Recruit watch: Oregon Kaufusi

The NRL market has been in full swing for 2023 with several stars switching clubs ahead of the new season.

NRL.com takes a look at the major transfers and how your club will benefit from a star arrival.

Oregon Kaufusi (Sharks)

• Age: 23
• Position they'll fill: Prop
• Contracted until: 2025 (mutual option)

What Kaufusi can bring

Former Parramatta prop Oregon Kaufusi will join the Sharks in 2023 after signing with the club over 12 months ago.

The New-Zealand born forward will bring 71 NRL games of experience to the club, including a grand final appearance in 2022.

A quiet achiever, known for his strong carries and fast play-the-balls, the Sharks will be excited to see what the 23-year-old can do in the black, white and blue after picking him up at a crucial stage in his career.

Kaufusi averaged 92 metres in 36 minutes per game in 2022, running off the bench for the Eels in 26 of 27 appearances, in his best season to date in the NRL.

A hard-running forward who stands at 188cm and 114 kgs, Kaufusi is set to add to Cronulla's forward pack alongside the likes of Toby Rudolf, Braden Hamlin-Uele and Royce Hunt.

Why it’ll work

The Sharks required replacements in the middle following the retirements of veterans Aiden Tolman and Andrew Fifita, and despite Kaufusi signing on early in the piece, it's now looks like a very astute signing.

Kaufusi and the Sharks will be hoping he can fill a void coming off the bench, while at the same time he'll have a hunger for more minutes and more opportunities on the field.

Kaufusi will benefit from playing in a Sharks forward pack that dominated in most games in 2022, the same way he complemented the likes Reagan Campbell-Gillard and Junior Paulo at the Eels. 

There are no risks and plenty of upside in the Wentworthville junior and Sharks fans should be buoyed by what they saw from his performances for Samoa at the World Cup.