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.
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.
