Marty Taupau signs four-year Sea Eagles deal from 2016

THE Sea Eagles were forced to announce Marty Taupau’s four-year deal after an email stuff-up revealed he had been released by the Tigers to join Manly.

Tigers vs Roosters

THE day began with a UK lawyer ­accidentally emailing Marty Taupau’s confidential new contract with Manly to the wrong person.

Instead of going to Sea Eagles chief executive Joe Kelly, it went from a solicitor’s office in Hull, in the north of England, to another Joe Kelly’s Gmail account in Canada and quickly found its way onto social media.

It forced Manly to make an announcement before the club wanted that the blockbusting Wests Tigers forward had signed a four-year contract to start at Brookvale next year.

It also caught the Wests Tigers off guard because their officials hadn’t yet broken the news to disappointed members that their No. 1 impact forward had been granted a release.

It was supposed to be kept quiet until after the Kiwis’ tour of the UK.

Anyone cover the New Zealand rugby league and want the contract of a player called Martin Taupau that was just emailed to me by accident?

— J. Kelly Nestruck (@nestruck) October 29, 2015

Already reeling from the fallout over telling skipper Robbie Farah he was free to go, Wests Tigers fans immediately took to social media to express their disapproval.

Coach Jason Taylor told The Saturday Telegraph he made the decision to take pressure off the club’s salary cap.

“We made Marty an offer earlier in the year for 2017 which we believe was a competitive offer,” Taylor said,

“He knocked it back and he’s since fielded some really good offers.

“Once the club knew Marty wasn’t going to be here for 2017, it became a situation where we could put ourselves in a better position with the salary cap if we made a tough decision and let him go.

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Tigers Martin Taupau will join Manly on a four-year deal. Picture Gregg Porteous

“It gives us a much better chance of keeping our best young players, including the halves (Luke Brooks and Mitchell Moses) who are off contract next year.

“We could have kept Marty for one more year but we risk losing some of our best young forwards.”

Taupau, who joined the Tigers in 2014 after four seasons and just 21 NRL games at Canterbury, explained from England why he jumped ship.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for me to play in a strong team alongside some of the game’s biggest names in Jamie Lyon, Brett Stewart, Daly Cherry-Evans, Peta Hiku and Steve Matai,’’ 25-year-old Taupau said.

“The Sea Eagles have recruited well for next season and to have the opportunity to play with Australian and Queensland prop Nate Myles, and fellow Kiwi international Lewis Brown, was an added bonus in securing my future with Manly.

“It is a fresh beginning at the Sea Eagles under new coach Trent Barrett and I’m really looking forward to playing under him.

“The Sea Eagles are one of the most successful clubs in the history of rugby league and I want to be a big part in getting them back into the finals next season as they celebrate their 70th anniversary.”

Taupau’s signing at the Sea Eagles gives Barrett the firepower in the forwards that had been missing since Anthony Watmough and Glenn Stewart left the club.

The NSW TAB reacted to the news by shortening Manly’s premiership odds from $15 in to $11.

At the same time the Wests Tigers have drifted from $41 to $51.

The biggest mover is the South Sydney Rabbitohs who have firmed from $21 to $11 after speculation that champion forward Sam Burgess is set to return.

Originally published as Marty Taupau signs four-year Sea Eagles deal from 2016