http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,24865736-5001023,00.html
CRONULLA have won the race for bad boy Reni Maitua with the axed Bulldog today signing with the club for 2009.
The Daily Telegraph can reveal Maitua today ended a month in exile when he inked a one-year-deal with the Sharks.
The move could spell the end of the road for disgraced Test lock Greg Bird with Maitua, also a former Test lock, an ideal replacement for yet to be sacked Cronulla star.
The signing is a major coup for the Sharks with North Queensland, Melbourne and Souths all missing on snaring Maitua.
Not even a lunch date with Hollywood movie star Russell Crowe could stop Ricky Stuart from getting under the Rabbitohs guard. Crowe met with Maitua last Monday in a desperate attempt to lure the premiership winning forward to South Sydney.
But, the chance to play under coach Ricky Stuart swayed Maitua to reject the Bunnies in favour of the Sharks, according to his manager Sam Ayoub.