Matt Lodge reportedly given $700,000 payout by Warriors despite quitting mid-season

Former Warriors prop Matt Lodge has reportedly been given a $700,000 payout by his former club despite jumping ship mid-season.

Matthew Lodge of the Warriors. Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

Former Warriors prop Matt Lodge has reportedly been given a $700,000 payout by his former NRL club despite jumping ship mid-season.

Last week, Lodge stunned the rugby league community by abruptly quitting the Warriors because he wasn’t willing to move his family to New Zealand.

The Warriors, who will return to New Zealand on a permanent basis next year, granted the 26-year-old forward an immediate release from his contract.

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But on Wednesday, The Daily Telegraph reported that Lodge will still be paid an estimated 90 per cent of what was owing on his contract.

According to the News Corp report, that $700,000 will be included in the Warriors’ salary cap for the remainder of this season and next year.

Speaking on Fox League’s NRL 360, veteran reporter Phil Rothfield revealed that Warriors chief executive Cameron George refused to answer questions about Lodge’s hefty payout.

“It still remains a $700,000 question mark,” he said on Wednesday afternoon.

“George won’t explain it to me … he’s hiding behind confidentiality clauses.

“There’s a lot of fans in New Zealand wanting to know why he got $700,000. It ruins their (salary) cap for the remainder of this year and next year.

“He has left the Warriors in desperate trouble.

”Those fans, those members, those sponsors deserve an explanation.”

The Daily Telegraph’s Paul Kent continued: “I think at the very least the Integrity Unit needs to look at it.

“Something has happened to make the Warriors feel obligated to release him and pay him out.”

“It does not make sense. And it appears that something has happened at the club rather than with Lodge.

“It looks like guilt money from the club and the Integrity Unit should be looking at it.”

Matthew Lodge of the Warriors. Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images

Earlier this week, Warriors coach Nathan Brown was asked why Lodge opted against playing out the season given the club is still based in Queensland.

“Lodgey said at the start of the year when we spoke to him that moving his family to New Zealand wasn’t something he wanted to do,” he responded.

“He decided to move on and he played some really good footy for us, he was really consistent this year, so we couldn’t complain about his performances and he’s moved on and we’ll move on too.

“Lodgey was more keen the other way, which is fine.

“You just move on, don’t you. You just wish him well and he came and wished all the boys well, he enjoyed playing with the boys.

“He built up some good relationships with a lot of the players so yeah that’s the way it is sometimes in sport. Everyone shakes hands and off you go.”

Lodge has since been replaced by former Origin prop Dunamis Lui, who signed on with the Warriors for the remainder of 2022.

On Tuesday, Lodge was spotted playing suburban rugby union in Brisbane just days after his release from the Warriors.

The Warriors will next face the Newcastle Knights at Redcliffe’s Moreton Daily Stadium on Saturday afternoon, with kick-off scheduled for 3pm AEST.