Things may not have ended as planned at the St George Illawarra Dragons for Tim Lafai but he will return to a place he knows well, the Canterbury Bulldogs.
Joining the Dragons back in 2016, Lafai would go on to play 91 NRL games for the club, mostly at centre.
Still only 29, the Samoan international has been given an early release to rejoin the club where it all began.
Bulldogs fans have been crying out for some experience and Lafai will provide that in the centres.
The club was quick to thank Lafai for his contributions to the club.
“As a club, we were comfortable with the decision for Tim to shore up his long-term future at another NRL club,” Director of rugby league pathways Ian Millward said.
“Tim has been an outstanding representative for St George Illawarra over the past five seasons.
“The decision to release him was based on the merit of the capabilities within our squad, and not in consideration of any trade deals, as has been falsely reported.”
Lafai will link up with his Bulldogs teammates today and has 165 NRL appearances overall to his name.