NRL 2022: Disgruntled Joey Leilua thrown rugby league lifeline with Featherstone Rovers
Joey Leilua has an offer on the table after the Wests Tigers opted against activating the final year of his $850,000 deal.
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English club Featherstone Rovers have identified Joey Leilua as the man to help the side earn promotion into the Super League.
The Wests Tigers opted against activating the final year of Leilua’s deal, said to be worth around $850,000, leaving the centre without an NRL club for season 2022.
But Leilua now has at least one option for next year with Championship side the Rovers offering the 29-year-old a one-year deal.
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The Rovers have been on the cusp of Super League promotion for the last few years and have fallen on the final hurdle.
Last month, French side Toulouse defeated the Rovers in the Million Pound Game to earn a spot in the 2022 Super League season.
The club believes Leilua could be the difference in helping the outfit realise its Super League dream.
But before putting ink to paper on the Rovers deal, Leilua will make his professional boxing debut against former NRL star Chris Heighington on December 10 on the Paul Gallen vs Josh Aloiai undercard in Newcastle.
While Leilua hasn’t given up on playing in the NRL, the polarsing back is prepared to resurrect his rugby league career in England.
“I want to play in the NRL,” Leilua said last week.
“If it’s not NRL, it may be league overseas, and if it’s not overseas it may be this (boxing).
“Once I get something locked in I’ll be 100 per cent focused.
“That’s what I’m doing right now with boxing, I’m focused.
“I haven’t listened to any offers (from NRL clubs) at the moment, I’m making sure I’m focused on this fight.
“I was ready to go overseas, then my mate texted me saying ‘Do you want to fight?’
Leilua ramps up attack on Maguire
— Jamie Pandaram
Outcast Joseph Leilua says the Wests Tigers sabotaged his future prospects in the NRL by stringing him along for the 2021 season before announcing they would not activate the final year of his contract at late notice.
Leilua faces an uncertain future, and laid the blame squarely with Tigers coach Michael Maguire.
“He didn’t contact me, no one contacted me, it was just left how it was,” Leilua said.
“I found it I wasn’t going to be there via the media, they said they weren’t going keep me, they could have told me earlier.
“If they told me earlier in the year I would have looked for another club.
“I was dudded, I would’ve explored my options.
“When they went up to Queensland, there was word going around about me being a bad person. It didn’t come from the club, it came from a certain person, so it was disappointing.
“It was disappointing how everything got handled there.”
Maguire could not be reached for comment.
Leilua, 29, believes the contract extension, worth $850,000 next year, was not taken up after he confronted Maguire over several issues during the tumultuous season.
“There were things going on at the club that were wrong and I spoke up, that’s just how I am,” Leilua said.
“Other guys were probably scared to lose their positions, but I always spoke up when I was at Canberra and I did the same at the Tigers.”
Leilua is now making his professional boxing debut against Tigers legend Chris Heighington on the Paul Gallen vs Josh Aloiai undercard in Newcastle on December 10, but will use the bout as a platform to gain interest from NRL clubs to reignite his football career.
“I want to play in the NRL,” Leilua said.
“If it’s not NRL, it may be league overseas, and if it’s not overseas it may be this (boxing).
“Once I get something locked in I’ll be 100 per cent focused.
“That’s what I’m doing right now with boxing, I’m focused.
“I haven’t listened to any offers (from NRL clubs) at the moment, I’m making sure I’m focused on this fight.
“I was ready to go overseas, then my mate texted me saying ‘Do you want to fight?’
“I am ready to show everyone what I’m capable of.
“After the fight is done, I’ll explore my options.
“There will be stuff going on now towards that, but I’ll leave it until after the fight to announce what I’m doing.
“I want to get out when we fight and show people I’m in shape, ready to go, and punch the shit out of somebody, legally.”
Heighington, 38, is confident of outboxing Leilua over four two-minute rounds, but the younger man replied: “I hope he brings his chin, because he’s going to need it”.
But Leilua wants to change the perception he is a dirty footy player.“
“The person I am on the field, I am an aggressive player, I go out there to win, I don’t make friends,” Leilua said.
“Even if it was my brother on the other side of the field, I’d try to break him.
“That’s the way I am, my best mate, Tim Lafai, knows that, I used to try to break him every time. Even the players that played with me before, and they’ve gone to another team, I try to hurt them.
“It’s just the way I am, if you’re not in my team to win, you’re going to get hurt. I expect nothing less than them towards me, there’s no friends on the field.
“Once it’s done, we can have a beer and a laugh over what we did wrong and enjoy our time.”
The two-time Dally M centre of the year also opened up on his tough upbringing when giving perspective on his current situation.
