NRL contract news: Connor Tracey departs Sharks, signs three-year deal with Bulldogs

The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs have officially secured the services of Connor Tracey from the Cronulla Sharks.

A utility back, Tracey will head to Belmore on a three-year deal as Phil Gould continues his recruitment drive.

It is widely reported — although not confirmed — that the Bulldogs have parted ways with promising teenager Michael Gabrael as part of a swap deal.

Tracey has one year left on his Sharks deal when he leaves.

The Daily Telegraph claims that because the Sharks could not guarantee Tracey a starting spot, they allowed him to speak with other teams.

Last season, the 27-year-old appeared in just 10 games for Craig Fitzgibbon’s team, starting six of those games at fullback after William Kennedy sustained an injury.

Gould, the football manager for the Bulldogs, stated, “I’ve always admired Connor as a football player and I’m very excited he has joined our club.”

“We are really looking forward to welcoming him to the squad.”

Tracey is a versatile player who can play fullback, wing, center, and five-eighth, but it’s uncertain how Cameron Ciraldo’s squad will use him.

Although he hasn’t yet made his NRL debut, Gabrael is a promising young player.

The Bulldogs signed the adolescent outside back to a development contract for 2024, but he was later elevated to their top-30 squad for the next campaign.

Before making appearances for the Bulldogs in SG Ball Cup games this year, he played for the Parramatta Eels in the Harold Matthews Cup in 2022.

If his rumored move to the Sharks materializes, he will be the latest addition to Cronulla’s increasing group of talented young players, which already includes Kayal Iro and Kade Dykes.

With immediate effect, the Bulldogs have acquired Sharks utility player Connor Tracey, sending young talent Michael Gabrael the other way in a player trade.

Following the Sharks and Canterbury-Bankstown’s agreement to a player swap, Tracey was scheduled to become the Bulldogs’ tenth off-season addition, according to an early Tuesday afternoon story in The Daily Telegraph.

A few hours later, the Bulldogs released a statement confirming Tracey’s three-year contract, officially confirming the transaction.

Despite their initial reluctance to let Tracey go, the Sharks have decided to immediately release Gabrael from the last year of his contract in 2024.

With only a year remaining on his contract, Tracey was granted clearance by Cronulla to speak with rival NRL teams.

The 27-year-old told the Sharks that the Bulldogs were his preferred destination, despite the fact that the Dragons were also after him.

With Gabrael, the Sharks will acquire an outside back who has been hailed as a future star, while also freeing up $500,000 in salary cap space.

William Kennedy is ahead of Tracey at fullback, and Jesse Ramien and Siosifa Talakai are ahead of him in the center pecking order, preventing Tracey from starting for the Sharks.