Cowboy James Tamou’s future unclear as he prepares to rip into the Kiwis on Friday
IS he staying or going? Ahead of Friday night’s Test against New Zealand Australian prop James Tamou opens up about a possible move to the Raiders.
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WHEN the mother of James Tamou’s children recently flew to Canberra without a return ticket, the Kangaroos prop knew it was time to have a conversation with his Cowboys coach.
“The last time was a bit scary because she only bought a one-way ticket to Canberra and I thought jeez, I hope she comes back,” Tamou said.
Tamou has spoken publicly about his potential move to the Canberra Raiders for the first time, explaining to League Central the sensitive family issues that made him informally ask the Cowboys if a release was possible.
His manager Sam Ayoub has had informal negotiations with the Raiders to see if the rep star can join them next season.
Tamou hates the thought of being considered a back flipper and labelled as a typical Gen Y product who doesn’t know the meaning of a handshake.
A 195cm, 114kg behemoth, Tamou has such a gentle demeanour that when he told Cowboys coach Paul Green about his family’s struggles in Townsville there were no requests or demands just suggestions he may need to leave.
When rumours first circulated in March that Tamou wanted out, he denied them emphatically.
The response from Cowboys fans at the time was apathy.
Until this month, Tamou’s form had been inconsistent and some questioned if he would ever return to his tackle-shredding best which propelled him to a maiden Blues jersey in 2012.
That year, Tamou busted 86 tackles in 24 games and averaged 159 metres.
Last season, Tamou managed just 25 tackle busts from 21 games.
He had a poor opening three games this season, including two bad missed tackles that led to tries in the Cowboys loss to the Broncos.
As his form waned few people knew his future in the game was in question late last year following spinal surgery that shaved bone off his vertebrae to help a nerve problem.
It also shed eight kilograms of muscle from his body as he struggled to even lift a weight bar. Since that loss to Brisbane, the Cowboys have won five games in a row and Tamou was man of the match in their victory over Newcastle last weekend.
He will start for the Kangaroos in Friday night’s Anzac Test at Suncorp Stadium with his partner Brittney McGlone due to give birth to their second child any day.
Off contract at the end of 2016, Tamou is unsure which jersey he will wear next year.
The Cowboys are sympathetic to Tamou’s family issues but they have built their 2016 roster with Tamou’s salary, around $500,000 per year, included. If the Cowboys tell Tamou they can’t release him he is prepared to do what it takes to make the situation work.
“I would love to stay in Townsville and I think when I retire I will live in Townsville,” he said.
“Everything with this is for family reasons mate.
“It is unfortunate the whole situation. My partner is from Canberra and her family is there.
“Having two kids is very hard and she is missing home.
“She has been home three times this year already.
“Being a mum can be a bit frightening. She wants that support around her.
“I have just taken a back seat with it all at the moment and tried to concentrate on footy.”
As fans and media questioned his future as an NRL player, few knew just how shattered his body was following spinal surgery.
He couldn’t lift weights and even now his body is far removed from the hulking frame it was pre-operation.
Not only could his body not handle the weight, the idea of putting a metal bar across his neck to do squats was frightening.
“Getting the bar across the back of my neck still hurts.
“Everything in the weight room made me nervous; especially putting the bar on the back of my neck … it was actually scary.
“My bench still isn’t great. I am doing 140 max and that’s not great compared to the guys in the team.
“In pre-season all I was doing was rubber band tubing. I was doing no weights.
“I had to start from the bare minimum I had to start all over again. Everything was rubber bands.
“That’s what broke me down … my Cowboys teammates had finished a pre-season and were fit and strong and here I was coming back from surgery the opposite.”
On Friday night, the Kangaroos need Tamou at his best.
The Kiwis have won back to back Tests. Australia are still without key backline stars in the Morris brothers and Jarryd Hayne.
Tamou said he was treating this Test as if it would be his last.
“This could be my last game for Australia. You never know when your last game could be,”
“Just to be here is unreal.”
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