“It’s a challenge to prove people wrong, because I’m grateful for what I’ve got now - as a little kid I had nothing, my mum and dad gave me everything they could,” Leilua said.
“But the things I have now, I think my kids are spoiled, because I never had that when I was little.
“I am grateful for what I have right now, a house. We didn’t have a house, we were renting, and it wasn’t even a house, it was two bedrooms for seven kids.
“So right now I have a big house for my kids, I’m happy where I am, I’ve survived, I made it out of that. I don’t have to worry if food is going to come.”
Mr Sheens arrives to clean up Tigertown mess
- Dean Ritchie
Tim Sheens has finally arrived to confront his greatest challenge – lifting hapless Wests Tigers from the “s***house to the penthouse”, an unlikely accomplishment that would prove “miraculous.”
And the former Wests Tigers halfback that Sheens mentored to a premiership and Test honours, Scott Prince, has strongly urged the widely-speculated Luke Brooks to remain at Concord.
News Corp secured these exclusive photographs of Sheens arriving at the club’s Concord headquarters on Monday morning to start his new role as Wests Tigers director of football.
Sheens was met at Concord by the club’s recently-returned recruitment manager, Warren McDonnell, before the pair shook hands with club chairman Lee Hagipantelis and high performance coach, Ron Palmer.
The club’s former premiership-winning coach later held meetings with key staff including current head coach Michael Maguire.
Wearing a blue polo shirt and black cap while carrying a black bag, Sheens formally started his new job at 9.15am having arrived back in Australia from England at 7pm on Sunday.
And Sheens’ first task will be to sort through – and sort out – the constant and destabilising speculation suggesting Brooks will walk out on the club two years early to join Newcastle as a replacement for French-bound Mitchell Pearce.
“I welcome Tim’s input every day of the week – and twice on Sundays. He loves a challenge and this is probably his greatest challenge – trying to get us from the s***ouse to the penthouse,” said Tigers legend Ben Elias.
“What a legacy he could leave this great game - turning around this great club yet again. That would be miraculous.”
Wests Tigers’ rookies and trialists trained at Goddard Park, Concord, at 11.30am on Monday.
Brooks remains on holiday, although his future was heavily discussed on Monday. Despite sustained rumours, Wests Tigers powerbrokers continue to state their halfback will not be leaving for the Knights.
Prince helped Wests Tigers win the 2005 premiership under Sheens, the same year he toured with the Kangaroos, and he has some sage advice for Brooks.
“Luke has the opportunity to rub shoulders with Tim and learn under him – you don’t want to pass that up. It’s rare in your career that you get that chance,” Prince said.
“’Brooksy’ is still young enough to do some really awesome things and adapt and learn off Tim.
“I’m not undermining what ‘Madge’ can do but, certainly with Tim, he has coached some of the best halves, Ricky Stuart and Laurie Daley. Tim played a massive role in my development. He breaks the game down to its simplest form.
“Can Luke handle Origin, right now, I don’t think he’s in the right head space. Does he have the potential? Yes, he does. I believe he is capable. To give Luke some positive messaging, if Nathan Cleary falls, be the next player to put your hand up. Don’t be third or fourth preference, you want to be second. Keep on pressuring Nathan, be ready in the wings.
“Luke has to play well, get his team in the finals and be consistent. Under Tim and Madge, he’s got the best coaching and guidance.”
Elias also stepped forward to demand the club retain Brooks.
“I rank Brooks in the top four halfbacks in the game. He’s in the elite category. He’s not going anywhere – if he goes somewhere else then we’re in all sorts of strife. He is a one club man,” Elias said.
“I love the kid – give him a go. If they let him go, it would be the greatest injustice to our fans. We’re here to encourage rather than discourage.
“Brooks is a local junior and we have let go of too many good local kids. He is born and bred and is a Tigers man through and through. I know Tim can help Luke become a very, very good player. Tim Sheens got the best out of Scott Prince.
“If you get rid of Luke then you have to go out and get someone better and I can assure you there isn’t a better number seven out there who is available. Why on earth would you want to get rid of him? Brooks has all the qualities of a great player.
“We can’t let him go. He always seems to be the one who gets blamed when we are beaten. He has been pulverised on social media when things aren’t going well. That’s not the Tigers I know, the Tigers I know stuck together through thick and thin.”
Speaking about Brooks on the Big Sports Breakfast radio show, Wests Tigers recruit Jackson Hastings said: “I’d love to shake his (Brooks) hand, put my arm around him and have a giggle and let him know that I am here to help.”
The drama surrounding Brooks came on the same day Wests Tigers unveiled their British star, former Wigan and Salford centre, Oliver Gildart.
