The Parramatta Eels are please to announce the signing of Kelma Tuilagi who has agreed to a two-year contract which will see him become an Eel until the end of the 2025 season.

Kelma has played 44 NRL games after making his debut for the Wests Tigers in 2021 before moving to the Manly Sea Eagles in 2023.

He also represented Samoa in last year’s World Cup, highlighted by an appearance in the World Cup Final.

General Manager of Football Mark O’Neil said “We are pleased that Kelma has chosen to join the Club for the 2024 and 2025 season. At 24 we think his best football will be ahead of him and will provide a strong contribution to the squad next season.”

Kelma will join the NRL squad for preseason training when they resume next month.

Kelma Tuilagi’s new destination confirmed

“We are pleased that Kelma has chosen to join the Club.

The new destination of Kelma Tuilagi has been officially announced, with the forward joining the Parramatta Eels.

Tuilagi will join the club on a two-year contract that will see him remain in the blue and yellow colours until the end of the 2025 season.

The Samoan international joined the Manly Sea Eagles earlier this year after a two-year stint with the Wests Tigers and appeared in 17 games for the club this season and was used in the starting second row in all but two of his games this season.

“We are pleased that Kelma has chosen to join the Club for the 2024 and 2025 season,” Eels’ General Manager of Football Mark O’Neil said in a club media statement.

“At 24 we think his best football will be ahead of him and will provide a strong contribution to the squad next season.”

The official confirmation from the Parramatta Eels comes after reports emerged two weeks ago that he would join the club from the Manly Sea Eagles.

Tuilagi’s move away from the Sea Eagles is likely to create more salary cap space at the club after they recently re-signed Josh Schuster on $800,000 a season and are set to offer Haumole Olakau’atu a multi-million dollar deal to lock down his long-term future.

At the Eels, he will provide great forward depth and could even see himself making his way into the starting back row, as Shaun Lane is the only likely candidate to have a guaranteed starting spot in the team.