NRL News: Star Exodus Looms at Tigers, Papa Crucial as Maroons Aim for 12-Year Grand Final Win, Ex-Blues Star Freed from Drug Charges

2025-07-18 04:47:24

Wests Tigers could be facing further high-profile exits on the horizon with uncertainty growing over the future of Jarome Luai and Jahream Bula.

According to a

Sydney Morning Herald

report, Bula’s manager Isaac Moses has already been discussing the young fullback’s playing future with rival clubs.

He is under contract until the end of next year but cannot hold formal discussions until November 1.

Moses has a rocky relationship with the Tigers and has had a long-running feud with coach Benji Marshall which was central to Lachie Galvin’s mid-season switch to Canterbury.

Wests have also released Tallyn Da Silva halfway through the year with the 20-year-old hooker taking up a lucrative deal with Parramatta.

Luai has a get-out clause in his multimillion-dollar long-term contract and the

SMH

has revealed that he has until the end of April next year to let the club know whether he will stick around until the end of 2029.

The 28-year-old NSW five-eighth also cannot negotiate with other clubs until November but his potential departure could be another huge body blow for Marshall’s hopes of rebuilding the team.

They beat the Roosters on Sunday to snap a six-game losing streak but are in contention for a fourth straight wooden spoon despite bringing in a slew of high-profile recruits, including Luai, prop Terrell May and utility Jack Bird.

Papa the key for Maroons’ mission

Josh Papalii’s recall has given Queensland firepower up front but also an intimate understanding of what it takes to win a State of Origin decider in Sydney.

The 33-year-old prop is the only member of the current playing squad to have achieved the rare feat.

When playing in just his second Origin match back in 2013, Papalii was among the side that beat NSW 12-10 at Homebush.

That was the last time the Maroons have prevailed in a Sydney decider and was the fourth time they had won the Origin shield in the NSW capital.

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They also won deciders on enemy territory in 1998 and 2008, while an 18-all draw in 2002 was enough to retain bragging rights.

Papalii’s very presence has been a comfort to the Maroons ahead of his 24th and final Origin showdown.

“Papa is a real calming influence on the group,” Maroons hooker Harry Grant said.

“He’s got so much experience and willpower to have a real dig in the Maroons jersey.

“I’m really excited for him to have this final opportunity. He’s been playing some awesome footy for Canberra.”

The Maroons, who clung on to win game two 26-24 in Perth, must pull off a 45-year Origin first in Sydney. They have never won two games away from Brisbane to clinch the series after losing the first match.

It’s an opportunity coach Billy Slater said his side would embrace, rather than be daunted by that history.

“We’d never won in Perth either before game two,” Slater said.

“No Queensland team has lost at home and had to go on the road for game two and three and won the series. What an opportunity it is for this group of men.

“That’s a real challenge. We’re not naive to (not) know where we’re going and how good the footy team is that we’re playing against, and the individuals in the footy team. It’s a task for sure, but what an opportunity it is.”

Grant said on Monday that Cameron Munster’s brave decision to play after the death of his father Steven had motivated the players to give a strong performance to make their skipper’s family proud.

Grant grew up in Rockhampton, as did Munster. The Maroons skipper was man of the match in the win in game two in Perth. Munster’s story, from loveable larrikin to Maroons captain, continues to inspire and Grant himself has been moved by it.

“I’ve been lucky enough to grow up in the same region as him and watch his journey to the Storm and now captain of the Maroons,” Grant said.

“It’s been a very inspiring journey and he gives a lot of people hope that you can do it.

“You don’t always have to be the best kid growing up. You can have a bit of cheek and do things your way too.

“He’s captain of the Maroons and we love him as a teammate and bloke. You saw what he did in game two.”

Roberts cleared of drugs charges

A feted former NRL speedster has been cleared of possessing drugs and suspected stolen cash after police withdrew the charges against him at the last minute.

James Roberts, 32, who played more than 160 NRL games for five clubs during his career, pleaded not guilty to possessing a prohibited drug and suspected stolen goods.Police allege he had 0.3 grams of cannabis and $1400 in suspected stolen cash when he was pulled over on the morning of July 30, 2024.

But the charges against the 2015 Dally M centre of the year were withdrawn by police at a court hearing where he was scheduled to contest them this morning.

Outside court, his lawyer Najee Makhoul said there had been no evidence to link the former NRL player to the offences.

Police assumed Roberts’ wad of cash was illegally obtained, but that was “just not the case at all”, Makhoul said.

The retired footballer received cash payments for NRL outings and appearances, and might withdraw funds from his bank, his lawyer said.”That was the case here, and was just a wrong charge laid for the wrong reasons, and unfortunately he faced the consequences as a result,” Makhoul said.

The small amount of cannabis likewise couldn’t be linked to Roberts because it had been found in his passenger’s bag.

Roberts, who did not appear in court today, is looking forward to putting the ordeal behind him, Makhoul said.”It’s a very fortunate outcome,” he said.

“(Roberts) is relieved, relieved for it to be done. He wants to continue with his life and move on.

“Nicknamed “Jimmy the Jet” for his speed, Roberts played for the Wests Tigers, South Sydney Rabbitohs, Penrith Panthers, Gold Coast Titans and Brisbane Broncos across 12 seasons in the NRL.

He appeared in all three games for NSW in the team’s successful 2018 State of Origin campaign and played for the Indigenous All Stars and City Origin before retiring in 2022.

with AAP