Luciano Leilua is set to meet with Dragons officials on Wednesday in Sydney in an attempt to fast track a move to the club from the North Queensland Cowboys.
The 27-year-old announced a bombshell on Tuesday when he requested an immediate release from the remainder of his contract with the Cowboys which still has two seasons to run.
SEN’s Michelle Bishop believes Leilua’s desire to relocate back to Sydney is largely due to homesickness.
“I’m of the understanding that it’s a four-year deal that Leilua is hoping to get from the Red V,” Bishop said on SEN 1170 Breakfast.
“He met with Dragons coach Shane Flanagan (on Tuesday) and he is still in Sydney.
"Leilua will meet with the Dragons CEO and a few other important heads at the club on Wednesday.
“He wants to come home. He’s not having a lot of fun up there (in Townsville).
“If you look at the bigger picture, it’s probably a win-win for the Cowboys because they’ve got a couple of young guns in Kulikefu Finefeuiaki and Heilum Luki.
“The Cowboys have plenty of great and young backrowers coming through.”
Leilua’s time with the Cowboys has been marred by controversy since he joined the club midway through the 2022 season courtesy of a release from his contract with the Wests Tigers.
Leilua was charged with domestic violence charges which were later dropped in May 2023. On February 7 2024, Leilua was charged for a low-range drink driving offence and pleaded guilty in court.
The Dragons currently have their top 30 squad locked in and Bishop said that if the club were to pick up Leilua, they would need to drop one player from their roster.
“The Dragons will have to release at least one player from their current roster,” Bishop added.
“I’m hearing Corey Allen’s name being mentioned and that’s obviously because of his ACL issue.
“He will be sidelined for six to nine months so the Dragons may just pay him out.”
Leilua previously played 43 matches for the Dragons between 2016 and 2019.