And former Wests Tigers centre Joey Leilua took another crack at Maguire, telling foxsports.com.au: “I am a person where I’ve come to clubs and you speak up when something is wrong – and there were plenty of things going wrong at that club.”
$10k a week: Pearce’s salary sacrifice to escape Knights
— Paul Crawley
Mitchell Pearce will be roughly $10,000 out of pocket every week his contract stalemate with Newcastle Knights drags on.
It can be revealed that Pearce has agreed to sacrifice his ongoing salary as the club tries to come to a suitable arrangement to the terms of his release so he can join French Super League club Catalans on a lucrative three-year deal.
All NRL contracts for the 2022 season kick off of as of November 1 and so as the days tick over the cost mounts for Pearce.
This comes as it has also emerged that young Sydney Roosters playmaker Lachlan Lam’s name has been thrown up as a potential player trade option to head to the Wests Tigers so Luke Brooks could in turn move to Newcastle.
It is understood the Roosters have been discreetly looking at options for Lam who will struggle to make Trent Robinson’s top squad next year given Luke Keary’s return from injury to partner young Sam Walker.
Throw in the fact Connor Watson is also returning to Bondi from Newcastle as the obvious bench utility.
Lam still has a contract with the Roosters for 2022 and his management is adamant he has not spoken with the Tigers and is keen to stay at Bondi.
His name is also being linked to Canberra and potentially Parramatta with all clubs keeping their options open depending on what changes happen on the player market.
But this latest twist will make for an interesting arrival for new Tigers head of football Tim Sheens when he officially puts his feet under the desk for his first day on the job on Monday.
Sheens was due to arrive back from England on Sunday but has been adamant in recent weeks that Brooks won’t be going anywhere next year.
This is despite the fact that new Newcastle coaching consultant Andrew Johns came out publicly on the weekend and expressed his desire to work with Brooks, declaring “he looks like he needs a change, and getting out of Sydney would be good for him”.
Tigers chairman Lee Hagipantelis could not be reached for comment to see what he thought of Johns publicly tempting Brooks who still has two years to run on his existing deal.
But what it also does is highlight that despite all the denials the Knights are still genuinely keen on getting Brooks for next season.
It is also interesting that Brooks has the same management company as Canberra hooker Josh Hodgson, who the Tigers are in negotiations with.
It is understood the Tigers put Hodgson through a physical last week but at this stage there is just too big a gap between what the Tigers are prepared to pay Hodgson and what the Raiders will fork out to get the deal over the line.
Meanwhile, every day that passes is costing Pearce through a salary sacrifice agreement that was made in good faith so the two parties can work on a resolution.
Pearce is said to be genuinely apologetic that he has left the Knights in the position he has but he knows within himself that he has lost his appetite for the NRL and he needs a change, just as Johns says Brooks does.
The issue for the Knights is that if they don’t get Brooks they might be forced to go into the preseason with youngsters Adam Clune and Phoenix Crossland fighting it out to be Jake Clifford’s halves partner.
For all the criticism he cops, the fact remains that at his best Pearce still rates among the very best halfbacks in the game.
And his exit will almost certainly cost the Knights any hope of being a serious premiership contender unless they can come up with a suitable and experienced replacement.
Corey Norman’s name was tossed up as an option but it appears the Knights are wary of Norman’s past and have no desire to move on that.
Scott Drinkwater is another player the Knights would love to have but the Cowboys won’t be releasing him.
Clubs circle sacked Raider for NRL lifeline
— Michael Carayannis
Parramatta are considering handing Curtis Scott a lifeline next season.
The Eels, South Sydney and North Queensland have discussed signing Scott but it is Parramatta who has emerged a shock contender in recent days.
The Tigers also considered handing the premiership winner another crack at the NRL.
Scott, 24, has not played since May after being stood down by the Raiders. He was sacked by Canberra in August after a nightclub incident.
Scott was also fined $15,000 by the NRL after being charged with assault. Scott case will be mentioned in court on Monday.
His contract will need to be approved by the NRL.
Scott has been working at his brother’s landscaping business as he waited for an opportunity to resurrect his career.
“I’ve been to the lowest of the lows,” Scott said in August. “You can’t get any lower. It was as dark as it gets.
“I’d had enough of feeling shit,” he said. “I probably haven’t been happy for five years.”
Scott could compete with youngster Will Penisini and Waqa Blake for a starting centre spot if he joins the Eels.
He burst onto the scene winning a premiership in his first full season of first grade with the Storm in 2017 and was touted as a NSW player in waiting.
Veteran hooker Mitch Rein is Parramatta’s only addition to their squad after the off-season departures of Blake Ferguson, Will Smith, Michael Oldfield and Joey Lussick.
