Sometimes in the recruiting world you just have to sense an opportunity, and that's exactly what Melbourne Storm did in the pursuit of Sam Kasiano.
The hulking prop who had taken the NRL competition by storm in previous years with his size and skill hadn't been able to re-capture his best form in a struggling Canterbury side in 2017.
That's when Melbourne moved on their man. Looking to add to a forward pack which was set to lose internationals Jordan McLean and Tohu Harris, Kasiano seemed a great fit. A forward with international experience and A-grade potential.
"The word was on the street that Canterbury were looking to move a couple of players on," Melbourne Recruiting Manager Paul Bunn explained.
"So we jumped first (at Kasiano) – we were the first to go.
"We knew the potential he showed. It was only a few years ago he got Dally M Prop of the Year."
It was Kasiano's potential that excited Melbourne and the school of thinking was that he could re-discover his best football with a move south.
"We knew that he had ability, we just thought that the last couple of years he was underutilized at the Bulldogs," Kasiano said.
"We made an approach to his manager, he was keen and away we went."
Heavily criticized in the northern states for his form and figure, Melbourne chose not to buy into the white noise with the only assessment they deemed worth taking notice of was their own and that of Kasiano himself.
"There were a lot of people giving him a knock in Sydney – they were all unfounded to be honest," Bunn said.
"Frank and Craig met him and the deal was done."
Kasiano has managed 11 games for Melbourne so far in 2018 with suspension the only thing holding him back this year. The big man has proved to be a strong asset as part of Craig Bellamy's forward pack and his acquisition is already looking to be an astute piece of recruiting.
