Luciano Leilua rang Ricky Stuart to let him know he'd decided to join the Dragons instead of the Green Machine.
The former North Queensland second-rower wants to be close to his father in Sydney with a return to St George Illawarra the best way to do that.
While the Dragons reportedly were willing to meet Leilua's $900,000-per-season price tag, the Canberra Raiders weren't willing to pay that much for the 27-year-old.