The Wests Tigers are preparing to play hardball with wantaway prop Stefano Utoikamanu who will become a free agent when the Tigers are officially ruled out of finals contention.
The Tigers are reportedly considering letting the 24-year-old test himself on the open market early, but with a clear warning that they’ll also be on the lookout for his potential replacement.
Utoikamanu is set to be told by the club that the current extension on the table worth $4 million over five years may not be there much longer.
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But The Daily Telegraph’s Brent Read certainly believes because the Tigers have won two on the trot that Utoikamanu could now be set to stay.
“I reckon the last two weeks help the Tigers,” Read said on NRL 360.
“Because Stefano’s really happy, he’s playing good footy and he’s seeing (Lachlan) Galvin commit to the club and all these young kids come through.”
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Earlier in the show, Read revealed a meeting between the club and Utoikamanu is expected to come off the back of the Tigers’ upset victory over the Raiders.
“There’ll be a meeting this week. At some point in the next couple of days Richo (Shane Rirchardson) and Benji Marshall will sit down with him and those close to him and they’ll talk about if they’re willing to accept that deal they put on the table, five years $4 million extension,” Read revealed.
“My gut feeling is that Stefano will want to go to market, see what’s out there for him.
“And I think the Tigers, rather than wait for when they’re mathematically out of finals contention, which is when he would be a free agent, I think the wise decision, and I think this is the way they’re leaning they’ll say to him ‘if that’s the way you feel go and have a look now but we’ll have a look as well and there’s no guarantee when you come back the deal will still be there’.”
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Among potential replacements for the young prop are Storm middle man Nelson Asofa-Solomona, with Fox League’s James Hooper revealing the two clubs failed to negotiate a sap deal for the pair of props earlier in the year.
Brisbane Broncos legend Gorden Tallis believes Utoikamanu will be hard pressed to find a playing situation better than the one he currently has at the Wests Tigers. “If he’s a forward and a front rower, their job in the game never changes,” Tallis said.
“Whether you’re playing for the bottom side or the top side. I’ve played with the best of them and you’re not going to run off anyone better than Api Koroisau.
“I don’t know whether he’s going to go there (Melbourne) and think I’m going to play like a halfback. It’s going to be the same job.”