Luciano Leilua has requested an immediate release from the Tigers to take up a three-year contract with the North Queensland Cowboys worth $2.1 million.
The contract is set for 2023 but the 25-year-old and brother of Joey Leilua feels he has been disrespected by the club after contract negotiations failed to reach an agreement.
SEN’s Michelle Bishop says the Tigers have been blindsided by the decision.
“I don’t think the Tigers saw this coming,” Bishop said on 1170 SEN Breakfast.
“He’d been sitting at the negotiating table with the Wests Tigers since August.”
Leilua was arguably the best player for the Tigers in what was a disappointing 2021 season for the club. He averaged 112 running metres, 29 tackles a game and publicly threw his support behind head coach Michael Maguire.
Bishop believes that Joey Leilua’s messy exit from the Tigers impacted Luciano’s contract talks with the club.
“The writing I think was on the wall for Luciano,” she said.
“He’s been a bit of a victim in this circumstance because he is one of the Tigers’ best players.
“But when his brother has had a fallout with the head coach…families are pretty loyal.”
The Tigers have issued a statement saying Leilua is contracted until the end of the 2022 season and they believe he will see out the remainder of his deal.