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Samoa prop Mose Masoe is keen to return to the NRL - but not before he completes a two-year deal with St Helens next season.
Masoe, who helped Saints to grand final success in his first year of Super League following stints with Sydney Roosters and Penrith, has been linked with a move to St George Illawarra or Manly after his powerhouse performances in Samoa's opening Four Nations matches against England and New Zealand.
With quality props seemingly in short supply in the NRL, demand for Masoe would sky rocket if he was able to help Samoa to an upset win over Australia at WIN Stadium on Sunday but the 25-year-old, who stands at 195cm tall and weighs more than 120kg, insisted he would play out his contact with St Helens, whose coaching staff is set to be bolstered by the appointment of the Samoan team's assistant coach Sean Long. "I think there was a couple of rumours that I was going to come back home but I have got one more year with St Helens and I am committed to the club," Masoe said after training with the Samoa side at Kiama Showground on Wednesday.
"I signed a two-year contract and I don't want to get out of it so I am going to spend my last year over there and see how we go again. I always want to come back home because of family and the NRL but being over there now I have had a lot of fun with the new team, travelling and seeing the world."
After missing a team camp in Samoa because he was preparing for the Super League grand final, Masoe has been playing off the interchange bench in the Four Nations but he made a real impact in the 32-26 loss to England and last Saturday night's controversial 14-12 defeat by New Zealand. Masoe played 28 minutes against England and managed five tackle breaks as well as an offload and a line break assist in his seven touches of the ball, which included six runs that yielded 69 metres. He also made 13 tackles. Against the Kiwis, he played 27 minutes and made one tackle break from his four touches of possession, which included three runs for 38 metres, and 15 tackles.
"I think the boys have a belief in our team that we can beat any team but it is going to be a massive task this weekend against the world champions," Masoe said. "We've just got to play the way that we play and concentrate on ourselves. Hopefully if we play well enough we can beat them."
He and Wakefield utility Pita Godinet are the only two members of the Toa Samoa squad who play in Super League and Masoe said most of the players had benefited from last year's World Cup. "We had a good vibe in the World Cup and I think the core of our team is still there so it has been the same here," Masoe said. "We have had one or maybe two years together so we have been able to build on those combinations in our side and everyone kind of knows how everyone plays so that has made it easier coming into the Four Nations but we have got some young faces in our side so that is kind of exciting too.
"There are some good players who missed out on our side too so it is for us to represent our country and to represent them too." After being squeezed out of the Roosters last year due to salary cap problems, Masoe said it was a relief to win the grand final for St Helens but he was still stunned by Wigan forward Ben Flower's vicious assault of Saints playmaker Lance Hohaia that resulted in him being sent off in just the second minute of the decider. "That was the first time I have ever seen something like that," he said. "I think it was just a bit of a brain snap for the guy. But we didn't have a proper half for the past six months and then when one of our halves came back one of the boys decided to punch him in the head so we pretty much played 78 minutes with no half. "It was still tough, they led at times and we had to come back to beat them.
I am still buzzing from that. I left the Roosters and they won a grand final, I was kind of gutted and then I left Penrith and they went pretty good this year so it was good to win one."
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...ck-after-st-helens-stint-20141105-11hdzr.html
So it looks like he won't be coming in 2015 and most likely not coming to us at all.
Masoe, who helped Saints to grand final success in his first year of Super League following stints with Sydney Roosters and Penrith, has been linked with a move to St George Illawarra or Manly after his powerhouse performances in Samoa's opening Four Nations matches against England and New Zealand.
With quality props seemingly in short supply in the NRL, demand for Masoe would sky rocket if he was able to help Samoa to an upset win over Australia at WIN Stadium on Sunday but the 25-year-old, who stands at 195cm tall and weighs more than 120kg, insisted he would play out his contact with St Helens, whose coaching staff is set to be bolstered by the appointment of the Samoan team's assistant coach Sean Long. "I think there was a couple of rumours that I was going to come back home but I have got one more year with St Helens and I am committed to the club," Masoe said after training with the Samoa side at Kiama Showground on Wednesday.
"I signed a two-year contract and I don't want to get out of it so I am going to spend my last year over there and see how we go again. I always want to come back home because of family and the NRL but being over there now I have had a lot of fun with the new team, travelling and seeing the world."
After missing a team camp in Samoa because he was preparing for the Super League grand final, Masoe has been playing off the interchange bench in the Four Nations but he made a real impact in the 32-26 loss to England and last Saturday night's controversial 14-12 defeat by New Zealand. Masoe played 28 minutes against England and managed five tackle breaks as well as an offload and a line break assist in his seven touches of the ball, which included six runs that yielded 69 metres. He also made 13 tackles. Against the Kiwis, he played 27 minutes and made one tackle break from his four touches of possession, which included three runs for 38 metres, and 15 tackles.
"I think the boys have a belief in our team that we can beat any team but it is going to be a massive task this weekend against the world champions," Masoe said. "We've just got to play the way that we play and concentrate on ourselves. Hopefully if we play well enough we can beat them."
He and Wakefield utility Pita Godinet are the only two members of the Toa Samoa squad who play in Super League and Masoe said most of the players had benefited from last year's World Cup. "We had a good vibe in the World Cup and I think the core of our team is still there so it has been the same here," Masoe said. "We have had one or maybe two years together so we have been able to build on those combinations in our side and everyone kind of knows how everyone plays so that has made it easier coming into the Four Nations but we have got some young faces in our side so that is kind of exciting too.
"There are some good players who missed out on our side too so it is for us to represent our country and to represent them too." After being squeezed out of the Roosters last year due to salary cap problems, Masoe said it was a relief to win the grand final for St Helens but he was still stunned by Wigan forward Ben Flower's vicious assault of Saints playmaker Lance Hohaia that resulted in him being sent off in just the second minute of the decider. "That was the first time I have ever seen something like that," he said. "I think it was just a bit of a brain snap for the guy. But we didn't have a proper half for the past six months and then when one of our halves came back one of the boys decided to punch him in the head so we pretty much played 78 minutes with no half. "It was still tough, they led at times and we had to come back to beat them.
I am still buzzing from that. I left the Roosters and they won a grand final, I was kind of gutted and then I left Penrith and they went pretty good this year so it was good to win one."
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...ck-after-st-helens-stint-20141105-11hdzr.html
So it looks like he won't be coming in 2015 and most likely not coming to us at all.
