The Tigers and the Storm have finalised a player swap deal that will send Shawn Blore to Melbourne and Justin Olam the other way on three-year deals.
“Wests Tigers is delighted to confirm that former Melbourne Storm centre Justin Olam has joined the club on a three-year deal,” The Tigers said in a statement.
The PNG international has been released from his contract at the Storm and will link up with his new Wests Tigers teammates on Monday.
Olam, a premiership-winner and 2021 Dally M Centre of the Year, scored 46 tries in 104 appearances during six seasons with the Storm, where he made his NRL debut in 2018.
The 30-year-old has represented his country on 14 occasions, making his international debut for Papua New Guinea against Fiji in 2016.
Wests Tigers head coach Benji Marshall is excited by Olam’s arrival.
“Justin is a world-class player who will bring plenty of experience to our team,” Marshall said.
“He is a proven winner who has played at the highest level.
“His leadership and communication will be very valuable to our club.
“It’s a pleasure to welcome Justin and his family to our family at Wests Tigers.”
Olam says he’s looking forward to the next chapter in his rugby league career.
“I was really impressed by Benji [Marshall] and his vision for me and the team, and it’s so exciting to be here,” Olam said.
“I’m keen to put in the work and win the trust of the boys and the coaches at training, and hopefully contribute to what the club is building.”
Shawn Blore has also been granted a contract release and will make the move from Wests Tigers to Melbourne Storm in the coming days.
The 23-year-old forward played 33 games in his four years at Wests Tigers, missing the entire 2022 season through injury.
Marshall says Blore has given a lot to the club over the past few years.
“We wish Shawn all the best with his future and thank him for his contribution to Wests Tigers,” Marshall said.
“He’s a great person and he’s developed some lifelong friendships in his time at our club.”
The Storm released a statement of their own on Olam’s departure and Blore’s arrival.
“Melbourne Storm and Wests Tigers have agreed on a player swap that will see Justin Olam and Shawn Blore trade jerseys for the start of the 2024 NRL season,” the Storm said in a statement.
“In the second player transfer between the two clubs in recent years, Olam and Blore will begin training with their new teammates on Monday.”
Storm CEO, Justin Rodski, said the agreement between the two clubs will give both players a fresh start for the 2024 season.
“Juzzi is first and foremost a great person and much-loved by the players, coaches, staff and of course Melbourne Storm members and fans” Rodski said.
“He has not only worn the purple jersey with passion, but he has also represented his home country and community in Papua New Guinee with great pride.
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“It is always difficult to say goodbye to players who have made such a great contribution to our Club like Juzzi, but it also presents both he and Shawn a new opportunity to continue their careers in a new setting.
“Juzzi leaves a premiership player and will always be Storm player #187 and welcomed back at AAMI Park in the future.”
Olam is renowned for his fearless style of play and is a cult hero in his home country, Papua New Guinea. He has proudly represented Papua New Guinea 14 times, the PNG Prime Minister’s XIII twice and the PNG Nines three times.
He was a member of the 2020 NRL Premiership winning team and the joint winner of the 2021 Dally M Centre of the Year. Since making his debut for Melbourne Storm in round 9 2018 against the St George Illawarra Dragons, he has made 104 appearances and scored 46 tries for the club.
Rodski said the inclusion of Blore, who signed a three-year deal with Storm, will add further strength to the forward pack.
“We are really excited about bringing Shawn into the Storm system. He is rated as one of the most promising younger players in the game having represented the Junior Kangaroos and NSW Under 18s,” Rodski said.
“He’s a player that has been of interest since his junior rep days, leading the Panthers’ SG Ball side to a Premiership in 2018, and shown great resilience having returned from injury to play 15 games last season with Wests Tigers.”
Blore made his NRL debut for Wests Tigers in Round 11 against the Parramatta Eels in 2020 but missed the entire 2022 season due to a serious knee injury, returning with 15 NRL appearances last season.
Both players will head to their respective new clubs next week.
FORMER EELS FLYER JOINS ST HELENS IN SUPER LEAGUE
Former Parramatta Eels flyer Waqa Blake has found a new club after departing the Eels at the end of last season joining St Helens in the UK Super League.
The Fijian international has played over 150 games in the NRL, including a stint with the Penrith Panthers from 2015 to 2019.
Blake joins St Helens RLFC on a one-year contract for the 2024 season.
The decision follows rumours of a code switch to rugby union after reportedly talking with the Super Rugby club, Western Force, in the middle of last year.
“I can’t wait! I was excited to get over as soon as Paul [Wellens] and Mike [Rush] gave me a ring to say it was done, especially to a great club like St.Helens,” Blake told saintsrlfc.com.
“I’m looking forward to switching from the heat to the cold!
“To come to a club like St.Helens where they’ve always been in the top four or top two, and then such a big thing winning four-in-a-row, I’m hoping I can fit in, and we can win another one.
“Just looking at all the players that they have there, all the strike, I’m keen to get to work.”
Speaking to saintsrlfc.com, Blake admitted he was excited to get going for the upcoming season and explained about what he has heard regarding the Super League competiton.
“I think it’s getting better [Super League], I saw St. Helens beat Penrith last year in the World Club Challenge, no one would have thought it,” he added.
“The quality of football is getting better and you can see that in the England side that played Tonga.
“I’ve played with Kevin Naiqama and he killed it at Saints, and I watched the Grand Final where he won Man of the Match.
“He told me a lot about Super League when we were in Fiji camp, how special it is over there, and that Saints are a great bunch of boys, so I’m looking forward to it.”
St Helens RLFC head coach Paul Wellens commented on the signing of Waqa Blake and believes he will be instrumental to the club moving back to the top of the table in the 2024 season.
“We have been on the lookout for some time now and we had other bits around the salary cap that we needed to sort; in retaining our own players which is always important,” Wellens said.
“But this has also been at the forefront of our minds, and we are so pleased to bring in a player of Waqa’s quality into the squad.
“He is making a big commitment in coming over to the other side of the world and we’re confident he will settle in well and like it over here.
“We have great success in terms of our overseas players doing that and going out on the field to perform well. From our end, he’s going to come highly motivated and come to prove a point which will only help him and his performances, as well as our group.”
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