News NRL blocked Ricky Leutele’s Storm move as SBW welcomed back with open arms

Jackson_1994

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The NRL is about to face its biggest test in this new era of flexibility and bending the rules on the run.
It remains to be seen if others will be treated the same as Sonny Bill Williams and Joseph Suaalii.

The story of Cronulla’s 2016 grand final centre Ricky Leutele needs to be urgently addressed by NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo and the independent commission.
Like SBW, Leutele played for the now collapsed Toronto Wolfpack in the UK Super League.

The player is owed around $80,000 by the club and hasn’t been paid for more than two months.
He has received an eviction notice to leave his Manchester home because the club stopped paying his rent, which was an agreement in his contract.

He has also been asked to return the car that the club provided him.

On Saturday, his UK visa ran out. He has been given a four-week extension to get out of the country.


He has a wife and three children under six with him in England.
Now to the NRL and the roadblocks stopping him from coming home to play football.

New Zealand Warriors recruitment boss Peter O’Sullivan has confirmed the club doesn’t want him.

He said it was not worth it for the final three rounds of the competition by the time he had completed isolation for a fortnight.

Melbourne Storm have stepped in. They have lost loan centre Paul Momirovski for the rest of the season with an injury and have one spot available in their 30-man roster.

The Storm have only $35,000 left in their salary cap. That’s all they can offer him. Leutele is more than happy with that amount. When you haven’t been paid for two months, you’ll grab whatever you can
No, the NRL won’t let it happen.

Its salary cap team has valued Leutele at $60,000 for the remainder of the season.

The same people who bent the rules for SBW and Suaalii refuse to budge on this case.

“The way he’s been treated is a bloody disgrace,” his agent Sam Ayoub said.

“They’ve got three kids under the age of six. They’re getting out of the house. No car. No wages since May.

“The club is supposed to pay for his airfares to get home. It’s not happening. Ricky is up for the costs himself. And now we’ve got the NRL trying to stop him from playing.”

Your columnist spoke to Leutele in the north of England over the weekend.

“I just want to come home,” Leutele said. “We’re packing the house up now.
“I’m frustrated more than angry. It’s been such a rollercoaster ride.

“My wife is trying to sort out our flights and we hope to get out of here in about a week.”

The footballer is a quietly spoken Polynesian who is not into controversy.

He points out that others are doing it tougher than him.

“Everyone is struggling during coronavirus so I can’t complain too much,” he said.

“It’s been hard, though. I just hope Sam can sort it out and I can come home to play football.

“I have been training and I will be ready.
 

TABOO

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What a fucking joke the nrl is. I actually can't believe what I'm reading. Saying that Leutele is undervalued but sbw is cleared to play (after also breaching isolation rules). Fmd can we just get an administration who isn't corrupt and full of shit?
I'm so fed up with this joke our game has become.
 

GA45

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What a fucking joke the nrl is. I actually can't believe what I'm reading. Saying that Leutele is undervalued but sbw is cleared to play (after also breaching isolation rules). Fmd can we just get an administration who isn't corrupt and full of shit?
I'm so fed up with this joke our game has become.
Just disgraceful by the NRL.
 

ddt192

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man thats harsh
 

Alan79

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I'm surprised that they haven't bent over backwards to help the Storm.
 

bradyk

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SBW's going to bring more eyes to the game. No offence to Leutele but he isn't going to do that. I'd prefer this approach than not having someone like SBW come back at all.
 

bradyk

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the nrl should remove the salary cap to even up the competition
It wouldn't even the competition. The rich clubs would have an unfair advantage. The problem with the salary cap is players would rather stay or sign for less at a top team (the opposite for a bottom team). A club like us has no issue with money outside the salary cap (AFAIK). Whereas clubs like Manly or Sharks are already scrapping as is.
 

Alan79

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It wouldn't even the competition. The rich clubs would have an unfair advantage. The problem with the salary cap is players would rather stay or sign for less at a top team (the opposite for a bottom team). A club like us has no issue with money outside the salary cap (AFAIK). Whereas clubs like Manly or Sharks are already scrapping as is.
Issue is that the NRL is not meant to allow players to be paid under their market value. If they enforced that rule, the talent spread would even out slowly. As it stands you get 2-3 players at a stacked team supposedly playing for 200 to 300 thousand below their market value and that allows their team to spend 600 to 900 thousand on another quality player or three pretty handy depth players that would improve many teams.

The system might work if the NRL enforced the rules they implement. But instead they allow stacked teams to keep recruiting at below market value.
 

Raysie

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If the guy is legit going to be paid that amount, why should we care?

Poor bloke has a family to fend for and not many years to build up some coin.

EDIT: Looks like NRL have backflipped on this and have given the green light for Leuteli to return.
 

