Super League club Huddersfield are hopeful of luring Manly’s Fiji international Akuila Uate to England.
Uate, who turns 31 in October, is being squeezed out of the Sea Eagles by salary-cap pressure and is considering an offer of a two-year deal to join the Yorkshire club for 2019.
The Fiji-born flier has scored 129 tries in 198 NRL matches, most of them on the wing for Newcastle, although he was at centre in the Fiji team that lost to Australia in the World Cup semi-final last November.
Uate, who moved from Newcastle to Manly 18 months ago, also won five caps for Australia from 2011-12 and played State of Origin for New South Wales.
“We’ve had quite a few discussions with Aku and we’re well down the line,” Huddersfield coach Simon Woolford said.
“Nothing is over the line yet but we’re hopeful over the next couple of weeks he may commit to us.
“He’s still doing a good job for Manly. He’s being squeezed out because they’ve got salary cap issues.
“There are a few clubs in Australia who want to sign him for one year and he needs to make a decision about whether he wants to take one year or come over here for a couple.
“He’s got a young family too so it’s a big decision for him but by all reports he’s very open to coming over and we’re hopeful.”
Meanwhile, Huddersfield will be without Australian outside back Jake Mamo for around six weeks with a grade two medial ligament tear, the same injury that has sidelined back-row forward Ukuma Ta’ai.
Mamo, who recently made the switch from full-back to centre, sustained his latest injury in last the 20-6 Challenge Cup defeat by Catalans Dragons.
“Jake was starting to find his mojo in the centres,” Woolford said. “He was doing a really good job for us.
“But we’ve got some exciting young outside backs who have been waiting for another opportunity.”
Mamo, who is out of contract this year, was restricted by injury to just nine appearances in his first season in Super League in 2017 and he sat out six weeks earlier this year with hamstring trouble.
“We know what Jake can do and what he can bring to the squad,” Woolford added.
“Over the next few weeks, we’ll get a gauge on what Jake wants to do, whether he wants to stay around or whether he wants to go back to Australia.”
