ST GEORGE Illawarra are poised to ramp up the chase for Robbie Farah - and re-sign Benji Marshall - after missing out on Jarryd Hayne.
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Farah is almost certain to leave the Wests Tigers at the end of the season after being dropped by coach Jason Taylor.
The NSW hooker is in negotiations with South Sydney, however, the Dragons are expected to intensify their interest, now Hayne has announced a lucrative two-year deal with the Gold Coast Titans.
The Dragons believed they were still in with a shot of signing Hayne up until this week, before the former NFL player and NSW fullback officially signed with the Titans on Tuesday night.
Having also missed other key targets, including Lachlan Coote, Corey Norman and Luke Keary, the Dragons are likely to come to an agreement with Benji Marshall for another season in the coming days.
Marshall is a major factor in Farah coming to Wollongong, however, the 32-year-old has also had ongoing discussions with Souths and his brother is a physiotherapist at the Rabbitohs.
The Tigers will heavily subsidise Farah's contract for next season, allowing him to easily fit under either the Rabbitohs or Dragons salary cap.
St George Illawarra have refused to meet Mitch Rein's asking price and while negotiations have been ongoing, the Dragons are keen to pursue Farah to finalise their 2017 roster, with just five rounds remaining.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Hayne said he had run out of patience with former club Parramatta.
It is believed third party deals to promote Hayne's personal brand helped sway him to the Titans.
"A few clubs came with an offer straight away," Hayne said. Dragons coach Paul McGregor confirmed the club’s interest in Hayne in May, even though the player was chasing a place in Fiji’s Olympics rugby sevens team at the time. St George Illawarra face a must-win clash with Brisbane at WIN Stadium on Thursday night, to keep their finals hopes alive.
