Scorned NRL star Joey Leilua given desperate offer
A former NRL star has popped up with a left-field job offer after outcast Tigers star Joey Leilua received a contract slap in the face.
NRL
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Scorned Wests Tigers player Joey Leilua has received a job offer from former NRL star Joel Thompson after news of his contract slap in the face emerged this week.
The star centre has endured a staggering fall from grace at the Tigers with coach Michael Maguire dumping him to reserve grade in 2021.
Desperate to keep his career alive, Leilua even attempted to reinvent himself as a prop forward at the end of the season, having been informed the club would not activate the final year of his playing contract for the 2022 season.
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The Daily Telegraph first reported Leilua’s contract was worth around $850,000 per-year.
The report indicated Leilua has instead been offered a train and trial contract with the club, worth $1000 per-week.
Leilua is reported to have knocked back the offer and is exploring options of playing rugby in America or holding out hope of receiving a contract offer from the Super League.
As it stands, he will be unemployed from November 1.
The 29-year-old has now received a much-better offer from Joel Thompson, who retired earlier this year.
The former Dragons, Manly and Raiders player emerged as one of the most respected players in the game in recent years for the work he has done in the community.
Now Thompson has offered to help Leilua get back on his feet with a career switch into the transport industry.
“Any NRL players without contracts like Joey and want to earn a decent wage, get in contact with me,” Thompson posted on Twitter.
“I’ll get you trained up and working on the tracks. The average rail salary in Australia is $122,500 per year. (Also this offer is for anyone).”
Thompson’s post included a link to a rail construction and maintenance company.
Leilua’s train and trial offer from the Tigers is the same contract offer former Gold Coast star Ash Taylor accepted with the Warriors earlier this month.
Taylor signed the $1000 per-week deal to move to New Zealand after his reported $1 million per-season deal with the Titans expired.
Leilua earlier this year trimmed down 10kg before the opening round of the season as a result of the increased speed of the game under the recent rule interpretation rules.
However, he ended the season trying to put on kilos to play as a forward.
An outstanding ball-player at his best, Leilua is a two-time Dally M centre of the year and played in the 2010 and 2019 NRL grand finals with the Roosters and Raiders respectively.
His manager Paul Sutton said last month Leilua’s attempt to sell himself as a forward had resulted in interest from two rival clubs.
That interest appears to have disappeared.
Originally published as Scorned NRL star Joey Leilua given desperate offer
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