The Eels have dominated headlines in recent days as they deal with a number of high profile contract meditations. The Eels are locked in discussions with skipper Clint Gutherson, Reed Mahoney, Junior Paulo, Isaiah Papali‘I and Marata Niukore off-contract at the end of next season.
The Eels locked down prop Reagan Campbell-Gillard until 2025 on Friday.
Meanwhile, premiers Penrith have signed Sean O’Sullivan to a one year deal. O’Sullivan has had stints with the Broncos and Roosters. He was part of Penrith’s 2016 premiership winning SG Ball side where he captained the likes of Brian To’o and Mitch Kenny.
’Slow moving’ Eels fire back at critics
—Brent Read, David Riccio
Parramatta have hit back at claims their handling of player negotiations, have been ham-fisted and they have their first major re-signing to back it up – prop Reagan Campbell-Gillard.
No club attracted more attention in the lead-up to November 1 and few have attracted as much attention since given the Eels are yet to announce any player signings of significance.
Aside from Campbell-Gillard, the only signing news out of the Eels has been on the coaching front after the club on Friday confirmed former St George Illawarra mentor Paul McGregor and ex-Canterbury hooker Michael Ennis had joined their staff.
At least frustrated Parramatta fans finally have something to crow about. The club has been moving at glacial pace when it comes to retaining more than $4 million of talent that went on the open market on November 1, headlined by captain Clint Gutherson, NSW star Junior Paulo and hooker Reed Mahoney.
More than three months ago, News Corp wrote of the impending contract crunch at the Eels. Since then, the club has dragged their heels amid claims of indecisiveness and thriftiness. Their only major signing prior to Campbell-Gillard was Nathan Brown, a decision that may end up costing them Marata Niukore or Isaiah Papali’i.
While Parramatta have seemingly been gridlocked, Mahoney has already spoken to rival clubs, Paulo has spoken about leaving for more money elsewhere and Niukore has been feted by the Warriors and St George Illawarra.
Remarkably, more than half their starting side is off contract in under 12 months and three-quarters of their spine has the ability to speak to rival clubs.
It has left the club to open to attack over their roster management and heaped pressure on head of football Mark O’Neill, who club officials insist retains their full support.
The Eels are under siege but they hit back on Friday at suggestions their retention was in disarray, claiming they would move at their own pace rather than operate by any timelines placed on them by external sources.
They backed it up by securing the retention of Campbell-Gillard until the end of 2025 only a matter of weeks after he publicly danced with The Dolphins.
“The second Brisbane team was an option but at the end of the day Reagan realised it would be hard to leave,” Campbell-Gillard’s manager Mark Stewart said.
“He wants to finish what they have started at Parra.
“He is extremely happy his future is sorted for the next four years and Reagan believes they have the team to challenge for the premiership.
“When Parra came back to us with a new deal, it offered good security for Reagan, so there was no need to go to the open market.”
“Over recent weeks there has been media speculation in relation to certain players at our club who are off contract at the end of 2022,” the club said in a statement to members.
“The media has a job to do in reporting player movements which we respect as we understand the public interest in our players.
“Over the last six months, we have regularly engaged with all our players and their managers in a private and productive manner, balancing the club’s intent to ensure players are paid fairly and their value is appropriately recognised, while ensuring we are assembling our strongest possible roster year on year.
“Our approach is not to engage publicly in speculation regarding player negotiations. It is disrespectful to the players involved, is unhelpful in building a team that is set up for success, and most importantly, goes against how we aim to operate as a club.
“To date, our discussions with players and their managers have been robust, professional and constructive. These discussions are ongoing and we look forward to updating you shortly with some exciting news on our roster for 2022, 2023 and beyond.”
It is understood the issue in talks with Gutherson is over the length of any deal as opposed to the size of his proposed pay packet. Mahoney’s management have spoken to clubs in southeast Queensland as well as Canterbury, but his asking price is unlikely to be met by The Dolphins or the Broncos.
Eels officials are confident over Paulo. Niukore and Papali’i appear the most vulnerable with the Warriors and the Wests Tigers hovering with intent.
As the player talks rumble on, the Eels on Friday announced that McGregor and Ennis had joined the coaching staff under Brad Arthur.
McGregor hasn’t coached since departing the Dragons, having been replaced by Anthony Griffin. He recently joined Brad Fittler’s coaching staff with the NSW side.
Ennis has more recently been involved on the coaching staff at Canberra, where he worked alongside Ricky Stuart. He is likely to work closely with Mahoney in his new role, having decided to accept the Eels offer because it would reduce his travel time and allow him to spend more time with his family.
Originally published as NRL 2022: Disgruntled Joey Leilua thrown rugby league lifeline with Featherstone Rovers
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