Newcastle chase Tahu
By David Riccio | July 05, 2009 12:00am
RUGBY Union could lose its last big-name NRL recruit, with the Newcastle Knights plotting a plan to bring Timana Tahu back home.
In the same week Lote Tuqiri was sacked by the ARU, The Sunday Telegraph can reveal a 10-year friendship could bring Tahu back into the fold.
Knights chief executive Steve Burraston is tempted to lure Tahu back to the club where he made his debut in 1999.
A former Newcastle lower-grade coach, Burraston mentored Tahu through his junior years. The pair, along with Knights coach Brian Smith, who coached Tahu at Parramatta in 2005, maintain close ties.
It's understood Tahu, who owns property in the Hunter region, have spoken to Burraston and Smith about finishing his career at the Knights.
Tahu regularly commutes to the Hunter, and the parents of his wife, Kasey, also live in Newcastle. Burraston didn't deny the club's interest in the dual international, describing Tahu as "a natural fit''. I know him well, I was coaching when he first came to the club,'' Burraston said.
"I know at Parramatta he enjoyed playing with Brian there and he remains friends with him. So there's a natural fit with our club, no question. He's a nice bloke and a talented footballer, so if there was a possibility to fit him under our cap it would be of interest, but at this stage we've done nothing official.''
Asked if he could rule out Tahu playing for the Knights next season, Burraston replied: "No.''
In April, Tahu ridiculed suggestions he had made an approach to join the Roosters. But despite repeated denials, suggestions that Tahu is disillusioned with rugby union won't go away. His possible return to rugby league would continue rugby's failed gamble with big-name league signings. Tuqiri's departure meant the ARU had spent $15million on the former Broncos winger, Mat Rogers and Wendell Sailor only to see them leave. Rogers and Sailor have both successfully returned to the NRL.
Tahu has a year to run on his $400,000-a-season contract with the ARU and Waratahs. Considered the most exciting attacking weapon in the game during his final year with the Eels in 2007, Tahu has failed to fire since making the switch to rugby union.
However, he was this week named in the Wallabies' Tri Nations squad. Burraston said he was in no doubt that Tahu's brilliance has been stifled since switching to the rival code. "It's hard to comment on, but I think he certainly received more football during a game and more opportunity to play football when he was in rugby league,'' Burraston said.
"My personal opinion is that he's being wasted in rugby. We (Burraston and Smith) have spoken at times about, 'Geez, wouldn't you like to have T, he's being wasted'.''
Burraston suggested the Knights' biggest hurdle was finding room for Tahu under the salary cap. "We've signed a lot of guys so far, so someone like Tahu would be a fair sum of money,'' Burraston said. "It would come down to whether we could fit him in and right now, I'm not sure if we can do that.''
