“For Matterson, a return to his junior club could be finalised by the end of this week after Parramatta tabled a three-year deal believed to be worth around $1.5 million.”
What an absolute mug. Sullied his name for an extra $50k a year for 3 years. If he just kept his mouth shut & kept playing football he would have commanded much more.
@TonyTiger said in Latrell Mitchell Contract Discussion:
The Roosters and Tigers will be laughing at the end of this season, the clown failed to buy insurance, one year deal, wait for the season ending injury and he’ll have plenty of time to look and question the man in the mirror when the knock at the door fails to materialise.
JAC should be our priority.
Contract still not signed off on yet & hasn’t been approved by NRL, but what a gronk if these reports are correct. Risking his families future tells me he’s just a selfish little boy. His purported upgrade next year (in Souths’ favour apparently) is dependent on who they can shift to accommodate his highness - teammates who have been shopped around while on holiday & without their knowledge. Easts have been home for him since he was 16, they wanted to pay him $800,000 this year - instead he rinses them for $116,000 while he goes fishing - then agrees to a contract with the enemy, for $200,000 less then what Easts originally offered him, zero guarantees - you can’t make this up. Latrell could have set his young family up for life and then moved to Souths later in his career. All it takes is 1 injury and he’s yesterday’s news, crazy.
@Lauren said in Latrell Mitchell Contract Discussion:
@Ponyo though I didn’t read/watch either, I see there’s a clip on NRL.com with Matto about Parra going all the way and Marsters story about making the 8. How much more ammo do our boys need?
You aren’t kidding Lauren. You should watch the full interview on the NRL.com website. Matto’s comments about being in a premiership squad would have been noted with thanks by our boys. The way he carries himself and talks is very choreographed - a lump of a lad, but a fairy of a man. Can’t wait until we announce the rest of our signings like everyone else, so far so good though. I feel like we’ve taken a turn for the better. I know it doesn’t seem like that to a lot of the fans/cynics because we’ve been through so much but we’ve taken the turn, you can feel the shift. Our finals drought will soon be a thing of the past and everyone’s going to jump back on the bandwagon, just watch. The golden dawn is upon us ladies & gentleman.
Been watching Canterbury Cup games on Kayo, this kid is a weapon, always making post contact metres & putting guys on their back in dominant tackles. The 1,2 punch with Mikaele is going to be a problem for teams when they start to gel. Thomas has put on a couple of kilos of muscle already and will return bigger than last year.
Good times boys
Mbye up for a big year. People forgot
how much of a weapon he is when
He’s fit & firing, no doubts about him.
@formerguest said in Wests Tigers snare teen tyro Utoikamanu...:
@tony-soprano said in Wests Tigers snare teen tyro Utoikamanu...:
@Ponyo said in Wests Tigers snare teen tyro Utoikamanu...:
They can’t offer a contract before November, in which case we would have to release him - not worried. I’m glad he’s getting payed an extra 35k or so a year minimum upgrade to be in the top 30 - he deserves it for his hard work & training over the summer. He’ll be in prime shape come 2021 he’s just honouring his contract. In the meantime, Parramatta recruits: Salesi Fainga’a (Fiji), Tyler Field (Aus schools), Joe Taipari (NZ/touch), Ejay Toeava (NZ/cousin of All Black Isaiah Toeava) & William Kei (NZ/cousin of Jonah Lomu) - the last two guys are highly rated juniors
Hey mate
Are you saying all the players you mentioned at the end are signed by us?
@Ponyo provided similar information last year and these guys are training with us.
We’ve also signed Vea Tapa’atoutai & big Tyrone Faulkner from eels (union 8). Quite a bit of turnover in the Flegg + CC ranks:
Recruited: Aamon Dean (giant), Ryan Garner (Luke’s brother big strong winger/goal kicker) Kuyan Laurie (future star), Vea Tapa’atoutai, Michael Fenn (manly/former union 8), Lachlan Talau (Tommy’s brother/hooker), Austin Dias, Tyrone Faulkner, Brendan O’Hagan (tricky half), Matheson Johns (big centre) - O’Hagan & Johns were mentioned here along with Billy Brittain but I can’t confirm.
Gone: Elia faatui, Soni Luke, Jack Miller, Kurt Aldridge, Cowen Epere, Riley Cheshire, Gus Garzaniti, Jordan Main, Kane Mcquiggin, Billy Stapleton, might be missing a few here…
For those that were wondering Gamble, Broncos development squad & Hiroti Sharks, Simona in France playing for FC Lezignan
I’m not taking anyone’s word for anything - especially on here, will wait until it’s official.
There have been so many claims over the last 2 months, from mates that know mates, family members, girlfriends, no-one knows.
