Leigh call off Condon deal and sign Tuitavake

Leigh Leopards have brought in prop Alec Tuitavake on a two-year contract - after backing out of the signing of his fellow Australian Ben Condon.

A deal to sign back rower Condon, 24, also on a two-year contract, was agreed in October.

However, he was recently involved in an accident which Leigh say "resulted in injuries which caused the club concern" and, after an assessment by their medical staff, they have decided not to go ahead with the signing.

Tuitavake, 23, has arrived after leaving St George Illawarra Dragons and is a replacement for Tom Amone, who left the Super League side to join Australian outfit Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.

"We have been looking to get a replacement for Tom Amone for several months now, and believe we have the right person to fill those boots," said Leigh head of rugby Chris Chester.

"Alec is young, he's only 23, and he's hungry. He's been through some good systems in Australia and has many good years ahead of him."

Chester also indicated that Leigh might still sign Condon at a later stage.

He said: "It's a blow to our preparations for next season to lose a signing of Ben's quality. We had really high aspirations for him, and we hold that focus that it can happen in the future.

"Part of any signing involves due diligence and unfortunately after the unfortunate accident in which Ben was involved, we were unable to proceed. Ben is a really good guy and we wish him well."