David Nofoaluma #164

Snidest does not troll. He is the closest to the board we have on this forum.. Please direct all contractual agreements with him. We are fortunate enough to have an insider. On this forum. With all the facts.
 
I sort of feel sad that a guy like him with all the opportunity he had to create a great legacy at a club and finish his playing days in the NRL being remembered as a quality player (which sometimes he was) - somehow he has managed to ruin all of that. Seems so unfortunate and i really hope it isn’t the result of underlying mental health struggles or depression.
Best of luck to him in England. It could be a tough call for him in his current state of mind. Let’s hope a change of place will spur him on.
 
Camel2281 said:
The singling out and being told he wasn't going to play 1sts was Because of his poor attitude not the cause of it. Nofa came back to training too out of shape to perform his duties and was getting flogged in fitness and running drills by the props.

Also don't forget this is the same Nofa who got dropped by Madge and when playing reggies, barely got himself involved, got moved to fullback and walked all half and his media response to his reserve grade poor performance was that he was too good for reserve grade.

David Nofalouma is a cancer to a footy club and it's 💯 on David
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How does someone give up a$1M and cop $300K instead.? Suggests he knew he was in the wrong.
 
GNR4LIFE said:
My point wasn’t the technicalities of whether he was sacked or not. He’s out of his contract with us, pocketing around 300k, now has a contract in England. Most players who go to England don’t go over with a pay out from their former club.
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If "still contracted" - the UK club would have to take on the full contract duration and value - or the NRL club would have to payout any shortfall.

That clearly does not apply here.

Nofa no longer has any contract for 2025 - so we'll see how that works out for him...
 
Stevec said:
Come the end of this decade I bet no one is even close to his try scoring tally for the club
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“The last year or two, there were times where I struggled a bit, trying to pull things together in terms of playing. A lot of the Tigers fans still appreciate me and love me because they still remember all the good things I’ve done for them."

You are clearly one of them ^^^

The "end of this debacle" has come!

The debacle was Nofa's NRL career!

Loyalty is admirable - blind loyalty not so much!
 
That article was contradiction central, for someone who has no bad blood he seems to have a lot of bad blood. Even a massive swipe at Benji, "hey i got you back to the tigers" look at me look at me. Bloody muppet i won't miss him or his sub standard performances that we've all suffer through the last 2 or 3 yrs. No wonder Melb wanted nothing to do with him.
 
Stevec said:
Come the end of this decade I bet no one is even close to his try scoring tally for the club
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I doubt if the person has been born yet who will see someone score more tries for us than Nofo,not making excuses for his attitude over the last year or so i am just being honest.Balmain only ever had one person score 100 tries for the club and the Magpies had nobody and that was since their existence (almost 100 years each)
For all his faults he achieved a lot for our club
 
And why is mental illness a catch all get out of jail free card for shirking responsibilities?

The club has persisted with him for over a decade and watched him come through from juniors. Watched him develop into the player and person he is. Maybe they finally had enough? It's clear he's not happy here and his head and heart weren't in it. Bit rich for it to all come out now after his safety net was shot into the sun after the HBG review.
 
jadtiger said:
I doubt if the person has been born yet who will see someone score more tries for us than Nofo,not making excuses for his attitude over the last year or so i am just being honest.Balmain only ever had one person score 100 tries for the club and the Magpies had nobody and that was since their existence (almost 100 years each)
For all his faults he achieved a lot for our club
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For his record to be broken, it’s most likely going to be broken by someone who hasn’t even debuted yet. Said player has to debut, be good enough to play first grade for 10+ seasons, or if he’s really good, we have to be able to keep him that long, someone like Bula. There are a lot of variables.
 
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Doubled-up with the Tele!

This PR exercise has Lee's fingerprints all over it!

Trying to use the media to attack the club and appear as a sympathetic figure - instead this ill-judged crap has further justfied why he had to be terminated (just like Lee did in his post-termination interviews)!!


Fatima Kdouh: Well Nofa, you’ve just penned a new deal with Salford in the UK Super League for 2024, why did you make that call?

