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Sport | NRL

Watene-Zelezniak joins Bulldogs

Reports out of Sydney’s Daily Telegraph today have confirmed that Kiwis fullback and captain Dallin Watene-Zelezniak has signed with the Canterbury Bankstown-Bulldogs.

As reported last month, Watene-Zelezniak had been granted a release from his current club, the Penrith Panthers. The move to the Bulldogs comes as a bit of a surprise, as the hot favourites to snare his services were the North Queensland Cowboys and Wests Tigers.

A move to the Tigers would’ve meant linking up with current Kiwis coach Michael Maguire, however it is understood that the club couldn’t fit Watene-Zelezniak under their salary cap.

He's not the only big name on the move from the Panthers, who are currently in the midst of a complete player clean out. Waqa Blake, Reagan Campbell-Gillard and Jack Hetherington are also understood to be on the way out the door.

It is understood that Watene-Zelezniak will be pulling on a Bulldogs jersey as early as this weekend, with the club needing all the help it can get as it currently sits last on the NRL ladder.

The 23-year-old Watene-Zelezniak leaves Penrith having playing 106 times for them.

Watene-Zelezniak is the great-grandson of former New Zealand rugby league player and politician Steve Watene, who was the first Māori to captain the Kiwis.

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