Kiwi league legend Graham Lowe has asked the Warriors to give their harassed fans an explanation for the strange $ 700,000 payment to the controversial Matt Lodge support, after he left with a one-and-a-half-season contract.
The best coach in Kiwi history and a living legend in the game, Lowe has been surprised by the payoff.
He said fans deserved to know why the club would pay Lodge in full for a mutual division, letting the Warriors carry the burden of their salary cap until the end of the 2023 season.
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“There are a lot of fans here, but they’re experts in the league,” Lowe told Wide World of Sports from Auckland.
“They can smell a rat and there is something very strange about that.
“The fact that the club gives a boy a $ 700,000 handshake when he goes out in the middle of the season is obviously something else.
“From what I know of Lodge, he is a fiery character and I can guarantee he has had a confrontation with the owner (Mark Robinson) or the CEO (Cameron George).
“But how this entitles you to a massive payoff that will impact the Warriors’ salary cap for next season is beyond me.”
Matt Lodge has left the Warriors on a contract basis. (Getty)
The club says nothing about it, which makes it even more mysterious.
“Fans deserve an answer,” Lowe added.
“They’re disillusioned with the club and the management they’ve been running for a long time and it’s not uncommon to see things like this happen.”
Wide World of Sports contacted the NRL to ask if payroll auditors would investigate the payment of the Lodge, but received no response.
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