**Late Lote or timely Tuqiri? Tigers hope for season opener**
BRAD WALTER
March 1, 2010
Wests Tigers officials expect to learn tonight whether star signing Lote Tuqiri will be available to play in their round-one clash with Manly on March 15.
Tuqiri is playing rugby union in England for Leicester, but the Tigers have asked the defending Guinness Premiership champions to release the dual international from the final five rounds of the competition.
If Leicester agree to do so, Tuqiri will make his farewell rugby union appearance on Saturday against London Irish and then board a flight to join the Tigers next week.
Tigers chief executive Stephen Humphreys said it was hoped Tuqiri would arrive either next Tuesday or Wednesday to begin preparing for his first NRL appearance since switching codes in 2002.
''We should know within the next 48 hours,'' Humphreys said yesterday.
''I plan to speak with Leicester on Monday their time, which will be Monday night here.
''The agreement until this point has been that he would play for them in their game on March 6 and hopefully they will release him after that.
''If were able to arrange for him to get on a plane pretty much after that match, he would be here next Tuesday or Wednesday.
''Because we've got the Monday night game, that would work out OK,'' he said.
Helping the Tigers' cause is the fact Leicester do not have another premiership match for three weeks, when they meet Worcester on March 27.
Leicester, who lead the competition, then play four more matches before the play-offs series, which culminates with the grand final at Twickenham on May 29.
However, the short-term contract Tuqiri signed with Leicester in November is due to expire at the end of March, so he would only play one more game for the club if he failed to gain an earlier release.
Despite Tuqiri not having played league for seven seasons, Tigers coach Tim Sheens is understood to hold few reservations about throwing the 30-year-old straight into the fray against the Sea Eagles and he would be expected to start the season on the wing.
The absence of Kiwis Test winger Taniela Tuiaki due to complications from an ankle operation has made that an even more appealing proposition, but Sheens hopes to eventually be able to play Tuqiri at fullback once he has settled in.
Tigers officials are still unsure when Tuiaki will return after breaking his ankle two weeks before last year's finals series, but they remain hopeful the giant 27-year-old will feature in the club's 2010 premiership campaign.
''It is still too early to tell but the medical staff are happy with the way he is progressing,'' Humphreys said.
The Tigers are also confident of having star playmaker Benji Marshall back for the round-one clash with Manly after injuring his knee in last week's trial against Sydney Roosters.
Rookie Robert Lui starred in Marshall's absence at five-eighth in Saturday night's 36-12 win over Cronulla at Gosford and is expected to win the No.7 jersey for the Manly clash, with halfback Tim Moltzen shifting to fullback.
