weststigers
Well-known member
**The defector who came in from the cold: Tuqiri's return imminent
GLENN JACKSON
January 28, 2010**
THE saga of Lote Tuqiri and Wests Tigers is all but over. The club is set to finalise the signature of the dual international within days - and he might turn out for them sooner than expected.
The Herald understands Tigers chief executive Stephen Humphreys left the country last night for Britain, where he is expecting to confirm the signing of the 30-year-old.
Negotiations between the NRL club and Tuqiri, who is playing rugby union in England with Leicester, have been ongoing since midway through last year, and it appears the Tigers will finally net their man, who was sacked by the Australian Rugby Union controversially last year.
Club chiefs have been attempting to have the deal cleared by the NRL's salary cap auditor Ian Schubert for several months, but it is understood the Tigers are now in a position to officially sign Tuqiri, in what would be a significant boost for the code. He would join other high-profile defectors Wendell Sailor and Mat Rogers in returning to league after extended stints playing rugby.
Tuqiri has enjoyed success with Leicester, with speculation emerging last week he might extend his deal with the club, but that now appears unlikely. Wests Tigers had initially hoped to unveil Tuqiri after the conclusion of Leicester's season in May, but there are now suggestions he could be available much earlier. Leicester Tigers head coach Richard Cockerill last week revealed Tuqiri's contract with his club runs out at the end of March, opening the door for Wests Tigers to lure him home just a few weeks after the club's season-opening game against Manly.
Confirmation of Tuqiri's signing would be a significant boost to the Tigers on the eve of the new NRL season. The club has not reached the finals since winning the premiership in 2005, and many have felt they are one strike weapon away from being in a position to repeat those feats. Tuqiri would fill that void.
Sailor, Tuqiri's former Brisbane and Wallabies teammate, certainly believes Tuqiri will be in the NRL this season.
''The last time I chatted with him he'd just played in the snow, and he wasn't real keen on the winter conditions,'' Sailor told AAP.
''I asked him if NRL was an option, and he said it's definitely an option, especially after seeing what myself and Mat Rogers have done the past couple of years.''
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GLENN JACKSON
January 28, 2010**
THE saga of Lote Tuqiri and Wests Tigers is all but over. The club is set to finalise the signature of the dual international within days - and he might turn out for them sooner than expected.
The Herald understands Tigers chief executive Stephen Humphreys left the country last night for Britain, where he is expecting to confirm the signing of the 30-year-old.
Negotiations between the NRL club and Tuqiri, who is playing rugby union in England with Leicester, have been ongoing since midway through last year, and it appears the Tigers will finally net their man, who was sacked by the Australian Rugby Union controversially last year.
Club chiefs have been attempting to have the deal cleared by the NRL's salary cap auditor Ian Schubert for several months, but it is understood the Tigers are now in a position to officially sign Tuqiri, in what would be a significant boost for the code. He would join other high-profile defectors Wendell Sailor and Mat Rogers in returning to league after extended stints playing rugby.
Tuqiri has enjoyed success with Leicester, with speculation emerging last week he might extend his deal with the club, but that now appears unlikely. Wests Tigers had initially hoped to unveil Tuqiri after the conclusion of Leicester's season in May, but there are now suggestions he could be available much earlier. Leicester Tigers head coach Richard Cockerill last week revealed Tuqiri's contract with his club runs out at the end of March, opening the door for Wests Tigers to lure him home just a few weeks after the club's season-opening game against Manly.
Confirmation of Tuqiri's signing would be a significant boost to the Tigers on the eve of the new NRL season. The club has not reached the finals since winning the premiership in 2005, and many have felt they are one strike weapon away from being in a position to repeat those feats. Tuqiri would fill that void.
Sailor, Tuqiri's former Brisbane and Wallabies teammate, certainly believes Tuqiri will be in the NRL this season.
''The last time I chatted with him he'd just played in the snow, and he wasn't real keen on the winter conditions,'' Sailor told AAP.
''I asked him if NRL was an option, and he said it's definitely an option, especially after seeing what myself and Mat Rogers have done the past couple of years.''
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