St George Illawarra Dragons have bid farewell to nine players following the conclusion of their NRL campaign, including former Hull FC man Fa’amanu Brown.
Brown joined the Dragons midway through the 2024 season following a short spell in Super League with Hull FC, where he made eight appearances before returning to Australia on compassionate grounds.
The 29-year-old played six games for the Dragons upon his return to the NRL.
Brown had signed a deal with the Dragons for the remainder of the 2024 campaign back in April, with an option for a further year in the club’s favour, but he has now departed for pastures new.
The Christchurch-born hooker was one of nine players who the Dragons bid farewell to at their awards night after they played their final match of the 2024 campaign last weekend.
Brown, who can also play half-back, has represented New Zealand and Samoa on the international stage. He won eight caps for Samoa between 2016 and 2022, representing his Samoan heritage in two World Cups, before switching his allegiance to birth nation New Zealand last year, making his debut for the Kiwis as they won the Pacific Cup.
It was already confirmed that Zac Lomax (Parramatta Eels), Jack Bird (Wests Tigers) and Savelio Tamale (Canberra Raiders) would leave the Dragons at the season’s end.
And the club announced that six more players will depart in the shape of Brown, Max Feagai, Dan Russell, Jesse Marschke, Jackson Shereb and Alec Tuitavake.
With the exception of Brown, British rugby league fans will probably be most familiar with towering back-rower or centre Russell, who has won 10 caps for Papua New Guinea and represented the Kumuls in their World Cup quarter-final defeat to hosts England in Wigan in 2022.
Shane Flanagan’s Dragons will welcome Australia internationals Damien Cook (South Sydney Rabbitohs) and Valentine Holmes (North Queensland Cowboys) to the club ahead of next season.
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