St George Illawarra have ended their wait to replace Jack de Belin on their 2019 NRL roster by signing Melbourne’s Patrick Kaufusi.

The Dragons have been looking to add a forward ever since they were granted salary cap relief following de Belin’s unsuccessful bid to overthrow the NRL’s no-fault stand-down rule in the federal court.

Kaufusi joins the Dragons with immediate effect until the end of this season.

“You don’t replace a player of Jack de Belin’s calibre with ease, particularly midway through the season,” Dragons list manager Ian Millward said.

“This entire process and circumstance has been extremely complex.

“There has also been no clarity over salary cap dispensation for 2020 or when a determination of Jack’s matters will be reached, which makes it very difficult to both accurately plan as a club and offer prospective players any certainty beyond 2019 – particularly with 23 players already under contract for next year.

“It has been a lengthy process to get to this point but we are pleased we have been able to come to this arrangement with Patrick and the Melbourne Storm.”

A Tongan international, Kaufusi debuted for North Queensland in the NRL in 2015.

He went on to make 22 appearances for the Cowboys before joining the Storm ahead of the 2018 season, playing alongside brother Felise in round eight this year against Cronulla in one of just three matches in a Melbourne jersey.

The pair’s older brother Antonio also played for the Storm during his NRL career.