David Nofoaluma: I think it was a good move for me to get out of Sydney and also experience what it’s like overseas. I think there’s something exciting about it. I kind of got a taste of that when I left Sydney to go down to Melbourne of what it’s like to have a fresh start there. So I know what it’s like to go into a new environment. It’ll be life changing.

FK: Did you worry you would struggle to find a new home?

DN: I knew I had the ability. I knew for myself that my head wasn’t there at the Tigers. And with everything going on I couldn’t reach my potential and be motivated to be there.

They obviously didn’t want me there and I made it clear to them I didn’t want to be there.

So, it was best for both of us to part ways. I’ve done a lot for the club, a lot of achievements, I’m all-time highest try scorer at the club. I don’t want to harbour bad blood against that team. I had a lot of opportunities to go to other clubs every time I came off contract and I decided to stay. It might have been better for me to leave back then when I was younger. I understood that they (Tigers) struggling and I was performing. A few players left and I thought it’d be good for me to stay and without turns out, you know, it’s business. Unfortunately, for me I ended up in this position.

FK: Are you open to coming back to the NRL?

DN: I’m at the age (30) now that, you know, I’m open to everything. But at this present moment, all I’m focused on is going to Salford and putting my best foot forward for them. I’ve got a lot of experience, so I’m sure I can help them out in certain ways. I’m open to coming back or even staying in England if things work out.

FK: How did it come to this? Can you pinpoint a time where things really changed?

DN: I was in a similar position last year (2022), I was playing reserve grade for the Magpies and I still remember the phone call from Craig Bellamy. I got named to play for reserve grade in the same week got named to play NRL for the Storm when I did the loan deal. Everyone could see how I played down there. I enjoyed the new environment, it was nothing against the Tigers. I just got over losing. It’s a team sport, you can’t do anything individually and no matter how good you are if the team is not performing it affects you as a person. As I got older it affected me.

FK: At the time, Melbourne showed interest in keeping you. Did you want to come back to the Tigers?

DN: It really started when I stopped being included on members days. I could just sense an aura that they didn’t want me to be there. I didn’t want to go back from Melbourne and that’s where it started. I made it clear to the club that I didn’t want to come back. I know that it was only a loan but I think that played a part in it. When I left for Melbourne, I thought I left for good.

FK: So your exit is almost two years in the making?

DN: There were a lot of things written and said, especially when things weren’t going great. I think that hurts the most because there’s other ways of dealing with it, which is in house. But unfortunately that is what the Tigers have been known for. I hope they’re successful. I hope they have a great year. I’m not the type to hold grudges.

FK: Speaking of things written, a lot was said about your relationship with new coach Benji Marshall? How did that relationship break down?

DN: There was a bit of tension this year between me and him. Me and him were so close, we played together for years. He said to me he’s that coach, and he told me early in the pre-season I wasn’t going to start next year. That hurt me a bit. I respect that he’s got to make tough decisions. Looking back, I think he made an example for all the other players because I’ve been there for such a long time. I know deep down he’s a good person, he’s only doing what is best for the club.

FK: You’ve had a lot of coaches in your time. How did Craig Bellamy rate in comparison?

DN: I was there for four or five months. I’d say I’ve learned more in five months than in 10 years at the Tigers. That’s got to say something. There were things I didn’t know and there was a lot I had to learn on my own at the Tigers. I still remember a couple my first spray from Bellamy. It was in a team meeting. I still remember all the boys looking at me.

FK: What did he spray you about? What did he say?

DN: It was very intense. I don’t want to say too much. I want to respect him. But he knew I was a very confident player. I got on with the boys there. One thing they do is spend a lot of time together which is something I have never experienced before.

FK: The Tigers are infamous for leaking what is going on internally, how did that affect the side, do you think?

DN: Now going through it, I feel for the players that did. It’s not nice. One thing you want to be able to do as a club, you want your players to leave and have good things to say. They found it hard to find top players when I was there, maybe that was because former players tell them things find their way outside the four walls. The club has made changes, I think that will stop the leaks. Once that stops, it helps the players mentally. We’re human beings, not just athletes.

FK: After everything, how do you feel about the club?

