The Wests Tigers are set to sign Dolphins back Jake Averillo on a four-year deal worth about $2.75 million, with the move framed as a possible long-term answer for the club after Jarome Luai heads to the PNG Chiefs in 2028. Averillo, who has played centre for the Dolphins, has also filled in at five-eighth and gives the Tigers a backline option that can be shifted if needed.
The reported offer landed at a level other clubs would not match. On SEN Radio, Michael Carayannis said the package was in the $2.7 million to $2.8 million range and described it as a deal that “blew them out of the water,” with the Dragons, Sharks and Manly all said to have shown interest. For the Tigers, the appeal is obvious: they are buying a player who can cover centre now and, later, potentially help cover the halves.
That flexibility matters because Averillo is not arriving as a straight swap for Luai. Carayannis said next year he would play centre, while the halves role remains a future possibility rather than a locked-in plan. The Tigers can look at him as a five-eighth option when Luai departs, but the club does not yet have to make that call, leaving room for a different answer if one emerges over the next 12 months.
Averillo’s form helps explain why the Tigers moved early. He has scored six tries in seven games this season despite being out injured, a return that underlines his value as more than just cover in one position. The reported deal also shows how strongly the Tigers are backing the idea that versatility matters in a backline that will need options once Luai leaves.
For now, the only missing step is the formal announcement. The deal is reported but not yet confirmed, and that leaves the Tigers with a signing that points clearly to their future shape without fully closing the door on how they will use Averillo when the time comes.
