IT was one of the more poorly kept secrets of the preseason but St George Illawarra have confirmed the signature of Broncos veteran Andrew McCullough until the end of 2023, with the 31-year-old making his first appearance at training in Wollongong on Monday.
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McCullough had long been linked to a reunion with former long-time Broncos coach Anthony Griffin, with the club's decision to not try and re-sign skipper Cam McInnes all but confirming the shift was imminent.
The immediate switch came after Brisbane released McCullough from the final year of his deal after allowing him to play for the Knights last year in an on-loan arrangement. It's a crucial signing with McInnes having played his last game for the club after tearing his ACL at training on Friday.
"It's no secret that we have been interested in Andrew McCullough for a while now and we're pleased to see him finally sign with the Dragons," general manager of football Ben Haran said.
"Signing a player of Andrew's calibre will no doubt inject plenty of experience into our team and wider squad while his style of play will complement the development of the exciting young talent we have here at the Dragons."
McCullough will be under some pressure on arriving in Wollongong, with much of the Dragons fanbase left outraged by the club's decision to let McInnes link with the Sharks on a four-year deal without a counter-offer.
It was something both parties put down to "different time-frames" with McInnes wanting his future sorted prior to the season commencing. It's seen eyebrows raised given the club managed to get the deal with McCullough done before season kickoff.
Should he see out the deal, McCullough will move past 300 NRL games with the club and will add some much needed experience to the Dragons pack with the likes of Tyson Frizell, James Graham and Korbin Sims having departed over the off-season.
It leaves two spots remaining in the Dragons' top 30, with Jack de Belin's availability hinging on the outcome his re-trial on sexual assault charges in April, with McInnes' injury leaving the club light-on for middle forwards a month out from their season-opener.