Kruise Leeming is close to realising his NRL dream with the hooker believed to be on the verge of agreeing to join Gold Coast Titans. The hooker, who was sensationally granted permission to pursue an exit route out of Leeds Rhinos last week, is close to landing a deal with the Titans until the end of the season.
Leeming, 27, was told he was free to explore opportunities away from Headingley and appears to have quickly landed a deal in Australia, a move that will see him link up with St Helens' former Super League winning head coach, Justin Holbrook. The Titans are thought to have moved quickly after an injury sustained by their lead hooker, Sam Verrills. He underwent surgery on a broken collarbone over the weekend and is currently out for an indefinite period.
That has opened the door for Leeming to swap West Yorkshire for the Gold Coast in a move that would provide a platform to potentially secure a longer-term contract down under moving forwards. As it stands, Leeming, who has made 187 career appearances, is off-contract at the end of the year and is free to negotiate with clubs for the 2024 season in both the NRL and Super League.
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Leeming's exit does create substantial salary cap space but with no quota spots available and a limited number of options in the UK, Rohan Smith will likely have to bide his time to use the finances created by his departure.
The Titans have won two of their opening three games this season, which included an impressive 38-34 victory over Melbourne Storm last time out. Leeming is unlikely to be available in time for Saturday's game against North Queensland Cowboys and with the Titans then on a bye week, he instead looks likely to be in the country ahead of their round six clash with St George Illawarra Dragons.
As for the Rhinos, they look set to give Corey Johnson an opportunity, with James Bentley suspended for the game against Catalans Dragons. Ireland international Bentley has filled in at dummy half when Jarrod O'Connor has been taken off in the previous two games. Johnson, meanwhile, has recovered from back surgery and played for the Rhinos' dual-reg partner Bradford Bulls over the weekend.
Leeming's move will see him play with several high-profile stars. Among them are Tonga superstar David Fifita and New Zealand halfback Kieran Foran.
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