Departure of prop Lodge not ideal for Warriors
Immediate release from contract seen as pragmatic
Warriors chief executive Cameron George concedes the early departure of Matt Lodge from the Auckland NRL club is far from ideal but says it was the pragmatic solution.
The 26-year-old prop has played his last game for the Warriors, granted an early release yesterday.
Lodge joined the club last July on a deal until the end of this season, with an option in his favour for 2023.
There have been ongoing discussions since the start of the year, and while it always seemed unlikely he would commit to a long-term contract, there had been no indication such a sudden exit was imminent.
On the surface, it’s another blow for the Warriors, as Lodge has been one of the most consistent forwards this season, with the team often struggling for momentum when he was off the field.
Now they will have to navigate 13 games without him, starting with today’s clash against the Dragons, where Jazz Tevaga will celebrate his 100-game milestone.
“He [Lodge] has been going great,” George told the Weekend Herald. “[But] that’s where we landed because he felt it was the best way forward. We had a chat with [head coach Nathan Brown], we understand the situation and we granted it. You want to keep all the good players for a long time but it’s just the way it is.
“You don’t ever want to go into these discussions but there was a mutual understanding there.
“He felt this was the best option and we thought about it and that was the decision we came up with.”
George said the club would now consider their next move, depending on who is available.
“We will give it some thought,” he said last night.
“This hasn’t been a strategic plan of his or ours. It just sort of came up and discussions took place, so we will see where we land,” said George.
Lodge made his Warriors debut in round 17 last year, after a mid-season switch from Brisbane. He has been impressive this campaign, particularly prominent in the victories over the Tigers, Broncos and Raiders, and will leave a considerable void, although Tohu Harris and Josh Curran (when he returns from injury) will add starch to the middle.
Lodge’s unwillingness to relocate to Auckland was given as the reason for his decision.
“I couldn’t see my family living in New Zealand for a long-term future,” said Lodge in a club statement.
“Therefore we decided the best thing for the club was for us to mutually part ways so they have some clarity.
“I respect the club and especially the boys a lot and hopefully I showed that by the way I trained and played physical and gave my all every game.”
His apparent unwillingness to see out the rest of this campaign is disappointing, especially as the Warriors helped him relaunch his career last year when it was clear he was slipping out of favour at the Broncos.
Lodge is expected to link with another NRL club before the end of the season, though George said that subject was not broached in discussions the past few days.
Lodge may also become a target for the Redcliffe Dolphins for 2023, given his close association with their head of recruitment Peter O’Sullivan. O’Sullivan, who is Lodge’s father-inlaw, played a big role in bringing the prop to the Warriors last year.