David Klemmer’s likely move to St George Illawarra will give Wests Tigers a war chest of up to $1 million to further add to one of the NRL’s most extensive roster overhauls.
After initially denying his request, the Dragons have granted Francis Molo permission to negotiate with other clubs. That move will cause a domino effect that is expected to result in Molo moving on and Klemmer coming in to replace him. It is a significant development for the Red V, who will be able to replace one former State of Origin prop with another.
Molo’s destination remains unclear, but there is no thought of a straight swap. Tigers coach Benji Marshall is happy with his front-row rotation, which includes Terrell May, Royce Hunt, Fonua Pole, Alex Twal, Alex Seyfarth and Samuela Fainu.
Klemmer hasn’t officially asked for a release but, given he hasn’t been selected in the Tigers’ two trial matches to date, has almost certainly played his last game for the club. The Tigers already have room in their salary cap and, pending the payout figure for Klemmer, could have up to seven figures to splurge on more signings.
Instead of spending their money on a prop, the Tigers can look at other positions after an aggressive recruitment drive already netted Jarome Luai, Sunia Turuva, May, Hunt, Jack Bird and Jeral Skelton.
Klemmer is on a deal worth about $675,000 a season, about $100,000 more than Molo’s annual salary at the Red V. The former Knights and Bulldogs forward would automatically trigger a contract extension if he played a reported 14 games this year for the Tigers, but that contractual clause is expected to soon become a moot point.
Wests Tigers have overhauled their roster in recent times. Now, the likely departure of David Klemmer could give them another $1 million to spend.
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