The mystery surrounding the sudden departure of Matt Lodge from the NRL continues to fuel rumors about what exactly happened to the Warriors.
Questions continue to be raised about Matt Lodge’s baffling payment after leaving the New Zealand Warriors.
Last week, Lodge surprised the NRL by abruptly leaving the Warriors because he was unwilling to move his family to New Zealand. The Warriors, who will return to New Zealand on a permanent basis next year after Covid’s complications, have granted the 26-year-old striker an immediate release from his contract.
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There is confusion as to why the club has paid for the Lodge contract, giving him a farewell gift of $ 700,000, although it is said that it was the player who decided to leave.
Talking about SEN’s Vossy and Brandy On Thursday morning, Fox League commentator Andrew Voss said “they may just have paid to get rid of it.”
“There needs to be more,” Voss said.
“You can’t have a situation where the player has an option in his favor, he declares that he has no intention of living in New Zealand, so the option becomes irrelevant, he will never come into play, and you still pay him for it. .
“I’m just saying we need to do more digging here. Something is not aligned.”
Mud the waters, Daily Telegraph Journalist Michael Carayannis revealed that the Warriors had previously offered Lodge a three-year contract extension, which he turned down.
Penrith legend Greg Alexander added that “something doesn’t make sense.”
“So they were willing to sign him for three more years. It wasn’t like they wanted to get rid of him, they wanted him for three more years,” Alexander said.
Speaking on Fox League NRL 360 on Wednesday, The Daily Telegraph Phil Rothfield revealed that Warriors CEO Cameron George declined to answer questions about Lodge’s high pay.
“It’s still a $ 700,000 question mark,” Rothfield said. “George will not tell me … he is hiding behind confidentiality clauses.
“There are a lot of fans in New Zealand who want to know why he got $ 700,000. He’s ruining his limit (salary) for the rest of this year and next.
“He has left the Warriors in desperate trouble.
“These fans, these members, these sponsors deserve an explanation.”
NRL 360 Co-presenter Paul Kent continued: “I think the Integrity Unit should at least look at it.
“Something has happened to make the Warriors feel compelled to release and pay for it.”
“It doesn’t make sense. And it looks like something has happened at the club more than with Lodge.
“It looks like the money from the club’s fault and the Integrity Unit should be looked at.”