Amid his ugly exit from the club, former Tigers star Joey Leilua has taken a brazen swipe at coach Michael Maguire on Instagram.
Former Wests Tigers star Joey Leilua has taken a brazen swipe at coach Michael Maguire after reports emerged he had been offered a massive pay cut.
As first reported by The Daily Telegraph, the Tigers had offered Leilua a train and trial contract worth $1000 per-week.
According to the News Corp report, the 29-year-old was previously earning around $850,000 per-year, meaning he would be copping a $800,000 pay cut after tax if he accepted the modest contract.
Catch all the ICC T20 World Cup action live & exclusive to Fox Cricket, available on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial today.
But Leilua reportedly knocked back the offer and is exploring options of playing in America or holding out hope for a contract offer from the Super League.
As it stands, the Samoa international will be unemployed from November 1.
On Tuesday afternoon, Leilua denied the reports in a strongly-worded Instagram post that also targeted Maguire, suggesting the Tigers coach never took responsibility following defeats.
“This is another lie,” he wrote. “Never got offered to go there for a train and trial.
“Get your facts right!
“Btw I wouldn’t play for someone that blames the team all the time! And not once himself! #Madge.”
Leilua has received a substantially better offer from Joel Thompson, who retired earlier this year.
The former Dragons, Manly and Raiders player emerged as one of the most respected players in the game in recent years for the work he has done in the community.
Now Thompson has offered to help Leilua get back on his feet with a career switch into the transport industry.
“Any NRL players without contracts like Joey and want to earn a decent wage, get in contact with me,” Thompson posted on Twitter.
“I’ll get you trained up and working on the tracks. The average rail salary in Australia is $122,500 per year. (Also this offer is for anyone).”
Thompson’s post included a link to a rail construction and maintenance company.
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
