PrattenParkMagpie
Well-known member
**Fate to bring Ivan Cleary and David Nofoaluma together at Wests Tigers**
Adrian Proszenko - SMH 1 April 2017
David Nofoaluma was given the chance to play under Ivan Cleary a few years ago and knocked it back.
But it appears inevitable the pair will come together at Wests Tigers as the club prepares to announce Cleary as the replacement for sacked coach Jason Taylor.
Interim coach Andrew Webster will remain in charge for Sunday's clash with St George Illawarra, although Cleary could be in the coach's box next weekend against North Queensland.
While most of the focus has been on the negotiations with the club's "big four" stars, Aaron Woods, Mitchell Moses, Luke Brooks and James Tedesco, there are other Tigers players mulling their futures.
One of them is the off-contract Nofoaluma. The winger was pursued by Penrith several seasons ago when Cleary was their coach. Cleary didn't get his man, but they built up a rapport that was strengthened when the pair again crossed paths in 2015 for the season-ending Prime Minister's XIII game when Nofoaluma scored two tries in the Australian side's victory over Papua New Guinea.
"The first time I met him was about four years ago when I came off contract then," Nofoaluma said. "I was going in to see the Penrith facilities, what it was like. With that you meet the coach.
"He was at Penrith and I met him there because I was in talks with them. He seemed like a good guy.
"The next time I met him was the Australian Prime Minister's squad at the end of 2015\. He coached me there and while it was only a short period of time, the time I had with him was good.
"A few years have gone past and he could very well be my coach."
**Nofoaluma said it was his preference to stay put but he had to consider offers from other clubs. The 23-year-old said the appointment of the coach wouldn't have a great bearing on his decision.\
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"It comes down to what the board want to do," said Nofoaluma, who is being pursued by several clubs, including Parramatta.\
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"They obviously sacked JT for a reason and that's not on me or the players, that's up to the board. I'm sure they will pick who they think is the right man for the job."**
Another Tigers three-quarter, Michael Chee Kam, didn't wait to see what impact Cleary would have before committing to the club. Chee Kam re-signed until the end of 2019 after starting the season in first grade.
"I've really enjoyed my time at this club so it's great to be able to stay here," Chee Kam said.
"It's great to have that security sorted now so I can just concentrate fully on my footy."
In moving quickly to resolve the coaching issue, Tigers powerbrokers hope they can expedite negotiations with the big four.
Tigers chief executive Justin Pascoe has declared he would impose a deadline to prevent the saga from dragging on, a move that will allow the club to go into the open market should the quartet decide their futures lie elsewhere. The quartet have indicated they won't be rushed into a decision.
When Cleary gets the job, he will have a big say on recruitment and retention. The Tigers have snared Gold Coast forward Chris McQueen on a three-year deal but a number of other spots on their roster remain open from 2018.
The joint-venture outfit will be without Brooks against the Dragons due to the hamstring injury he suffered against Melbourne, with Jack Littlejohn drafted in as his replacement. Centre Jamal Idris has been recalled for the ANZ Stadium encounter after making his return from injury from the NSW Cup last weekend.
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Now that's how you speak to the media during contract negotiations
Adrian Proszenko - SMH 1 April 2017
David Nofoaluma was given the chance to play under Ivan Cleary a few years ago and knocked it back.
But it appears inevitable the pair will come together at Wests Tigers as the club prepares to announce Cleary as the replacement for sacked coach Jason Taylor.
Interim coach Andrew Webster will remain in charge for Sunday's clash with St George Illawarra, although Cleary could be in the coach's box next weekend against North Queensland.
While most of the focus has been on the negotiations with the club's "big four" stars, Aaron Woods, Mitchell Moses, Luke Brooks and James Tedesco, there are other Tigers players mulling their futures.
One of them is the off-contract Nofoaluma. The winger was pursued by Penrith several seasons ago when Cleary was their coach. Cleary didn't get his man, but they built up a rapport that was strengthened when the pair again crossed paths in 2015 for the season-ending Prime Minister's XIII game when Nofoaluma scored two tries in the Australian side's victory over Papua New Guinea.
"The first time I met him was about four years ago when I came off contract then," Nofoaluma said. "I was going in to see the Penrith facilities, what it was like. With that you meet the coach.
"He was at Penrith and I met him there because I was in talks with them. He seemed like a good guy.
"The next time I met him was the Australian Prime Minister's squad at the end of 2015\. He coached me there and while it was only a short period of time, the time I had with him was good.
"A few years have gone past and he could very well be my coach."
**Nofoaluma said it was his preference to stay put but he had to consider offers from other clubs. The 23-year-old said the appointment of the coach wouldn't have a great bearing on his decision.\
\
"It comes down to what the board want to do," said Nofoaluma, who is being pursued by several clubs, including Parramatta.\
\
"They obviously sacked JT for a reason and that's not on me or the players, that's up to the board. I'm sure they will pick who they think is the right man for the job."**
Another Tigers three-quarter, Michael Chee Kam, didn't wait to see what impact Cleary would have before committing to the club. Chee Kam re-signed until the end of 2019 after starting the season in first grade.
"I've really enjoyed my time at this club so it's great to be able to stay here," Chee Kam said.
"It's great to have that security sorted now so I can just concentrate fully on my footy."
In moving quickly to resolve the coaching issue, Tigers powerbrokers hope they can expedite negotiations with the big four.
Tigers chief executive Justin Pascoe has declared he would impose a deadline to prevent the saga from dragging on, a move that will allow the club to go into the open market should the quartet decide their futures lie elsewhere. The quartet have indicated they won't be rushed into a decision.
When Cleary gets the job, he will have a big say on recruitment and retention. The Tigers have snared Gold Coast forward Chris McQueen on a three-year deal but a number of other spots on their roster remain open from 2018.
The joint-venture outfit will be without Brooks against the Dragons due to the hamstring injury he suffered against Melbourne, with Jack Littlejohn drafted in as his replacement. Centre Jamal Idris has been recalled for the ANZ Stadium encounter after making his return from injury from the NSW Cup last weekend.
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Now that's how you speak to the media during contract negotiations
