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The Sharks have announced that they have withdrawn their interest in regards to attempting to sign Rugby Union international Lote Tuqiri.
The Sharks have been active in discussions with Tuqiri and his business manager Les Ross for some time, however due to ongoing complications involving the ARU negotiations, the Sharks decided they were no longer willing to participate in the bidding process.
The Sharks have announced that they have withdrawn their interest in regards to attempting to sign Rugby Union international Lote Tuqiri.
The Sharks have been active in discussions with Tuqiri and his business manager Les Ross for some time, however due to ongoing complications involving the ARU negotiations, the Sharks decided they were no longer willing to participate in the bidding process.
“Respectfully, we explained to Les Ross that we would withdraw from the race,” Sharks CEO Greg Pierce said. “We were getting a clear message that Lote is still very interested in remaining in rugby union and we are not in a position to compete with them financially.
“All the negotiations were professionally handled by Les and Lote, but we have reached a stage where we need to move on. We have other players Ricky (Stuart) is keen to re-sign, plus the season is about to begin so our energies would be better placed elsewhere.”
Tuqiri is currently playing for the NSW Waratahs in the Super 14 Rugby Union competition and is a dual international, having previously played for the Kangaroos in rugby league before making the switch to rugby union.
Interest in securing her services has come from the Waratahs and the Queensland Reds, and in rugby league, from the South Sydney Club. This week he was offered a base salary of $2.7 million over four years by the Australian Rugby Union.
The Sharks interest in Tuqiri was genuine, however the money being offered by rugby, with financial and salary cap restraints, made it almost impossible for them to match the offers being tabled.
Stuart and Pierce will now begin negotiations with a number of the talented young Sharks players in the hope of tying them to the Sharks for the next few years.
On Wednesday Paul Gallen signed a four-year deal to remain at the Sharks, for an amount said to be less than what was offered at a rival club.
source: http://www.sharks.com.au/index.php?id=48&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=404&tx_ttnews[backPid]=2&cHash=bf1589451b
Apart from Dykes, Kimmorley, Williams and Simmons who else is off contract. Loo Loo I think from memory, anyone else?
Also this should give us someone decent money to go after someone else, O'Meley?