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WESTS Tigers utility Tim Moltzen faces St George Illawarra on Friday at WIN Jubilee Oval - and he may need a bit of extra security, his skipper Robbie Farah has joked.
Dragons fans are still fuming at Moltzen's decision to renege on a three-year deal with the club last year, which ended in an ugly war of words and under a cloud of legal action.
Should the Tigers clench a tight victory over the Dragons courtesy of Moltzen, the joke may fast become a reality.
Despite the threat of a legal battle between the Dragons and the 23-year-old Country Origin representative’s management, Farah has backed his teammate to rise above the attention.
“He’ll handle it fine,” Farah said.
“Once you get out on the field all that goes out the window.
“He’ll probably cop a bit of stick from the fans (but) that’s to be expected.
"It’ll be a good test for him and I’m sure he’ll come through it.
“He’ll be fine - just make sure there is plenty of security to get out (of the ground).“
Moltzen will wear the No.7 jersey for the Tigers but according to the Dragons, Round 3 should have seen him line-up against the club in the red and white No.1.
After agreeing to join the Red V on a three-year deal starting in 2012, Moltzen back-flipped on the deal after the Tigers opted not to release the utility from the final year of his contract.
Farah admitted he and the Tigers have been giving the half plenty of heat about the events of last year in the lead up to this clash.
Farah said Moltzen has acknowledged that he could have better handled the situation when it first unravelled.
Moltzen failed to return phone calls from the Dragons and misconstrued the severity of a shoulder injury as the saga unfolded.
“Having spoken to 'Moltz' he knows he probably could have handled it a bit better,” Farah said.
“We give him a bit of stick about it.”
Dragons utility Nathan Fien said there was no resentment toward him from the players in the squad.
“He’s got great mates over there and made his decision (so) I can’t hold anything against him,” Fien said.
Dragons skipper Ben Hornby added; “It’s been well documented what happened but that’s all behind us now.
"We’re just looking forward to this season, we’re very happy with the side we’ve got and feel like we’re going to be very competitive.”
Labelling the coverage of the Moltzen saga as a “beat-up,” Farah said he was confident that Moltzen’s performance on Friday night wouldn’t be affected by the off-field chaos surrounding the encounter.
“He’s the halfback of our side, he’s got more things to worry about in terms of directing us around the park and his combinations with myself and Benji (Marshall),” he said.
“He’s fully focused and I’m sure he’ll be fine.”
Tigers coach Tim Sheens refused to answer any questions about Moltzen stating he didn’t want to “add fuel to the fire”.
Meanwhile winger Lote Tuqiri is still at least two weeks away from returning to the side.
http://www.sportsnewsfirst.com.au/articles/2012/03/13/moltzen-on-alert-for-dragons-clash/
Dragons fans are still fuming at Moltzen's decision to renege on a three-year deal with the club last year, which ended in an ugly war of words and under a cloud of legal action.
Should the Tigers clench a tight victory over the Dragons courtesy of Moltzen, the joke may fast become a reality.
Despite the threat of a legal battle between the Dragons and the 23-year-old Country Origin representative’s management, Farah has backed his teammate to rise above the attention.
“He’ll handle it fine,” Farah said.
“Once you get out on the field all that goes out the window.
“He’ll probably cop a bit of stick from the fans (but) that’s to be expected.
"It’ll be a good test for him and I’m sure he’ll come through it.
“He’ll be fine - just make sure there is plenty of security to get out (of the ground).“
Moltzen will wear the No.7 jersey for the Tigers but according to the Dragons, Round 3 should have seen him line-up against the club in the red and white No.1.
After agreeing to join the Red V on a three-year deal starting in 2012, Moltzen back-flipped on the deal after the Tigers opted not to release the utility from the final year of his contract.
Farah admitted he and the Tigers have been giving the half plenty of heat about the events of last year in the lead up to this clash.
Farah said Moltzen has acknowledged that he could have better handled the situation when it first unravelled.
Moltzen failed to return phone calls from the Dragons and misconstrued the severity of a shoulder injury as the saga unfolded.
“Having spoken to 'Moltz' he knows he probably could have handled it a bit better,” Farah said.
“We give him a bit of stick about it.”
Dragons utility Nathan Fien said there was no resentment toward him from the players in the squad.
“He’s got great mates over there and made his decision (so) I can’t hold anything against him,” Fien said.
Dragons skipper Ben Hornby added; “It’s been well documented what happened but that’s all behind us now.
"We’re just looking forward to this season, we’re very happy with the side we’ve got and feel like we’re going to be very competitive.”
Labelling the coverage of the Moltzen saga as a “beat-up,” Farah said he was confident that Moltzen’s performance on Friday night wouldn’t be affected by the off-field chaos surrounding the encounter.
“He’s the halfback of our side, he’s got more things to worry about in terms of directing us around the park and his combinations with myself and Benji (Marshall),” he said.
“He’s fully focused and I’m sure he’ll be fine.”
Tigers coach Tim Sheens refused to answer any questions about Moltzen stating he didn’t want to “add fuel to the fire”.
Meanwhile winger Lote Tuqiri is still at least two weeks away from returning to the side.
http://www.sportsnewsfirst.com.au/articles/2012/03/13/moltzen-on-alert-for-dragons-clash/
