Cronulla land Aaron Woods

Drew Darbyshire

Aaron Woods has agreed to a mid-season switch from Canterbury Bulldogs to Cronulla Sharks, penning a three-and-a-half-year deal.

The 27-year-old has taken a pay cut but will remain at the Sharks until at least the end of the 2021 season.

Woods has made over 160 appearances in the NRL for Wests Tigers and the Bulldogs, along with 15 caps for Australia and 14 Origin matches for New South Wales.

Sharks coach Shane Flanagan is made up to have secured the services of Woods.

He said: “Aaron is a quality player and I am confident he can add something to our team this year and into the future.

“I also believe our club can help Aaron get back to the previous form which had him playing for New South Wales and Australia.

“We’re pleased to have him on board and look forward to what he can bring to our team.”

Woods is glad to have finally sorted his future out.

He said: “I’ve been given a really good opportunity from Cronulla here and coming here to meet everyone, meeting [chief executive] Barry Russell, it’s been enormous.

“I can’t thank them enough for taking me on board and I’m really looking forward to ripping in with the boys and getting on with the job.

“This happened all last minute, obviously there was dealings behind the scenes but I only found out this morning after training with the Bulldogs boys.

“I’m a Cronulla player now and I’m really happy to be here.”

Woods could make his Cronulla debut on Friday night when they travel to Auckland to face New Zealand Warriors.