According to at least one NRL legend, it’s “plain to see” what the message is after David Nofoaluma’s messy break up with the Wests Tigers.
“It’s Benji’s way or the highway at Tiger Town,” former Panthers enforcer Mark Geyer mentioned on Triple M, “and it’s just what they need”.
The Tigers, who completed the 2023 season in final place with simply 4 wins, have been fast to make modifications in a bid to enhance on-field outcomes, together with the transfer to signal Jarome Luai.
New head coach Benji Marshall is alleged to have performed a serious function in touchdown Luai’s signature and it looks as if the identical goes for the choice to finish the ugly Nofoaluma standoff.
The Tigers confirmed on Tuesday that Nofoaluma could be instantly parting methods with the membership after a reported payout of $300,000 that can see him stroll away from the ultimate two years of his contract.
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“Nofoaluma walks away with $300,000 and another club will surely pick him up. It’s a win-win situation in my opinion,” Geyer mentioned.
Broncos legend Wendell Sailor echoed related sentiments to Geyer, declaring Nofoaluma’s exit an instance that “Benji is going to do what he wants”.
“It is the start of a new era for not just the Tigers but Nofoaluma,” he added on Triple M.
After all, as The Daily Telegraph’s Michael Carayannis mentioned on SEN 1170, this was the top of what has been an “ongoing saga” between Nofoaluma and the Tigers which went again “years”.
“I’m not exaggerating — years,” Carayannis added, “in terms of him not falling out of favour”.
Nofoaluma was understood to be on a deal value round $525,000 a season, a price ticket he has not lived as much as in recent times along with his defence particularly below the microscope.
The veteran winger was capable of excel within the NRL after a mortgage transfer to Melbourne however struggled to duplicate that type again with the struggling Tigers when he returned.
The Storm have been inquisitive about holding Nofoaluma however in keeping with Carayannis the Tigers needed them to tackle extra of his contract if that was the case.
“Melbourne would’ve kept him and paid a decent amount of the salary but the Tigers weren’t happy with how much they were going to chip in, thought they could get more out of him and brought him back,” Carayannis mentioned.
“It just hasn’t worked. He’s been reprimanded multiple times for infringements for failing to turn up to training, training standards have been lacking. Benji Marshall has drawn a line in the sand, a former teammate of David Nofoaluma’s, and said, ‘Mate you will not play first grade under my watch, get out of here’.”
Carayannis went on so as to add that the Tigers had been making an attempt for months to dump Nofoaluma to a different membership however had “no takers” and that the newest sanction accelerated his exit.
According to Carayannis, Marshall believed Nofoaluma’s presence and the related ongoing drama was not having a “positive influence” on the enjoying group.
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“In the new year, it came to a head again, essentially it’s been breached again and the two parties have now agreed to a payout worth around $300,00 and I think for the Tigers, it’s probably a win for them and potentially for David Nofoaluma if he can get out of his comfort zone at the West Tigers [and] go to a strong club,” Carayannis mentioned.
“The guy can play, at his best we know he’s a good finisher, damaging ball runner and he’s got an offload in him. But it just hasn’t worked over the last two or three years at the Tigers, he needs to move on. Benji Marshall just wanted him out of the club because he didn’t think he was a positive influence on the rest of the playing group.”
Source web site: www.foxsports.com.au