By Christian Nicolussi
January 29, 2020 — 9.00pm
Joey Leilua thinks himself a better centre than Curtis Scott, but said his days in Canberra were always numbered because of his strained relationship with Ricky Stuart. Leilua enjoyed his first day at Wests Tigers training on a steamy Tuesday and spoke about his excitement to play outside his younger brother Luciano and inside fellow Samoan David Nofoaluma. While Leilua will add plenty of size and experience out wide for the Tigers, he told the Herald how there was no future for him in the nation’s capital.
The 28-year-old and Stuart first clashed over team selection in the lead-up to a round-21 clash against the Sydney Roosters, then again this month when he was snubbed from a Sunshine Coast training camp for being overweight. Even when news filtered through on Monday that Scott had spent the night behind bars and could be stood down for the start of the season with Canberra, Leilua had no appetite to back out on the Tigers and coach Michael Maguire.
“I was never going to backflip, my decision was made and in my mind I was done with Canberra,” Leilua told the Herald. "I couldn’t wait to get here and get around a new environment "Something happened last year between me and ‘Sticky’ [Stuart] and I wasn’t happy. "I was coming back from my neck [surgery] and he told me I’d be back for the Roosters. I would have been up against Latrell [Mitchell], I worked my arse off and got mentally prepared. "Then they went over to New Zealand the week before and had a massive win, he came back and said I wasn’t good enough to play.
"I said to him, ‘How can you say that when you told me to get ready?’
"I asked him if he thought I wasn’t good enough for the team, and he said, ‘you’re not good enough for this team’. "From that moment I was off him. We lost to the Roosters, he called me up the next week and we won. "I was still mad. I wasn’t happy with him. I respect Ricky as a coach and what he has done for me, but I wasn’t happy.
"Even when I came back for pre-season training, I was a bit overweight, I had just had my wedding, and he wasn’t happy. "I wasn’t the only one overweight in the team, but I was the only one told to go and train with reserve grade. “They left me behind for that training camp for two weeks. That’s when my mind was made up to search for another club.” Leilua was into the final year of his deal with the Raiders and told he would not be offered a contract for 2021.
He maintained he was a better option than Scott, the Melbourne recruit who was expected to be given first shot at right centre, and was prepared to fight his way back into first grade if he had to see out the year in Canberra. “Deep down I knew I was better than most centres there, and that’s not being cocky, that’s being confident because I know what I’m capable of,” Leilua said.
When the Herald pointed out to the former Dally M centre of the year that he often produced performances that were “rocks and diamonds”, he laughed and said, "Maybe in 2017 and 2018 it was rocks and diamonds, but then I got hurt in 2019, so you can’t judge me on that. My first seven games last year I considered myself one of the best centres in the game. It took me a while to get back.
"My best years are still to come. I’ll be doing my best to get into shape for round one. I can’t wait to tell [Luciano] what to do. I’ll be screaming at him on the edge.
“If you really want something you can get it. That was the [philosophy] at Canberra and it will be no different at the Tigers - if we really want it we can get it.”
Leilua quickly made an impression with his new Tigers teammates. He weighs around 115kg and plays at 109kg. His signing is expected to be followed by South Sydney utility Adam Doueihi who has already been told to look for a better deal elsewhere by Wayne Bennett and has a tremendous rapport with Maguire.
Meanwhile, the Tigers also confirmed the signing of Parramatta prop Stefano Utoikamanu for three years from 2021.
@ElleryHanley said in Wests Tigers snare teen tyro Utoikamanu...:
The thing for us is Pascoe and Madge have repeatedly stated “we only want people who want to be here…we only want people who want to be here…we only want people who want to be here…”
So, what if the kid has a great year, bonds with the seniors players and says he wants to stay at Parra?
He’s already put pen to paper EH. It’s a done deal for 2021 like Jai to Souths. Parramatta wouldn’t release him and were within their right; that isn’t an indictment on our club. Stefano is being professional & working hard in the interim - he gets to earn a few more bucks and gain experience with his promotion to first grade, good for him. If and that’s a big IF he changes his mind they’ll have to wait until November; highly unlikely any talks would end well for Parramatta given our past dealings with them to be honest. We’re more likely to top up his contract then lose it to the Eels but we’d have to cross that bridge if we ever get to it. No point in hypothesizing a year out from now if you ask me. It’s very stressful and there’s too much to look forward to.
Talau, Mikaele, Garner, Twal extended - Utoikamanu, BJ Leilua, Luc Leilua, Doueihi
and a whole heap of youngsters signed.
Looking more dynasty than bottom 8
You lit you’re “lympth” growing 
Rally round the family
Pocket full of shells.
Sure shock, sure to make the body drop
f em all if you don’t believe it.