Luciano Leilua wants the cannonball tackle outlawed and was disappointed Melbourne rookie Trent Loiero escaped suspension for the hit that left him with a knee that was “still clicking”.
As fellow Wests Tigers back-rower Kelma Tuilagi confirmed to the Herald he would join Manly on a three-year deal, Leilua was unimpressed Loiero was hit with just a $1000 fine.
“You want to get that stuff out of the game,” Leilua said. “It’s unfortunate. It was more of a shock at the time with the way he [Loiero] came in, he got me by surprise. My knee is still clicking now. I have to get treatment, and the physio says it’s a mild cork.
“It’s disappointing. I thought he would have got a [week]. That’s up to the match review committee to decide. There should be no place for the cannonball tackle in the game – we should be definitely taking it out.
“We take care of our legs here [at the Tigers] … the cannonball, hip-drop tackle, we definitely don’t practice it.”
Leilua said he had no idea which player had hit him at the time and there was no exchange after full-time.
Storm coach Craig Bellamy said after the game Leilua was still moving when Loiero completed the tackle.
Mick Ennis said during the TV commentary on Saturday night: “We can’t keep waiting until someone does an ACL to outlaw it.”
The 25-year-old Leilua will join the North Queensland Cowboys at the end of the year, and while he believes the Townsville club “are creating something special” – and it will be “good for me to get out of Sydney” – he was determined to bow out of the Tigers with a September campaign.
While Leilua’s brother Joey has taken public potshots at Tigers coach Michael Maguire since leaving the club last year, Luciano said his relationship was ‘Madge’ completely different.
“I love Madge, he’s the man,” Leilua said. “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’ best in the first half during the 26-16 loss to Melbourne, revealed he had taken up 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 said. “[Manly recruitment manager] Scott Fulton said I’d have to work hard for my spot at Manly, but they saw something in me and I’d be a starting back-rower if I came over. I still need to fight for that spot.
“The Tigers offered me two years. I wanted to let Madge know once I signed with Manly. The week I went to tell him, he had COVID – so I had to wait another seven days before I told him face to face.
“He was shocked and told me he was confident I’d stay. I told him I was only focused on the Tigers and not Manly for this year. He told me I had worked my arse off over the pre-season, he liked what he had seen, and I got that starting opportunity on the weekend.”
Luke Brooks failed to train on Tuesday because of a leg complaint he picked up late against the Storm, but is expected to start against Newcastle on Sunday, while winger Ken Maumalo hobbled off the field with a hamstring injury, leaving Junior Pauga to complete the session on the left wing.
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