ColdWetPanther
Bench
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We can rebuild him; we have the technology.
(Apologies to those who are not of a certain vintage who will have no idea what I am talking about)
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If the cowboys want to pay this guy 700k a season they are mad.... We clearly got the better end of this deal picking up the Dally M 2nd rower of the year for 600k..NRL transfer news: Luciano Leilua quits Wests Tigers to join North Queensland Cowboys
Wests Tigers have been rocked as one of the club’s best players has asked for an immediate release to join an NRL rival.
Phil Rothfield and Sports Editor-at-large
2 min read
November 24, 2021 - 6:17PM
News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/s.../6a46aa5fd1005422d8114053e0ef02cf#share-tools
The Wests Tigers have suffered another massive recruitment blow, losing outstanding second-rower Luciano Leilua to the North Queensland Cowboys.
The giant edge forward has also asked for a release from the final year of his contract in 2022 to join the Cowboys in the new year.
Shattered Wests Tigers officials are planning to issue a press release on Thursday morning.
The Cowboys have used the money they saved after missing out on barnstorming Penrith Panthers forward Viliame Kikau to sign Leilua on a three-year deal.
The Daily Telegraph understands he will be paid $700,000 a season.
Whether Leilua is worth that much is debatable but the Cowboys officials were far more active to get the deal over the line.
It is known Leilua and his manager, Mario Tartak, have been disappointed with negotiations at the Wests Tigers for the last couple of months.
Little progress has been made since they began talks in August.
The signing of Isaah Papili'i from the Parramatta Eels last week on a three-year deal worth more than $600,000 a season was the catalyst for Leilua to look elsewhere.
He felt undervalued.
The Leilua camp insists coach Michael Maguire is not the problem despite the coach’s well publicised falling out with his brother Joey.
It has more to do with the fact Wests Tigers CEO Justin Pascoe has not once spoken to Tartak about the negotiations since August.
Wests Tigers director of football Tim Sheens claims he was unaware of the move until contacted by The Daily Telegraph on Wednesday evening.
“We knew the Cowboys were negotiating,” Sheens said. “It sounded like a damn good offer. They had money stashed away for Kikau.”
The signing is a huge boost for the Cowboys.
At his best Leilua isn’t a long way behind Kikau.
He was the Wests Tigers’ best forward and second only to Adam Doueihi as the club’s best player.
The Cowboys will officially announce his signing on Thursday.
I'm still wondering if we are about to pick up Thompson from the dogs, its no secret that their salary cap is top heavy with forwards and at the moment they cant afford to chase quality spine players. Add to this he has already been offered to us in the past and his close mate has just joined us.
He can go, if Papali’i comes over for 2022?
Hodgson was an upgrade two or three years ago. Liddle adds a dummy half kick to his game, and starts throwing a bad pass every third or fourth set, instead of one every set, he is better than Hodgson next season. Liddle isn’t far away
If we could pick him up I would have no problems letting him go early.. Unlikely though
Let him go, over rated anyway, shite defender, stats don’t really show it but that’s because when he is caught out he don’t get close enough to miss the tackle
I also don’t see him being the right fit culturally. The Tigers need players who are going to work hard and play for the coach. Hodgson seems more the person who would be successful coming into a more established side and pushing them over the last hump (ie Parra). The Tigers are a few seasons away from that at the moment unfortunately.
A line in the sand I think? Let see what Sheens is made of?
I'd like Smith but we are no chance of getting him. The word seems to be that he'll go to the titans but my gut feel says he'll be the Dolphins first signing. I think the Dolphins will absolutely throw the kitchen sink at him and Smith will be given an offer he can't refuse.
