Joey Leilua breaks Wests Tigers NRL biosecurity bubble

The Wests Tigers’ bid to end a nine-year finals drought has suffered a stunning blow.

Wests Tigers centre Joey Leilua has walked out on the NRL club

Fiery centre Joey Leilua has stunned the Wests Tigers by taking leave from the club just days before their must-win game against Canterbury on Sunday.

The Australian has learnt Leilua told officials on Wednesday he had to leave the bubble for family reasons.

He has since returned to be with his extended family in Canberra.

Kayo is your ticket to the 2020 NRL Telstra Premiership. Every game of every round Live & On-Demand with no-ad breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >

Joey Leilua (green singlet) was all smiles at training on Tuesday, next to his brother Luciano and teammates Benji Marshall and Russell Packer. Picture: Phil Hillyard

By doing so, he has broken the game’s biosecurity protocols, which means he will be sidelined for at least 14 days if he returns to the bubble.

However, it is unclear if Leilua plans on returning this year.

The Tigers have informed the NRL of Leilua’s actions.

“Wests Tigers have today confirmed that centre Joey Leilua has returned to Canberra due to personal family reasons,” the Tigers said in a statement.

“Having voluntarily left the club’s bubble, Leilua will be placed in a temporary COVID hold as per NRL guidelines.

“Wests Tigers have informed the Project Apollo Group and will await further advice after consideration of all circumstances.”

He and his brother Luciano joined the Tigers in 2020 to play alongside each other in the NRL for the first time.

Joey Leilua has just returned from a four-match ban for this hit on Penrith’s Dylan Edwards.

While Luciano’s signing from St George Illawarra has been a resounding success, it has been mixed bag for his older brother, who joined the club after playing in last year’s grand final for Canberra.

The 28-year-old had only just returned in the Tigers’ last-start loss to Newcastle after serving a four-game suspension for a shocking hit on Penrith’s Dylan Edwards.

He had been named to start at centre against the last-placed Bulldogs this weekend.

The 10th-placed Tigers are four points outside of the top eight and face an uphill battle to end a nine-year finals drought.

If Leilua remains with the Tigers beyond this season, they will have just $300,000 to spend next year should the club fail in a bid to offload one of four highly paid players that are in the firing line.

The Daily Telegraph