If Shane Flanagan gets his way Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs prop Aaron Woods will finish the 2018 NRL season in a Cronulla Sharks jumper.
It has been a roller-coaster week for Woods after the giant front-rower was axed from Brad Fittler’s NSW squad amid reports the Bulldogs are looking to shop him around to clear salary cap space.
The Newcastle Knights have expressed interest in the 27-year-old while the New Zealand Warriors have also made initial inquiries.
But as reported in Sporting News Australia’s NRL Leaks column, Woods, who has three-and-a-half years left on his $3million Bulldogs deal, has told close friends he wants to move to the Sharks if Canterbury offloads him.
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And in a bold move that could have major implications on the 2018 NRL premiership race, Flanagan has publicly declared his interest in luring Woods to The Shire at the June 30 deadline.
“We are short one big man, and Woodsy is definitely that,” Flanagan told Fairfax Media’s Christian Nicolussi.
“I haven't spoken to Woodsy or his manager, so we’ll see what happens over the next week or two and we’ll go from there.
“We could be in the position to accommodate him now. Our cap model allows us to chase someone like Woods, it’s always good to be in this position when you're coming up to June 30 … we’ll have a look at it but the ball is not in our court."
While the Bulldogs have denied they are actively shopping Woods around, it is understood they are open to offers in a desperate bid to get under next season’s salary cap.
Full-back Moses Mbye signed a four-year deal with Wests Tigers this week and is a chance to make a mid-season switch.
Flanagan told Fairfax Media he has spoken to Gallen about the possibility of signing Woods and insists his arrival would not force Gallen into retirement should the Sharks skipper decide he wants to play on in 2019.
