Josh Addo-Carr will stay with NRL premiers Melbourne for 2021 with his off-season switch to Wests Tigers off the table.
Addo-Carr’s management met with Tigers officials on Thursday,before the joint venture confirmed he would not arrive at the club this summer after previously pushing for a release from the Storm.
The NSW and Kangaroos Test winger will likely get an upgrade on his Melbourne deal, before hitting the open market for 2022 for his planned return to Sydney, for family reasons, as a fullback.
It’s expected several Sydney clubs, including Canterbury and the Tigers if they are still interested, could throw big money at him.
The Tigers still have a heads of agreement with the 25-year-old Addo-Carr, that will see him join them if he is released by the Storm early.
But realistically, they had accepted their fate for some time, and there remain several other options on the table for next year.
It’s believed the Tigers could ramp up interest in Josh Mansour after Penrith’s tough call to tell him he was free to leave.
League-wide though, clubs remain in no rush to finalise deals with almost half of them not set to return to training until January and the salary cap not yet set.
Meanwhile, Addo-Carr insisted on Thursday that the ongoing contract situation would not distract him before NSW’s Origin decider.
And nor would a bruised toe ground the flyer who remains on track to break an Origin record that has stood for two decades.
The prominent try scorer sent a scare through the Blues camp on Thursday when he was spotted on crutches and in a moon boot after their 34-10 win over Queensland.
He later emerged without it but was still limping, citing a bruised joint in his big toe that won’t require scans.
“It’s like a jarred finger, but on my toe,” Addo-Carr said.
I just got caught in an awkward tackle. One of the Queensland boys just landed on my foot.
“I should be sweet to play.”
His fitness is massive for the Blues after his speed on the right wing helped make Nathan Cleary’s kicking game what it was on Wednesday night.
Add-Carr has bagged doubles in both the opening two matches, meaning one more try next week will equal the most prolific try-scoring series in history.
Another double would give him the record on his own, putting him past the five scored by NSW’s Ryan Girdler in 2000 and Lote Tuqiri in 2002 for Queensland.
“All I have to do is catch a ball and run fast,” Addo-Carr said.