Warriors enforcer and Samoan Test prop Sam Lisone will join the Titans for their 2020 NRL campaign, after agreeing to a one-year deal with the Gold Coast.
The addition of the 26-year-old prop will boost the Titans’ playing depth in the middle forwards after the loss of Ryan James to a season-ending ACL injury.
Lisone has played 85 matches for the Warriors since making his NRL debut in 2015, and was that Club’s NYC Player of the Year and NYC Players’ Player of the Year in 2014, after leading the Junior
Warriors as co-captain in their Holden Cup (Under-20s) grand final win over the Brisbane Broncos.
The 110kg, 184cm prop played 11 games for the Warriors off the interchange bench in 2019, and had been targeted by Warrington and Wigan in Super League for his size and aggression.
Lisone has played four Tests for Samoa, and has also represented the Junior Kiwis.
He is a product of the Otahuhu Leopards junior club that also produced Kiwi legends Mark Graham, Hugh McGahan and Tawera Nikau, current Warriors captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and former Titans centre Clinton Toopi.
Titans Head Coach Justin Holbrook said Lisone’s arrival would add to the competition for spots in the Gold Coast forward rotation, with the new season getting underway against the Raiders in Canberra on March 13.
“The injury to Ryan was obviously very disappointing for the Club, and left us a little bit short of middle forwards, so we are lucky that a prop of Sam’s quality and representative experience came onto the market so late in the piece,” Holbrook said.
“We are looking forward to him coming to the Club, getting up to speed with how we do things at the Titans and putting his hand up for selection as soon as possible.
“Sam is coming to the Titans on a one-year deal, so we expect he will make the most of the opportunity and put pressure on the rest of the forwards for a spot in the pack.”
