Luciano Leilua wants the cannonball tackle banned and is angry that Melbourne rookie Trent Loiero was not suspended for the hit that left him with a “still clicking” knee.
As fellow Wests Tigers back-rower Kelma Tuilagi announced to the Herald that he will join Manly on a three-year agreement, Leilua was disappointed that Loiero was only fined $1000.
“You want to get that stuff out of the game,” said Leilua. “It’s a shame.” It was more of a surprise at the time because of the way he [Loiero] came in; he caught me off guard. My right knee is still clicking. I need to be treated, and the physio thinks it’s just a little cork.
“It’s disheartening. I expected him to get a [week]. The match review committee will make that decision. The cannonball tackle has no place in the game and should be eliminated completely.”We take care of our legs here [at the Tigers]… the cannonball, hip-drop tackle, we definitely don’t practise it.”
After the game, Storm coach Craig Bellamy stated that Leilua was still moving when Loiero finished the tackle.
On Saturday night’s TV commentary, Mick Ennis observed, “We can’t keep waiting until someone does an ACL to outlaw it.”Leilua, 25, will join the North Queensland Cowboys at the end of the year, and while he believes the Townsville club is “creating something special” and that it will be “good for me to get out of Sydney,” he was determined to leave the Tigers with a September campaign.
While Leilua’s brother Joey has publicly criticised Tigers coach Michael Maguire since leaving the club last year, Luciano stated that his relationship was ‘Madge’ completely different.
“I love Madge, he’s the man,” Leilua remarked. “I have my own relationship with Madge, he has his own relationship with BJ; I’ve always kept out of that conversation.”
Meanwhile, Tuilagi, who was arguably the Tigers’ finest player in the first half of their 26-16 loss to Melbourne, announced a three-year deal with the Sea Eagles.
The hard-running Samoan met with Manly officials at his western Sydney home on November 1 – the first day rival clubs could officially approach him – and wanted to be the first to break the news to Maguire.
“I took a three-year deal with Manly,” Tuilagi explained. “[Manly recruitment manager] Scott Fulton said I’d have to work hard for my spot at Manly, but they saw something in me and said if I came over, I’d be a starting back-rower.” I still have to compete for the position.
“The Tigers offered me a two-year contract. I intended to notify Madge once I had signed with Manly. He had COVID the week I went to inform him, so I had to wait another seven days before telling him face to face.
