The St George Illawarra Dragons will not be jumping into the Sonny Bill Williams sweepstakes, with the club ruling out the possibility of pursuing the dual international.
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Williams suddenly became the most in demand free agent in recent memory on Tuesday morning following the withdrawal of the Toronto Wolfpack from this year's English Super League.
The franchise has granted players permission to explore opportunities with other Super League or NRL clubs for the remainder of the season.
While the Roosters, Warriors and Bulldogs have been touted as potential destinations for Williams should he opt to return to Australia, the Dragons will not be in the race for his services.
The dual international is joined by a host Wolfpack teammates with NRL experience, with the likes of Bodene Thompson, Darcy Lussick, Rickey Leutele and Chase Stanley also a chance of returning to Australia.
St George Illawarra officials ran their eye over the Toronto players that became available on Tuesday, ultimately deciding not to pursue any of them.
Teams that do recruit the Wolfpack players will have to overcome a number of hurdles before securing their services for the remainder of 2020.
The footballers remain contracted to the English Super League club for 2021 and beyond, with Toronto aiming to return to the competition next season.
As such, they would need to agree to a short-term deal in the NRL, with issues surrounding insurance and injury compensation likely to arise. Further, the NRL will still be required to approve all contracts and ensure they meet market value.
All deals must be finalised by the NRL's mid-season transfer deadline on August 3.
Players will also be required to spend two weeks in hotel quarantine upon arriving in Australia.
The speculation regarding the fate of the Toronto Wolfpack players comes as Dragons coach Paul McGregor made just one change to his team for Saturday's clash with the Sharks.
Tariq Sims will sit out the match after receiving a one-game suspension, with Tyrell Fuimaono promoted from the bench to the starting side and Jacob Host returning to the interchange after overcoming a hamstring injury.
The match will be the sixth Sims has missed this season and while the team will miss the representative forward, Tyson Frizell is confident Fuimaono will step up as he has done so many times this year.
"It's going to be a big loss for us, but Tyrell's been playing that spot probably more games than Tariq this season," Frizell said. "That is good for us, but not so much for Tariq and us losing him.
"Tyrell has been pretty outstanding coming into that role and filling that position. Also Jackson Ford will get a chance, he's been doing really well as well."
Saturday's match is looming as crucial for both the Sharks and Dragons, with Cronulla currently sitting ninth and St George Illawarra two points back in 11th.
The Sharks have made a couple of forced changes for the clash, with Briton Nikora handed a one-game suspension and Scott Sorensen suffering a knee injury in their win over the Warriors last weekend.
Siosifa Talakai and debutant Teig Wilton have come into the side.
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