Rodzilla

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It wouldn't even the competition. The rich clubs would have an unfair advantage. The problem with the salary cap is players would rather stay or sign for less at a top team (the opposite for a bottom team). A club like us has no issue with money outside the salary cap (AFAIK). Whereas clubs like Manly or Sharks are already scrapping as is.
it would even the competition, right now there is unfair salary cap enforcement with nrl deciding who gets to be successful

don't act like Brisbane would win the title every year, they would sign all the superstars they can find and then they will be stuck with them having to play against hungry players

apologise immediately upon reading this message
 

Rodzilla

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new York yankees spend much more than the rest of baseball, they have an unfair advantage and they have won it once in 20 years
 

bradyk

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it would even the competition, right now there is unfair salary cap enforcement with nrl deciding who gets to be successful

don't act like Brisbane would win the title every year, they would sign all the superstars they can find and then they will be stuck with them having to play against hungry players

apologise immediately upon reading this message
What the heck :D
 

Nano

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it would even the competition, right now there is unfair salary cap enforcement with nrl deciding who gets to be successful

don't act like Brisbane would win the title every year, they would sign all the superstars they can find and then they will be stuck with them having to play against hungry players

apologise immediately upon reading this message
Damn Rod you have been pretty snappy lately, what happen to the old more calm Rod?

But I do agree with you, you would def see players go harder knowing they can increase their value by smashing stars and out playing them. Its evident in the lower grades when you ***** wanting a chance going out to smash/outplay first graders or former stars they come across to prove a point.
 

Rodzilla

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Damn Rod you have been pretty snappy lately, what happen to the old more calm Rod?

But I do agree with you, you would def see players go harder knowing they can increase their value by smashing stars and out playing them. Its evident in the lower grades when you ***** wanting a chance going out to smash/outplay first graders or former stars they come across to prove a point.
my penis has been shrinking even more recently
 

Nano

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my penis has been shrinking even more recently
Ah damn, has the Rod been developing excess body weight? This helps with the shrinkage if so maybe time to put a hold on the pizzas and sugar lol
 

blue & white blood

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The NRL is about to face its biggest test in this new era of flexibility and bending the rules on the run.
It remains to be seen if others will be treated the same as Sonny Bill Williams and Joseph Suaalii.

The story of Cronulla’s 2016 grand final centre Ricky Leutele needs to be urgently addressed by NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo and the independent commission.
Like SBW, Leutele played for the now collapsed Toronto Wolfpack in the UK Super League.

The player is owed around $80,000 by the club and hasn’t been paid for more than two months.
He has received an eviction notice to leave his Manchester home because the club stopped paying his rent, which was an agreement in his contract.

He has also been asked to return the car that the club provided him.

On Saturday, his UK visa ran out. He has been given a four-week extension to get out of the country.


He has a wife and three children under six with him in England.
Now to the NRL and the roadblocks stopping him from coming home to play football.

New Zealand Warriors recruitment boss Peter O’Sullivan has confirmed the club doesn’t want him.

He said it was not worth it for the final three rounds of the competition by the time he had completed isolation for a fortnight.

Melbourne Storm have stepped in. They have lost loan centre Paul Momirovski for the rest of the season with an injury and have one spot available in their 30-man roster.

The Storm have only $35,000 left in their salary cap. That’s all they can offer him. Leutele is more than happy with that amount. When you haven’t been paid for two months, you’ll grab whatever you can
No, the NRL won’t let it happen.

Its salary cap team has valued Leutele at $60,000 for the remainder of the season.

The same people who bent the rules for SBW and Suaalii refuse to budge on this case.

“The way he’s been treated is a bloody disgrace,” his agent Sam Ayoub said.

“They’ve got three kids under the age of six. They’re getting out of the house. No car. No wages since May.

“The club is supposed to pay for his airfares to get home. It’s not happening. Ricky is up for the costs himself. And now we’ve got the NRL trying to stop him from playing.”

Your columnist spoke to Leutele in the north of England over the weekend.

“I just want to come home,” Leutele said. “We’re packing the house up now.
“I’m frustrated more than angry. It’s been such a rollercoaster ride.

“My wife is trying to sort out our flights and we hope to get out of here in about a week.”

The footballer is a quietly spoken Polynesian who is not into controversy.

He points out that others are doing it tougher than him.

“Everyone is struggling during coronavirus so I can’t complain too much,” he said.

“It’s been hard, though. I just hope Sam can sort it out and I can come home to play football.

“I have been training and I will be ready.
I Feel For Leutele, and I think it's disgusting how the NRL is running the show, but I'm also entertaining selfish thoughts, if things are so bad in England at moment, I can't help but wonder if James Meloney is interested in coming home & solve the Bulldogs halfback issues. What a great acquisition he would make for our team rebuilding process & may be not to expensive, He would look great in our Blue & white No7 jersey.
 

KambahOne

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Don't be conned by a headline. If another club steps in with the 60K that he's been valued at, it's all good. I can only imagine the outcry if he'd been allowed to sign for 35K after being valued at 60K.
 

Mitch Connor

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Don't be conned by a headline. If another club steps in with the 60K that he's been valued at, it's all good. I can only imagine the outcry if he'd been allowed to sign for 35K after being valued at 60K.
Well begin the outcry because the NRL have given in and let the Storm sign him for 35k. Happened this morning.
 
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