne Bennett, hoping to revitalise his stalling career at the Rabbitohs.
The 25-year-old’s $1 million contract will reportedly be paid by both the Titans and Souths, according to CODE Sports, with the Gold Coast chipping in $500,000 of his 2026 and 2027 contract.
Gold Coast powerbrokers reportedly plan to use the remaining clear cap space in their bid to re-sign Jayden Campbell, Tino Fa’asuamaleaui and Cooper Bai.
Fifita previously was on the verge of making a move to Sydney with the Roosters, but he ultimately backflipped on that deal to remain with the Titans and has struggled to live up to his mammoth contract in recent years.
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With Fifita set to land at the Redfern club, and due to the Rabbitohs’ tight top 30, Davvy Moale is set to be granted an immediate release to join the Sea Eagles.
Moale had already signed on to join Manly in 2027, but Anthony Seibold has a desire to utilise the talented middle forward next season.
With Moale arriving at Brookvale, it looms likely Nathan Brown will then make a move to the Tigers, who are looking to add experience and starch to their middle forwards.
