Joseph Leilua released by the Knights

Grandpa Joe

Grandpa Joe

Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
Has clause to get out due to bennett leaving and will execute it.

So with gids leaving mamo to fullback and sione to centres?
 
i don't believe until it's official as much as it opens up room for youngsters it would be stupid to lose one of our best players, and i swear there was talk about this clause at the start of the year and leilua said that he was committed to us, though anything can happen especially seeing as raiders are offering people anything i still am not worried yet.
 
Canberra Raiders set to sign Knights’ Joey Leilua to boost growing talent stocks
  • EXCLUSIVE DAVID RICCIO
  • THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
  • MAY 03, 2015 12:00AM
JUST over a year ago, they were a club struggling to lure a marquee player.

Now the Canberra Raiders are on the verge of signing one of the most talented outside backs in the NRL.

The Sunday Telegraph can reveal the Green Machine are close to signing Newcastle Knights centre Joey “BJ” Leilua to compliment the purchase of promising Gold Coast five-eighth Aiden Seizer for 2016 and the soon to be announced signature of Test prop James Tamou.

Leilua is contracted to the Knights until the end of 2016, but with a clause in his contract related to the departure of former Newcastle coach Wayne Bennett to Brisbane this season, the 23-year-old is effectively a free-agent.

Leilua, who signed a new two-year deal under Bennett last year, had a clause included into his contract at that time which states he can request a release from the Knights at any point should Bennett move on.

It’s believed that Leilua will formally act upon that clause and request a release this week once he returns from international duties with Samoa.

The Knights are unlikely to stand in Leilua’s way given it will alleviate close to $400,000 from their salary cap, which like most clubs, is under pressure.

The benefit of Leilua’s departure to the Nation’s Capital will also allow the club to promote a potent crop of emerging stars into the NRL more regularly including the Matautia brothers Sione and Chanel and the off-contract Jake Mamo.

Leilua is no stranger to Raiders coach Ricky Stuart.The powerful centre was selected as a member of the NSW emerging Blues squad when Stuart was coach of NSW State of Origin in 2011.

He was also a member of the City Origin team in 2012 and was also named 19th man for NSW in Origin I of that year.

More recently, fitness has proven Leilua’s downfall with the damaging ballrunner pushing the scales well over 112kg.

However, the Raiders are confident they can motivate Leilua into the attacking weapon he has long promised to be.

Having missed out on the signatures of Melbourne’s Kevin Proctor, Cronulla’s Michael Ennis, Wests Tigers fullback James Tedesco and Penrith’s Josh Mansour last year, the Raiders have become the surprise packets of 2015 so far, as a result of several shrewd purchases.

Former Wests Tigers utility Blake Austin, who has earned a City Origin jumper after joining Canberra, is in contention for buy of the season.

And while they arrived in the pre-season with little fanfare, Raiders winger Sisa Waqa, who was formally with Melbourne and former Sydney Roosters prop Frank-Paul Nu’uausala, have also proven to be influential purchases.


http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...ng-talent-stocks/story-fni3gmmu-1227332035717
 
Lord of the Skraelings said:
His fat and lazy and full of mistakes. Without a bennett flogging him we see what he is like.
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that's bull he may still be overweight but even if he is i wouldn't say he's lazy, he plays his *** off most of the games he's played this year and yes unfortunately he has a mistake in his game but he still plays good and is constantly one of our best.
 
Lord of the Skraelings said:
His fat and lazy and full of mistakes. Without a bennett flogging him we see what he is like.
Click to expand...
For all the mistakes he makes, he can also single handedly win us games as well. Surely you can see that.

I'll be a bit disappointment if true tbh, but at the same time I can see the benefit of him going as well. An extra 400k to buy a quality forward on the market plus it opens up a centre spot for Sione and possibly Mamo at fullback next year.
 
I don't even care about the occasional errors, he's a weapon everytime he has the ball, no matter if he's fit or not. He will a disappointing loss, the only positive I guess is that Mamo gets a spot but that ain't an upgrade at all.
 
He may be overweight but he is still putting out some good numbers

Improvement needed in some areas but [MENTION=873]Joshhh[/MENTION] is spot on when he says the guy is a weapon

Games - 8

Metres - 978 (122.25m per game)

Line Breaks - 5

Tackle Breaks - 32

Try Assists - 2

Line Break Assists - 3

Tries - 3

Offloads - 10

Tackles - 60 (7.5 per game)

Missed Tackles - 17 (2.12 per game)

Errors - 13 (1.62 per game)

Penalties Conceded - 2
 
We cant keep them all lads we have umpteen million backs no established hooker. 1 semi decent half and are 2 props and a top quality backrower short.
 
Bad move by BJ.
Ricky Stuart hates lazy trainers and will drop in to reserve grade in the blink of an eye when he slacks off.
He's dropped a lot better players.
 
BJ has been our best this year, yes a few errors no doubt, but he is the most damaging player we have he gets us amazing yardage and just bumps people off like they are flies. Gags has been awesome as well and so has aku, all have a few error sin them, and all attacking players will.

Be a big loss if you ask me
 
Big loss, good for some errors but he's a beast and has changed and won plenty of games for us.

At least Mamo, Chanel and Sione will get a real shot now. We are going to be ****ing loaded, our backs are the least of our worries, if we don't use all this freed up cash to buy huge props and a capable half, Stone's lost it.
 
Disappointing because he is inventor the best ball runners in the game but at the same time losing BJ and Gids gives a better balance to our roster and at the end of the day we can have as many match winners in the backs as we want but if we don't have to forwards to give them the space they need then there worthless to the team. Everybody has complained about us trying to force our three centres into the team all year if this is true that problem is solved.
 
So Mr softy, everyone's mate Rick, has forced poor trainers Willie Mason and BJ out of the club.
 
Although he will be a loss I say let him go, if he doesn't want to be here do we really need him?

At least we can now play Sione in his preferred position at centre and we can free up some cap.
 
Gagai is the better of the 2. I'd put money on the fact he has lost more games then he has won due to the same boneheaded mistakes he still makes now then when he first came into first grade 5 years ago.
 
Ever since Sione and Mamo showed their class in the NYC last year I've been bracing to lose one of them. With Gagai resigning I've been expecting this. It sucks but like Scott leaving the club we're not screwed. Our backline is probably made much better and that's not exactly out of bitterness rather he's a rocks and diamonds sort of player; more rocks 90% of the time.

I do wish him the best and it makes me a little concerned about Canberra next year.......and then I remember they have ol' Sticky.
 
To be honest this is concerning. He is a big boy for the knights and gives them some much needed size. If BJ goes with the addition of Scott and Gidley, yeah they will be cashed up but will they attract the kind of hard working, big front rowers needed or will the money be wasted on paying overs to bring in players past it or not first grade material.
 
DHoops said:
To be honest this is concerning. He is a big boy for the knights and gives them some much needed size. If BJ goes with the addition of Scott and Gidley, yeah they will be cashed up but will they attract the kind of hard working, big front rowers needed or will the money be wasted on paying overs to bring in players past it or not first grade material.
Click to expand...

That's what I'm worried about. Yeah we have Gidley, Scott & Leilua's money & yeah we'll give an offer to a couple of high profile players but Newcastle doesn't attract players & we aren't the sort of club that will offer massive amounts of money or get into a tug of war just to get a player either, like Canberra. We'll end up having to settle for a couple of middle of the range players & upgrading juniors. Juniors are good for the future but if we ever want to be a finals team we need quality players now.
 
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