DN: It’s tough to say. The fans are so good. They have always been good to me. But there was a lot of drama. I’m not the biggest talker. I observe and I observed a lot of things. That worked for a while… looking back maybe if I had a bigger voice… I’m part of the history of the club as the greatest try scorer. I was Dally M winger of the year in 2020 when we were at the bottom of the ladder. Sometimes I think if I stayed at Melbourne I might have played in rep teams. But in a way the Tigers will always be a part of me. It was hard being part of a losing outfit for 11 years, it impacts you.
 
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Part 2:

FK: What about this pre-season and the talk about missing training?

DN: There’s always things going on in the background. Certain actions, maybe I shouldn’t have done it. But it’s just what I felt… I didn’t want to be there because I didn’t feel wanted.

One thing for me is, I’m not the type to be fake and, and put a smile on when I don’t have to. In the end, we parted ways, and I think it was the best thing for me in the club.

FK: What things would you have done differently?

DN: Maybe looking at other options to leave quietly but it’s hard when everything is leaked and be private when you’re at the club. So yeah, maybe it could have been handled differently.

FK: There were suggestions your attitude was a problem, what do you say to that?

DN: There were a lot of outside people saying I was lazy. But you’re not lazy if you’ve played 12 years of NRL. But that talk had to come from internally, because the only people that had seen me training were the people inside the club. I was one of the veterans. After getting the wooden spoon last year, I took the off-season to clear my head. I understand you’re an athlete you have to train. It took a toll on me and I wanted to get away from footy. It also takes me a full two weeks to get back to full fitness. Some boys had started training earlier, I got put in with them and I was at the back of the pack when I started back. I’ve seen top trainers train the house down… you can train like Tarzan and play like Jane. I’ve seen that a lot. But there were a lot of eyes on me and anything I did I was criticised. It affected me mentally. I felt relieved when it was decided to part ways.

FK: You’ve had a lot of coaches at the Tigers, do you feel you were misunderstood from them?

DN: Because I didn’t grow up with a father, for me, a coach is like a father figure. I got to have a good relationship with my coach. When we had Michael Maguire. He’ll tell you this story… When we first met, he dropped me. I told him to get ‘you know what’. He called me into his office. I was honest with him and told him my life story. Once he got to know me, he knew how to respond to me. Everyone has different circumstances in life. That’s what makes Bellamy so good. The first thing he asked me was about my life story and from there he knew how to treat me as a person.

FK: Was Maguire your favourite coach at the Tigers?

DN: It was Jason Taylor. He always put the person before the player and the team before the players. When my grandfather passed away he was the one that actually brought someone in to help support me. That showed how much he cared. I know Tigers fans weren’t happy for him because he got rid of Robbie Farah. But the team is always bigger than the player and a lot of people didn’t like him doing that. But for me personally, he’s been the best.

FK: You mentioned having to overcome a tough childhood, can you tell us what it was like for you?

DN: I never had a mother or father. I was raised by my grandparents. I was happy my grandfather got to see me make my NRL debut. When he passed away in 2015, I didn’t want to play footy anymore. But I got the right help and got back on track. I had to do a lot on my own growing up. I think that’s why a lot of the outside noise doesn’t impact me, I’ve overcome far worse. For the things I have achieved on my own, I look back and think I’ve done well. Not having support from parents, I see my friends with their parents… it’s hard. It wasn’t my choice. I’ve had to accept that my parents aren’t in my life.

FK: Are you still estranged from your parents?

DN: They aren’t in my life, my grandparents raised me from the start. My grandmother is my world. I remember I wanted to go do a trade and I got injured while I was playing under-20s. I wanted to walk away but he said I needed to stick at it and six weeks later I made my debut. But sometimes I find it hard to celebrate my achievements because I’ve never received that congratulations from my parents. My mum spent some time in jail, it’s a lot to take in sometimes but I’ve had a lot of people around me treat me like family. It’s not easy.

Some think I’m distant and it comes across as arrogant. But I find it hard to trust people and get close to them. I’m afraid of getting hurt.
 
Every word that drips out of his mouth makes me respect him less and less...

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"the team is always bigger than the player..."

Robbie was playing for NSW Origin when JT dropped him - not due to form but due to a personality clash with an incompetent coach...

Meanwhile when Madge dropped Nofa:

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