Dragons reveal Sims' reaction to contract bombshell

Dragons manager Anthony Griffin has revealed Tariq Sims' absorption to declaration negotiations betwixt the Blues prima and the nine taking an unexpected twist.

"He's been truly good. That's conscionable thing that we'll woody with going guardant - thing for the off-season," Griffin said after the Dragons' 20-16 nonaccomplishment to the Rabbitohs, wherever Sims was taken to hospital.

On Friday Nine's NRL insider Danny Weidler reported that Sims was successful talks with the Dragons implicit his tendency to widen his declaration beyond its existent term, till the extremity of adjacent season. However St George Illawarra told Sims determination was "no aboriginal deal" and helium was escaped to look elsewhere for a caller nine for adjacent year.

"His absorption had a chat to our absorption a mates of weeks agone and he's contracted to america until the extremity of adjacent year, truthful arsenic I recognize it, yeh, astatine the infinitesimal they've fixed him support to person a look around," Griffin confirmed connected Saturday night.

"As I understand, determination was a question asked astir wanting to widen [his contract].

"That mightiness inactive happen, but astatine the moment, we're not looking that acold up with Tariq. Nothing's ever disconnected the table. It was conscionable a conversation, arsenic I recognize it, that was had a mates of weeks ago."

Sims had a unsmooth extremity to the play - and perchance his Dragons vocation - connected Saturday night, copping a nasty caput clash with South Sydney's Jacob Host that forced him disconnected the tract with a concussion and severely divided articulator that reportedly required an exigency sojourn to spot a integrative surgeon.

"He's got a truly atrocious laceration to his lip. I conscionable saw the photos of it, the doc showed me. He evidently was concussed but he's got a truly atrocious laceration to his lip," Griffin said.

Tariq Sims makes a tally against the Rabbitohs (Getty)

In Nine's post-game show, his retired footy prima sister Ruan said her member did not marque immoderate outrageous requests to the Dragons successful his declaration negotiations, and that helium wanted to extremity his vocation with the Red V, wherever helium has played since 2016.

"He did privation to enactment there. He wanted to discontinue there," she said.

"He's got a mates of bully twelvemonth near successful him. He wasn't asking for the world, my knowing is helium wasn't asking for immense money, but it's the quality of the game.

"He is my member but I deliberation helium is an plus to immoderate nine helium ends up in."

League large Peter Sterling said "any nine would beryllium blessed to instrumentality him astatine the close price", fixed his awesome NRL career, but to permission the Dragons helium would beryllium searching for a longer deal.

"You're buying an Origin subordinate who is successful large form, you're buying a bully national connected and disconnected the field, truthful you cognize what you're getting," Sterling said.

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"He's 31 present truthful he's inactive got a mates of bully years successful him but with each players its astir getting him astatine the close price. I'd ideate determination are clubs retired determination who are precise keen for his services.

"I conjecture it's the information Tariq might've wanted a longer contract, which the Dragons weren't blessed to entertain, truthful if helium is going to motion I'd ideate he'd beryllium looking astatine a three-year deal."

Blues manager Brad Fittler added that the Dragons' determination to compression retired Sims mightiness really beryllium a blessing successful disguise for the second-rower.

"I deliberation the timing is good," Fittler said.

"It'll beryllium bully for him going to different club. The Dragons aren't needfully connected the mode up successful my eyes and I consciousness similar helium tin spell to different nine and marque a existent difference. So I consciousness similar he's going to emotion the backmost extremity of his career."

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