'If they don't really want me, I should just leave' Newcastle Knights, says Joey Leilua
He has offered to move on before the June 30 deadline if the Knights don't want him.
But if they do, as appears likely, enigmatic centre Joey Leilua has vowed to give his all for the club until he leaves at the end of the season.
I give 100 per cent, whatever team I play for. There's no doubting that ... I'm just going to do my job and hopefully the fans can remember me in a good way.
Speaking for the first time since it was announced three weeks ago that he had triggered a get-out clause in his contract, allowing him to be released from his 2016 deal with Newcastle, the Samoan international told the Newcastle Herald his decision was made in the pre-season.
At that point he appeared on the outer, having been told by Knights coach Rick Stone he was likely to start the season in NSW Cup, behind first-choice centre pairing Dane Gagai and teenage Test star Sione Mata'utia.
"They told me there was a good chance of me not playing in round one, because of Sione coming through, and I said, 'If you think that, I'm going to look for another club. I deserve to play first grade'," Leilua said.
"So since round one I've been looking for another club."
He said it had been "disappointing" to find his position under scrutiny for the first time in his NRL career.
"Up until then I was happy," he said. "I was under Wayne [Bennett] before Stoney. I mean Stoney's a good coach, but I came here to be around Wayne, for him to teach me something new, because he's a great coach."
The heavyweight outside back, who played in the Roosters' 2010 grand final loss to St George Illawarra as an 18-year-old rookie, said he reached the realisation that he "needed a change" to realise his potential.
"I was going to go at the beginning of the year when they were thinking of not picking me for round one.
"That was the reason I asked my manager to search for another club who wanted me.
"Then they played me in round one, so I was pretty happy about that, but by then other clubs really wanted me."
He said nothing was finalised but it was "most likely" he would sign with Canberra, where his cousin, back-rower Sia Soliola, is based. He also has a relationship with Raiders coach Ricky Stuart, who selected him as a standby player for NSW in 2012.
"He chose me as 18th man for Origin, so he must see something in me," he said.
Having observed the Raiders at close quarters in last week's 44-22 loss at Hunter Stadium, he has no doubt they are a team on the rise.
"They definitely are," he said. "They've got a young side. Good team bonding, I think.
"There's no big names in there, but they seem to be playing well together."
If the opportunity arose for a mid-season switch, Leilua said he had already informed Knights officials he would be interested.
"It's not my decision," he said. "I've already put in an application to leave. That could be before June 30, or definitely at the end of the year.
"I'm not too sure about June 30. We'll see how we go, what the club wants from me.
"If they don't really want me, I should just leave."
All the indications from Newcastle's management and coach Stone have been that they need him for the entire season, in which case Leilua assured fans he would be fully committed.
"I go out there every game trying to give 100 per cent, even if I'm injured or sore," he said.
"I give 100 per cent, whatever team I play for. There's no doubting that ... I'm just going to do my job and hopefully the fans can remember me in a good way. I'm going to show them for the rest of the year that I've put my best foot forward for the team."
Leilua has been much maligned at times for his handling mistakes, but he said that was the flip side of trying to score and create tries.
With 30 tries in 54 games, he has scored more four-pointers for Newcastle over the past three years than any player except winger Akuila Uate (35 in 52).
"You're definitely going to make errors in games," he said. "I don't think there's one player that's never made an error.
"You try not to, but obviously there's a couple of errors in my game. I just try to make plays, and if you pull them off, you get praised, and if not, people criticise you.
"It's a fine line, but you've just got to do your job and try to win games."
As for his reputation for avoiding the media spotlight, Leilua indicated it was not necessarily at his own request.
"Sometimes it's my choice. Sometimes I don't feel too well," he said with a smile.
"When it comes to media, I don't mind. I don't shy away from it. But if I've got something on my mind, I don't really want to get in trouble for saying it. I speak my mind."
