Levi can bring an NRL title Buderus backs hooker

HE is the $225,000 bargain buy who Danny Buderus reckons can help Des Hasler turn Manly into a genuine premiership force.

Danny Levi’s career was heading towards the scrapheap playing with NRL battlers Newcastle.

But Buderus has backed the former Kiwi Test hooker to now turn his career around with a little sprinkling of Hasler magic dust.

As the NRL’s off-season player market circus continues, Levi’s switch to the Sea Eagles is expected to be finalised this week.

What’s even better for the club is that and deal would go ahead for an absolute bargain.

The Knights will have to cough up about $150,000 to make the trade happen, with Manly only chipping in about $225,000 to get Levi for the season.

For a crucial position such as dummy half, that would present Hasler with a very shrewd purchase and potentially the perfect like-for-like replacement for the gifted Manase Fainu.

With Hasler struggling to fill the void that is going to be left by Fainu, picking up a hooker of Levi’s talent at this stage of the huge boost.

Fainu has been stood down by the NRL pending his court case, while he has also suffered from an infection in his injured shoulder that is going to require more surgery that would wipe him out for the majority of the NRL season even if he had his ban lifted.

At 24 there is no question Levi’s best playing years are still ahead of him even though he appears to have gone backwards playing under Nathan Brown at Newcastle.

Brown and Levi just didn’t see eye-to-eye but Buderus, who has spent a lot of time working with Levi, has no doubt this change will come at the perfect time for all involved.

“Danny has definitely got the talent and the change will be good for him,” Buderus said.

“I think Danny will be up for this. It’s a new challenge and some new voices and faces will be good for him.”

Buderus said Levi’s arrival could make Manly a genuine top-four contender playing alongside Tom and Jake Trbojevic and Daly Cherry-Evans, while off the back of the goforward provided by Martin Taupau and Addin FonuaBlake.

“I think it will really help Danny,” Buderus added. pre-season is a