Aaron Woods spent Tuesday morning training with his Canterbury teammates.
By midday, he was a Cronulla Sharks player.
Cronulla announced the signing of the former NSW and Australia prop on Tuesday afternoon, with Woods to wear the black, white and blue until the end of 2021.
The 27-year-old could add to his 160 NRL games as soon as Friday night when the Sharks travel to New Zealand to take on the Warriors.
His acquisition gives Cronulla added strength to an already formidable forward pack. Woods, Andrew Fifita, Wade Graham, Luke Lewis and captain Paul Gallen have all played for NSW and Australia, with Matt Prior having made his State of Origin debut on Sunday.
Woods had played every game of the season so far for Canterbury before his mid-season switch, brought about by the Bulldogs’ salary cap pressure.
He had only been a Bulldog for half a season after his move from the Wests Tigers. But Woods said he is keen to settle in the shire – and hopes to see a return of his best football.
“Canterbury have been awesome. It was a really good change. Everyone knows what’s going on there at the moment. They’re having salary cap problems. They’ve been awesome to me… but I’ve been given a really good opportunity from Cronulla,” he said.
“Coming in and meeting everyone today, meeting [CEO] Barry Russell, it’s just been enormous. I can’t thank them enough for taking me on board. I’m really looking forward to getting on with the job and ripping in with the boys.
“I’ve got a good family around me. It’s just disappointing when you see things in the media. You’re linked with one club or you’re seen at different venues when I haven’t been. This happened all last minute. There were dealings behind the scenes. I only found out this morning after training with the Bulldogs boys.”
With Woods a veteran of 14 State of Origin appearances for the Blues and 15 Test matches for the Kangaroos, he will add further experience to a Cronulla side looking to win a second premiership in three years.
Woods said contract uncertainty had hurt his form but was hopeful of getting back to his best with Cronulla.
“You think about it a fair bit. You can say you don’t think about it that much but everyone’s always asking you questions. Mates, family, friends and you sort of get over it a bit,” he said.
“I’m a massive rugby league fan, I’ll talk about footy until the day I die, non-stop, 24-7. But when it’s about you it’s hard. You hear things that people say about you that you don’t even know that’s happening.
“I hope [I’ll be here for the duration of my contract]. I don’t want to be chopping and changing anymore.
“It’s rugby league now. It’s the game we’re in. It’s part of the job. I thought once I went through all of it last year I thought it was over.
“It’s a really good club, good opportunity. I spoke to Shane Flanagan behind the scenes. He’s got a really good future what he sees at this club and what they’re trying to achieve. It’s something I really want to be part of.”
